If you are threatened with homelessness or want to apply to join our housing register, we will assess your housing application to determine what assistance or advice we can provide.
Based on the information that you provide, we will investigate your circumstances and provide general advice and assistance.
If you are threatened with homelessness, we can take an application and assess your situation to determine whether we have a duty to offer your rehousing.
Despite the serious housing shortage in this area, we are determined to do all that we can to help find you a home.
We will try to help you regardless of whether we accept that you are homeless.
Housing Services
We appreciate this is a difficult time for you and we will do all we can to help.
Our duties towards homeless people are set out in law.
We have to consider whether we have a legal duty towards you, and:
- If so, how we will fulfil that duty
- If not, how else we can help you.
Please remember that, even if you think you are homeless or threatened with homelessness, we might not have a legal duty to find you a home.
And even if we have a duty towards you, we might not be able to give you the type of home you would prefer.
Further information
You will have an interview with a Housing Options Officer who will normally then become your case worker.
If you want to discuss your application you should contact your case worker by telephone or email to homes@sstaffs.gov.uk. If you want to see them in person you will need an appointment, as they may not be available without notice.
If there is any change in your situation between your first interview and our decision, you MUST tell your caseworker immediately.
If your caseworker decides that you are not homeless or threatened with homelessness according to the legal definition, we will do everything we can to try and stop you becoming homeless. We will tell you what you can do to protect your rights to stay in your home. We can also try to help you stay in your current home by sorting out any problems you have there. We will also give you advice on the housing option available to you.
The government has decided that some asylum seekers, some people who are subject to immigration control, and people who are not usually resident in the United Kingdom are not eligible for housing accommodation or assistance. This may mean that we cannot do anything for you under homelessness legislation even if you are homeless and have children. You may not even be allowed to put in an application on the housing register. Please talk to your caseworker about this. They will explain how it affects your housing application and what help you can get.
If you are homeless through your own fault, we have no duty to find you long-term accommodation. We will only help you by giving advice, assistance and short term accommodation, if you are eligible. We will talk to you about other housing options you have.
We must help anyone who is homeless, eligible for assistance, in priority need and not intentionally homeless to find suitable accommodation. Unfortunately housing association tenancies can only be offered to people who qualify for the housing register and this can take a long time.
In the meantime, we may arrange bed and breakfast, Hostel or other temporary accommodation. We recognise that bed and breakfast or hostel accommodation is not ideal and we will try to find you suitable alternative temporary accommodation as quickly as possible. Due to the extreme shortage of all types of accommodation, we regret that bed and breakfast accommodation may be some distance away from South Staffordshire.
We understand that everyone who approaches us has some form of housing problem. We will do all we can to offer you housing options. You will get a letter or email outlining your housing options. This could include the private rented sector.
If you do not agree with our decision, you should follow the council's formal complaints procedure.
If you have a complaint, please speak to the officer dealing with your application. If your complaint is not settled to your satisfaction, you can register a formal complaint.
For more information please contact the housing team homes@sstaffs.gov.uk.