Our Housing Options Team will always try to prevent homelessness. 

We have a legal duty to assist people who are homeless or are likely to become homeless.

If you feel that you are homeless or threatened with homelessness, please contact the Housing Options Team on 01376 552525. 

How we can help

We will try to prevent your homelessness.  We can do this either through helping you to stay in your current home, or by helping you to plan a move to alternative accommodation.  What is vital is that you contact the Housing Options Team at the very earliest opportunity; the sooner they can be involved, the better their chances of helping you to avoid becoming homeless.

In certain circumstances, the Council may have a duty to provide accommodation if your homelessness cannot be prevented.  However, the rules are complicated and investigations will be carried out if a homeless application is made.

Unless you meet the requirements under all 5 of the following, the Council will not have a duty to ensure that you find settled accommodation.

1. Anyone requesting assistance as a homeless household must meet certain eligibility criteria; this affects people who are subject to immigration control or who are not habitually resident in the UK.
2. 'Homeless' has a technical definition; broadly speaking it means that there must be no accommodation which you have a legal right to occupy, either in the UK or elsewhere.
3. To be considered for assistance you have to be in what is known as 'priority need'.  This includes households with dependant children and people with severe and enduring health problems.
4. You must also not have become homeless due to something you have done, or failed to do, such as not paying your rent.
5. You must have a local connection to the District; again this is an agreed definition and includes permanent employment, minimum period of own residence, or minimum residence periods of close family members.

If the Council decides that you fall into a category of household to which it must offer assistance, and you become homeless before investigations have been completed, you will be accommodated in 'temporary accommodation'.  The Council has a very limited supply of accommodation available for these purposes and households will be offered the most suitable of whatever is available at the time.  The most common form of accommodation used are bed sits with shared facilities in our hostel in Braintree.  Although the Council tries to avoid the use of Bed and Breakfast, on rare occasions this may be necessary.

If the Council decides that it does not owe you a housing duty under the homelessness legislation, officers will still work with you to help you solve your housing problems, providing you with advice about how to access accommodation in the private sector.  If you have been placed in 'temporary accommodation' during our investigations you will be required to vacate.

If the Council decides that it does owe you a 'full housing duty' under the homelessness legislation, your Housing Options Officer will work with you to find settled accommodation as quickly as possible.  Settled accommodation may be in either private rented or housing association accommodation.  Until settled accommodation is found you may be accommodated in 'temporary accommodation'.

You can request a review of your temporary accommodation if you feel that it is unsuitable.  Your Housing Options Officer can explain the process.

Acceptance of the full homeless duty means that the law recognises that a household is in need of urgent housing.

What it also means however, is that the household will not be able to exercise the same degree of choice over settled accommodation which they may secure.  Homeless applicants bidding for social housing through Gateway to Homechoice are only able to bid on vacancies advertised in the Braintree District, rather than throughout the eight council areas that are part of the Gateway to Homechoice scheme.  Accepted homeless households are limited to one reasonable offer, after which the Council will 'discharge' its homeless duty (i.e. will have no further duty to provide them with accommodation).  Homeless households are subject to a 3 month bidding period, after which, if they have not made a successful bid, the Council may bid on their behalf.

Where possible we will aim to provide a decision regarding your homelessness application within 33 working days, however this is reliant on your full cooperation throughout the process.

**Your right to a review**

If you disagree with our decision you have the right to request a review.  The law says that if you want a review you must make a request within 21 days of the date of the decision letter and so it is important you make contact with us as soon as possible. 

To request a review of your homelessness decision, click on the link in the right hand side box at the top of the page called "Homeless Decision Leaflet 2012".  Print and complete the form and return to the council offices as soon as possible using the following address:

Housing Options Service
Causeway House,
Bocking End,
Braintree,
CM7 3WA

There are also links to Shelter and to the Citizen Advice Bureau in the box to the right which can provide further advice and information around homelessness law.

Contacting us

Please try to contact the Housing Options Team in advance to make an appointment to speak to a Housing Options Officer.  In an emergency we will try to see you without an appointment but you may have to wait to see someone.

Opening times:
Monday to Friday: 9:00am to 5:00pm

Telephone:
01376 552525

Out of opening hours in a housing emergency please call 01376 552525