Homelessness
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Reducing Homelessness is a key priority for Ryedale District
Council. The Housing Options Service aims to provide a free
comprehensive Housing Advice Service so should you be homeless or
threatened with homelessness, you should approach the Housing
Options Team as soon as possible for them to get the full details
of your situation. They can give you a full range of advice
and options in order to assist you. In addition to this free
and impartial service, there are a number of independent
organisations in the District who can also give housing advice; a
list of these can be found on our Housing Advice page.
How do I know if I will be considered as
being homeless or under threat of homelessness?
The homelessness law covers more than being out on the
streets. You will be considered homeless or under threat of
homelessness if:
- You have nowhere to live in the United Kingdom or
elsewhere.
- You are afraid to go home because someone living there has been
or may be violent to you or your family.
- You have nowhere you can live together with all your
family.
- You do not have the owner's permission to stay, e.g. you are a
squatter.
- You have been locked out of your home.
- You have somewhere to stay but it is not reasonable for you to
do so, e.g. following violence, threats of violence or
harassment.
- Your home is a boat, mobile home or caravan and you have
nowhere to put it.
- You have been given Notice to Quit by your landlord.
- You have been taken to Court by your mortgage lender for
arrears and the Court has said you must leave.
- You have been living with friends and they have asked you
to leave.
We will make every effort to prevent homelessness and in these
circumstances, there may be times when the Council has a legal
obligation to offer interim accommodation, whilst investigating
your homelessness further. To be offered interim emergency
accommodation, you must be:
- Eligible for assistance
- Homeless
- In priority need
If you have previously applied as homeless, there must also be a
material change since your last application.
Once your homelessness has been investigated in full, a legal
obligation may exist to find permanent, suitable and affordable
housing for some people. We fulfil this obligation by working
in partnership with registered social landlords. To be
offered accommodation via Ryedale District Council you must be:
- Eligible for assistance
- Homeless
- In priority need
- Not be intentionally homeless
- Have a valid local connection with the District of Ryedale
As we may not have a duty to fully assist all applicants, we
will try to work with you before you become homeless in order to
enable you to remain where you are , or to find you suitable and
affordable alternative accommodation.
FAQs
Am I eligible for assistance?
In general you are not eligible for assistance if you are a
person from abroad and unable to make a claim for housing
benefit. However, this is not a definitive statement, and we
would advise that you seek advice on this matter from the Council's
Housing Options Team.
Do I have a Priority Need?
People are considered to have a priority
need if they:
- have dependent children living with them
- are pregnant
- are a person aged between 16-17 (unless a 'relevant child', or
a child in need, owed a duty under s.20 of the Children Act
1989)
- are under 21, and in care or fostered between the ages of
16-18
- are 21 or more, and vulnerable as a result of having been
looked after or fostered (except for 'relevant students')
- are vulnerable due to old age, mental illness or handicap, or
physical disability
- are vulnerable due to having been a member of Her Majesty's
regular naval,military or air forces
- are vulnerable due to having been in prison
- are vulnerable as a result of violence from another person, or
vulnerable due to another special reason
- are homeless due to flood, fire or other disaster
What is Interim / Temporary
Accommodation?
If a duty exists to offer you interim / temporary accommodation,
this may include;
- Bed and Breakfast accommodation
- Private rented accommodation
- Hostel accommodation
What happens if I am not in Priority
Need?
If you are not in Priority Need, the Council has a duty to
provide you with advice and assistance to help you to secure your
own accommodation. We can work with you to help you, but it
may take a while until accommodation can be found. The
Council does not have a duty to provide interim / temporary or
permanent accommodation for you when you are not in Priority Need,
although if such accommodation is available this may be
considered.
Am I Intentionally
Homeless?
This means the Council thinks you chose to leave a home which
you could have stayed in, or that it was your fault that you lost
your home, or you unreasonably failed to take up accommodation
which was available to you.
This would apply if:
- You chose to sell your home when there was no risk of losing
it.
- You lost your home because of wilful and persistent refusal to
pay rent or mortgage payments.
- You have neglected your affairs having disregarded advice from
a qualified person.
- You voluntarily gave up adequate accommodation in this country
or abroad without first having found secure accommodation to move
into, when it would have been reasonable for you to stay
there.
- You have been evicted for anti-social behaviour.
- You have voluntarily resigned from a job with tied
accommodation where circumstances indicate it would have been
reasonable to continue in the employment.
- You entered into an arrangement causing you to leave
accommodation which was otherwise available to you.
When a homelessness application is made, the officer dealing
with your application will have to check to see if you have
deliberately done something or deliberately not done something that
resulted in you becoming homeless. If you are considered
"intentionally homeless", the Council may only have to provide
temporary accommodation for a reasonable period of time, possibly
28 days, while you make your own arrangements to find alternative
accommodation.
Do I have a Local Connection?
You would have a local connection with the Ryedale District if
you , or a person you would normally live with, has:
- Lived in the District for six out of the last 12 months, or
three out of the last five years
- Has close family associations within the District who have
lived in the District for al least the last five years
- Have permanent employment within the District
What happens if I apply as Homeless?
Should you make a homelessness application, you will be
interviewed, possibly on more than one occasion, by the officer
dealing with your application. All homelessness application
are dealt with under the relevant legislation; Housing Act
1996 PartVII (Homelessness), (as amended by the Homelessness
Act 2002). The interview will be conducted in private and all the
information you provide will be treated in confidence. In
some cases it may be necessary to contact a third party, such as
your doctor, other local authority, the Police or Children's and
Young People's Services in order to complete necessary
enquiries. You will be asked to give your authorisation for
these enquiries to be made. You will also be asked to provide
certain relevant documents, such as a tenancy agreement, or proof
of your income.
Once your homeless application has been investigated in full,
you will receive a written decision on your application. We
aim to make a decision and inform you of it within 33 working days
of you initially making the homeless application. If you
disagree with the decision made, you have the right to request a
review. The letter you receive informing you of the decision
of your homelessness application will also include information on
how to request a review, should you wish to do so.