We may consider you homeless if:
- You are at risk of homelessness in the next 56 days;
- You have no home in the UK, or anywhere else in the world, where you can live together with your immediate family;
- The property you live in is no longer suitable or safe for you.
Once this is determined you will be notified in writing of either of the following duties that may be owed to you:
Prevention
The Housing Needs team will take reasonable steps to prevent homelessness for any eligible person, at risk of homelessness within 56 days, regardless of priority need. This means we will help you to stay in your current home, or assist you to find a new place to live. You will also be required to take steps towards resolving your threat of homelessness.
Relief
The Housing Needs team will take reasonable steps to help you secure suitable alternative accommodation. Help could be, for example, providing a loan for rent in advance or referring you to supporting accommodation. You will also be required to take steps to look for alternative accommodation.
As part of the statutory duty to prevent or relieve homelessness, a personalised < housing plan will be produced by working collaboratively with you.
The personalised housing plan will contain reasonable steps for you to take in order to prevent or relieve your homelessness. You will be issued with a notification to confirm what duty if any is owed, and further notifications will be issued during the assessment or when the duty ends. The notifications will outline the reasons that have brought the duty to an end.
If we are unable to prevent or relieve you from becoming homeless, the following tests will be thoroughly investigated before we make a decision on what, if any, final duties we may owe you.