Housing Advice & Help for Homeless People

Barnsley Council will help you if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness. You will qualify for help if you are eligible for assistance, legally homeless, or threatened with homelessness, in priority need and not intentionally homeless. If you are fleeing your home because of domesticabuse the Homelessness and Housing Advice Service can offer advice and support.

Barnsleys Adult Social Care Services also have responsibility for some homeless people. They have a duty to provide accommodation for children and young people over 16 who are leaving care, or who are in need for other reasons.In Barnsley we offer a housing advice service that aims to work with people to prevent them becoming homeless.

If you think you might become homeless, it is important that you contact the service as soon as possible.

In Barnsley we have a sanctuary scheme that helps some people stay safely in their home and avoids them having to leave.

Eligible for Assistance

Some people who arrive in this country, or who are returning from a period living abroad do not qualify for housing under homelessness laws. For example, many asylum seekers (but not all) are excluded, as is someone who has spent significant time living away from the UK even if they are a UK citizen.

The rules on eligibility are complex and if you are arriving in or returning to the UK, you should seek specialist advice at the Barnsley Citizens Advice Bureau, whose contact details can be found by clicking here

Homeless or Threatened with Homelessness

You will be considered legally homeless if you have no accommodation available, which is reasonable for you and your household to live in. This includes accommodation in another country. You will also be homeless if you have accommodation but cannot get into it. For example, if you have somewhere to stay with friends or relatives, but have been asked to leave, or you are at risk of abuse in your home. You will be considered to be threatened with homelessness if you are likely to be homeless within 28 days.

Priority Need

You will be counted as in priority need for housing if you are homeless and

" You are pregnant

" You have dependent children under 16, or under 19 if they are in full time education

" You are homeless because of an emergency such as a flood or a fire

" You are aged 16 or 17

You may also be in priority need if you fall into one of the following groups.

In some cases, you may have to show that you situation has made youvulnerable:-

" You are at risk of domestic abuse or other threats of violence

" You are elderly, or have a physical or mental illness or disability

" You are over 18 but at risk of exploitation or have been in care

" You are homeless after leaving hospital, prison or the armed forces

If you think you fall into a priority need group you can check this with a specialist advisor, contact homeless and housing advice.

Intentionally Homeless

You may be considered intentionally homeless if you have deliberately done something which has made you lose your home. However, the definition of intentionally homeless is complicated and a decision made by the local authority can often be challenged. For example, if you have become homeless because of rent or mortgage arrears you should notautomatically be considered to be intentionally homeless. The Council will look at each case individually. If you lost your home because of genuine financial problems you will not be homeless through your own fault.

You would not be considered intentionally homeless if you had to flee your home due to domestic abuse.

Local Connection

Barnsley Council may refuse to accept responsibility if it thinks that you have no connection with the area where you are looking for help with housing. You would usually be expected to live, work or have family links to have a local connection. In this situation, you may be referred to an area where you do have a connection.

What Action Will the Council Take?

If you qualify as homeless, the Council will help you. It may not be able to provide accommodation from its own properties. The Council can house you in various ways, for example, by referring you to a housing association, or arranging accommodation with a private landlord. The Council needs time to carry out enquiries to understand your situation.

If it seems that you are homeless and in priority need, they will make sure you have somewhere to live while this is done.If the Council decides that you are not homeless, it does not have to arrange long term accommodation for you. However, it will provide advice and assistance to help you finding accommodation, or provide a temporary place to stay while you find a permanent home.

Housing Associations

Housing associations are not for profit organisation that provide housing for rent. There are many housing associations providing a range of accommodation. Some provide housing for certain types of people, for example, single parents or people with disabilities. Others provide general housing in the same way as a Council.

Only some housing associations accept direct applications. Most require you to be nominated by the Council, which means that you will need to apply to go on the Berneslai Homes waiting list and ask to be nominated.

Where a housing association does not insist on this, it may require that you are nominated by a local agency, for example, Councils Homelessment Advice Service or the Adult Social Care Services department. If a housing association does accept a direct application, the criteria each has for selecting tenants will vary. In some areas the housing associations and the Council have joint waiting lists. This means you can register with the Council, and housing associations, on the same form. If you are seeking accommodation from a registered Housing Association you may want to get more information from an experienced advisor.

Details of Barnsleys HHA Service can be found in this directory, or further information is available from www.barnsley.gov.uk