Local authority advice and assistance

When people find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness they are entitled to advice and assistance from their local authority. There are limits to the assistance single homeless people receive. However, the local authority homelessness service or Housing Option service should be an important safety net preventing many people from becoming homeless.

Context

Local authorities have a legal duty to provide help to certain people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness under the 1996 Housing Act. Statutory responses to homelessness are generally focused on families with children rather than single homeless people, unless they are classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the local authority. People qualify for help if they are 'eligible for assistance', legally homeless or threatened with homelessness, in priority need and not intentionally homeless. The local authority also investigates whether there is a local connection with the area. People are usually expected to live, work or have family links to have a local connection. Local social services authorities also have responsibility for some homeless people.

Local authority responsibility to provide advice and assistance

Local authorities each have a homelessness service that provides advice and assistance to people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. The service may operate as part of a Housing Options service or housing advice service and will typically have an out of hours emergency contact line, with details available through the local authority switchboard.

If the local authority needs time to carry out enquiries (and it’s likely the person is homeless and in priority need), it must make sure the person applying for assistance has somewhere to live while it investigates.

If an individual qualifies as homeless, the local authority has to help. It can house someone in a variety of ways, for example, referral to a housing association, or arranging accommodation with a private landlord.

If the local authority decides someone is not homeless, it does not have any duties to arrange long-term accommodation. However, as a minimum, it must provide advice and assistance in finding accommodation or provide a temporary solution.

People who are not accepted as homeless get a varied response from local authorities and sometimes do not receive the support that can prevent them from sleeping rough.

Crisis undertook research using mystery shoppers in 2009: No one's priority: the treatment of single homeless people by local authority homelessness services. They found that councils were turning away single homeless people needing help.

Solutions

Communities and Local Government are funding a series of housing options trailblazer programmes to support an enhanced housing options approach. This approach entails giving more holistic advice and assistance to non-priority groups to prevent homelessness. Find out more in their document Expanding Choice, Addressing Need.

Citizens Advice provides free, confidential and independent advice from over 3,000 locations and by telephone and email. Search for your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) office online or visit the CAB's Adviceguide website to search for specific advice by topic.

Shelter provides a free, national telephone advice line staffed by trained housing advisers.  Alternatively, you can download a copy of their advice booklet, Homeless? Read this, which gives an introduction to your legal rights and the options you might have.

More information for young people who are homeless and in priority need can be found on our young people page.

Further information

Local authority performance
The Government provides summary information on local housing authorities' activities under homelessness legislation. This includes the number of households accepted as owed the main homelessness duty (referred to as acceptances) during the quarter, and the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter.

Prevention of homelessness
Under the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities published in July 2006, local authorities have a duty to ensure that advice and information about the prevention of homelessness is available free of charge to any person in their district.