Starting today (10th July 2025), new regulations have come into effect to exempt care leavers under 25 and victims of domestic abuse from any local connection or residency tests for social housing applied by Local Authorities in England. Veterans of the Regular Armed Forces were also made exempt from local connection tests, regardless of when they served, in December 2024.
Usually, Local Authorities require individuals to have a ‘local connection’ to the area to access statutory homelessness support, including social housing. To have a local connection you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Lived in the area for 6 months out of the last 12 months, or 3 years out of the last 5 years
- Work in the area
- Have close family (like parents, adult children, or siblings) who have lived there for a long time
- Get care leavers support in the area
- Lived in asylum housing in the area.
Under these new rules, young people leaving care and domestic abuse survivors will no longer be unfairly penalised for not having a local connection. This recognises the unique challenges they face, such as transitioning out of care or fleeing a home/area to seek safety. This change applies to all councils in England.
We encourage those working in frontline homelessness services to understand these new regulations to help break down barriers to homelessness support and social housing for these groups.