Homelessness, Support and Advice

If you are homeless or worried you may become homeless

We are here to help. If you are homeless now, or at risk of losing your home within the next 56 days, please contact us as soon as possible. The earlier you get in touch, the more we can do to prevent homelessness or support you to find somewhere safe to live.

If you are at risk of homelessness

If you are worried about losing your home, contact us straight away. Early advice can often prevent homelessness and help you stay safely where you are.

Our aim is to help you remain in your current home wherever this is possible. If it isn’t safe or realistic for you to stay, we will work with you to find alternative accommodation that meets your needs.

Everyone’s circumstances are different, so we will talk with you about your situation and agree the support that is right for you.

We can help with:

• understanding your housing rights and responsibilities
• finding suitable accommodation
• communicating with landlords, lenders, family members or others
• issues around repossession
• eviction notices
• situations involving violence, aggression or harassment
• accessing support from other organisations

Contacting us

If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness within the next 56 days and need assistance, please contact our Housing Options Team.

Housing options advice line: 0808 175 3595

Opening hours:

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am – 12:30pm/ 1:30pm - 4.30pm
•  Wednesday: 1pm – 4.30pm

Out of hours

If you need emergency accommodation outside normal office hours, call:
0300 123 7035
(This number is for emergency accommodation only, not general housing advice.)

Online

You can also contact us by completing our online self‑referral form.

Duty to Refer

Under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, certain public bodies have a legal Duty to Refer people who may be homeless or at risk of homelessness to the local housing authority. This helps ensure people receive support as early as possible.

The following organisations must make a referral to the Housing Options Team if they believe someone is homeless or threatened with homelessness:

• Prisons
• Youth offender institutions
• Secure training centres
• Youth offending teams
• Probation services
• Jobcentre Plus
• Social services
• Hospital emergency departments
• Urgent treatment centres
• Hospitals providing in‑patient care

These agencies must have the person’s consent before making a referral, and they should share relevant information to help us provide timely support.

More information can be found on the Housing jigsaw website.