Homelessness, Support and Advice
Homelessness Duties
If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness and eligible for assistance, we have legal duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 to help you. We will assess your situation and work with you to prevent you from losing your home, or to help you find somewhere safe to live if you are already homeless.
If you are at risk of homelessness within the next 56 days, we will work with you to understand your circumstances and agree a Personalised Housing Plan. This sets out the steps we will take to prevent your homelessness, along with the actions you can take to support the plan.
If you are already homeless, we will help you to secure suitable accommodation. This may include accessing temporary accommodation if you appear to be in priority need while we make further enquiries.
After we have completed our enquiries, if you are homeless, in a priority need group, and not intentionally homeless, we may owe you a longer‑term duty to secure accommodation. We will explain our decisions clearly and tell you about your right to request a review.
If you are assessed as being at risk of losing your home within the next 56 days, we will issue you with a decision letter confirming that you are being supported under the Prevention Duty. This means we will work with you to try to stop you becoming homeless and help you remain in your current accommodation wherever this is safe and possible.
We will work with you to develop a Personalised Housing Plan (PHP), which sets out the steps we will take to support you, and the actions you need to complete. You will receive written notification when the Prevention Duty ends, and you have the right to request a review if you disagree with any decision we make.
How we can help
The support we offer will depend on your circumstances, but may include:
- mediation between you and family members, neighbours or others
- speaking with your landlord to negotiate solutions or request more time
- help with rent or mortgage arrears, deposits or rent in advance (subject to eligibility)
- money, debt or benefits advice, including budgeting support
- help with housing applications, including social housing, supported accommodation or private renting
- advice on personal safety and access to safe accommodation if you are at risk of abuse
- applications for Discretionary Housing Payments
- referrals to specialist services, including anti‑social behaviour support or adaptations (for example, Disabled Facilities Grants)
Everyone’s situation is different, so we will talk through your circumstances with you and agree the support that is right for you.
When the Prevention Duty ends
The Prevention Duty may end if:
- you are able to stay in your current accommodation
- you accept suitable alternative accommodation that is likely to last at least six months
- you refuse suitable alternative accommodation
- you do not engage with the actions in your Personalised Housing Plan
- we lose contact with you
- you are no longer eligible for assistance
- you become homeless despite prevention work
- you choose to withdraw your application
If we are unable to prevent your homelessness, you will move on to the Relief Duty, where we will continue to support you to find somewhere safe to live.
If you are already homeless, or if we have been unable to prevent your homelessness, we will support you under the Relief Duty. This duty usually lasts for up to 56 days, during which time we will work with you to help you secure suitable accommodation.
You will receive a written decision confirming that the Relief Duty applies to you, along with your updated Personalised Housing Plan (PHP). This sets out the steps we will each take to help you find a place to live. You also have the right to request a review if you disagree with any decision we make.
Temporary accommodation
If we have reason to believe you may be in a priority need group, we may offer you emergency or temporary accommodation while we work with you to relieve your homelessness. In some situations, this may not be within your immediate local area, but we will always take your needs and circumstances into account.
How we can help under the Relief Duty
The type of support we offer will depend on your situation, but may include:
- providing information about your local housing options
- helping you search for and apply for available housing, including social housing, supported accommodation or private rented homes
- helping you apply for homes through the local housing register
- assistance with deposits, rent in advance or bond schemes (where eligible)
- referrals for supported housing if this is appropriate
- updating or developing your Personalised Housing Plan
- support to overcome any barriers that may make it harder for you to secure accommodation
When the Relief Duty ends
The Relief Duty may come to an end if:
- you secure suitable accommodation that is likely to last at least six months
- you refuse suitable accommodation that could have ended your homelessness
- you do not engage with the actions set out in your Personalised Housing Plan
- we lose contact with you
- you are no longer eligible for assistance
- the 56‑day period expires and you remain homeless
- you withdraw your application
If you are still homeless at the end of the Relief Duty, we will assess whether a main housing duty is owed to you. This decision will depend on whether you are in priority need and whether you are intentionally homeless. We will explain our decision in writing and tell you how to request a review.
Priority Need
As part of the final decision on whether we owe you the main housing duty, we must assess whether you or anyone in your household is in priority need.
You may be considered in priority need if you are:
- pregnant
- aged 16 or 17
- a care leaver aged under 21
- a family with dependent children
- homeless because of an emergency (such as fire or flood)
- vulnerable due to disability, physical or mental health needs, old age or another special reason
- vulnerable due to time spent in care, prison, the armed forces or other institutions
- fleeing domestic abuse or at risk of violence
We may ask for supporting information to help us understand your circumstances, such as medical evidence, proof of pregnancy or documents confirming children normally live with you.
If we have reason to believe you may be in priority need, we may offer emergency accommodation while we complete our enquiries.
Intentional Homelessness
We must also decide whether you became homeless intentionally. You may be found intentionally homeless if you deliberately did, or failed to do, something that caused you to lose your accommodation.
Examples include:
- not paying rent or mortgage payments when you were able to
- leaving accommodation that was reasonable to continue living in
- selling or giving up accommodation when there was no risk of losing it
- behaviour leading to eviction due to anti‑social or criminal activity
- leaving employment that included tied accommodation when it was reasonable to stay
We will look carefully at your situation and may request supporting evidence.
This decision does not prevent you from receiving advice and support.
Local Connection
We will also consider whether you have a local connection to Cheshire West and Chester. You may have a local connection if you:
- have lived in the borough for a significant period
- work in the borough
- have close family members who have lived here for at least five years
- require specialist services that are only available locally
If you have a local connection to another area and it is safe and appropriate, we may refer your case to that local authority. We will always discuss this with you first.
The Main Housing Duty
If you are:
- homeless
- eligible for assistance
- in priority need
- not intentionally homeless
- and Cheshire West and Chester is the appropriate authority
then we may owe you the main housing duty.
If this duty is owed, any temporary accommodation you already have will usually continue while we work with you to identify longer‑term suitable housing.
If the main duty is not owed, for example, because you are intentionally homeless or not in priority need, we will still offer advice and support to help you find alternative accommodation.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- receive written notification of all decisions we make
- understand the reasons for those decisions
- request a review within 21 days if you disagree
- have your case looked at again by a senior officer not involved in the original decision
We will explain how to request a review in your decision letter.
