Preventing homelessness
Housing Options
If you are threatened with homelessness, have a housing need or wish to apply for affordable accommodation in Broadland or South Norfolk, our Housing Solutions team may be able to help.
When you contact us, an officer will take some basic information about you and your circumstances. We will then be able to advise you on the housing options that may be available to you.
If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you could have a housing need:
- are you homeless today?
- are you in danger of losing your home or being evicted?
- is your health or welfare affected by your current home?
- do you need more bedrooms than you have?
- is your home too large for you?
- are you struggling to afford your rent or mortgage?
- is your home in poor repair?
- are you in supported housing and ready to move on?
- are you interested in housing for people over 55 years old?
- are you suffering, or at risk of, abuse or harassment?
We will also need to establish if you have a local connection to Broadland or South Norfolk.
A brief guide to local connections can be found within our FAQs
Housing options may include:
- assistance and advice to remain in your current accommodation or help to return to your last settled accommodation
- seeking lodgings or shared accommodation
- renting a property in the private sector
- accessing supported accommodation
- taking in a lodger if you have a spare room
- seeking social housing (if you have a housing need and local connection to the Broadland or South Norfolk districts)
- affordable home ownership
- sheltered housing or housing with care
- multi-agency and Early Help support and referrals to other agencies
If you are at risk of becoming homeless
Being homeless doesn’t just mean having no accommodation. You can also be homeless if you have accommodation but:
- you do not have a legal right to occupy it
- you cannot gain access to it
- it is unreasonable for you to live there
- it is a movable structure and you have nowhere to keep it.
The Shelter website provides further information about homelessness.
You may be owed a homeless prevention duty if you are likely to become homeless within 56 days (8 weeks).
There are many reasons that someone may become threatened with homelessness.
These can include:
- being served notice by a landlord
- being asked to leave by friends or family
- sofa surfing or having no fixed abode
- a relationship breakdown (if you have no rights to remain in the property)
- being threatened with eviction from social housing or a supported housing provider
- a mortgage company is seeking to repossess your property
- being unsafe in your home, perhaps due to the condition of the property or because of a threat of violence or abuse
- leaving the armed forces and not having any accommodation to go to
There are many other reasons that someone may become homeless. If you are worried about becoming homeless you should contact your local Council or the Council where you wish to live as soon as possible.
Although the Homelessness Reduction Act places duties on Councils to help people who may become homeless within 56 days, if you have a housing need or are worried about becoming homeless you should seek assistance immediately. The earlier you seek help, the better chance you have of avoiding becoming homeless.
If you contact us because you are worried about becoming homeless we will assess your case and investigate what duties, if any, we owe you. We will need to be satisfied that you are eligible for assistance and that you are likely to become homeless within 56 days.
If you are eligible for assistance and threatened with homelessness we will work with you to help you find a housing solution which prevents you from becoming homeless if possible.
It is your responsibility to work with us to consider all suitable options available and we will create a personalised housing plan with you which will have actions that you should take and actions that the Council will take.
If you need additional support from other agencies we can help with referrals and are committed to working with partner agencies to get the best outcomes for all our customers.
For further help and advice please contact our Housing Team
Telephone: 0808 168 2222 (8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday)