COVID-19 - Homeless self-assessment and advice
In response to the on-going situation with Coronavirus and in line with Government guidance, we are changing our homelessness processes until further notice.
We ask that you follow Government guidance on social distancing and do not attend the Rochford Council offices at South Street and Rayleigh, in person.
There will be no Housing Option officers at our offices, so we will be conducting all interviews over the telephone.
To get in touch complete an online homeless assessment form
If you need to contact us by telephone, please ring the Council’s Customer Services team on 01702 318036 and ask to speak to the housing options duty officer.
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Our Housing Options Service offers support and assistance if you are homeless, or threatened with homelessness, within the next 56 days.
How much help we can give depends on your circumstances. This can include housing advice to help with finding, or keeping your home.
You can take a look at the advice on this page first, but if you have any more questions or need help you can fill in the 'Housing Option Assessment form' in the Related Content section.
To jump to the section you need information on, click on the headings in the bullet lists below. To return back to the top of the page, press 'Back'.
- The Council’s Duty
- Duty to Refer
- Domestic Abuse
- Leaving the home of family and friends
- Homeless on prison release
- Care Leavers
- Homeless on leaving hospital
- Armed Forces
- Single Homeless
- Rough Sleepers
- Financial Support for tenants
- Key Facts – a little more about the legislation
- Contact details
The housing charity, Shelter also has more information, which you can find on their website in our Related Content section.
The Council’s Duty
- Provide advice, and carry out prevention work. So that where possible, people can be supported to remain in their current home.
- Offer everyone who is homeless, or at risk of homelessness, access to help. As long as they are eligible for assistance.
- Carry out prevention, and relief work for anyone threatened with homelessness within 56 days.
- Are eligible for assistance.
- Are homeless, or threatened with homelessness within 56 days.
- If you're threatened with homelessness.
- If you become homeless.
Duty on Public Bodies to Refer
- Prisons.
- Youth offender institutions.
- Secure training centres.
- Secure colleges.
- Youth offending teams.
- Probation services (including community rehabilitation companies).
- Jobcentre plus.
- Social services authorities.
- Emergency departments.
- Urgent treatment centres.
- Hospitals in their function of providing impatient care.
- Members of the regular armed forces .
- You must have the clients consent to make the referral.
- You can refer your client to any housing authority in England, where your client would like to be referred, and can also be referred to multiple authorities at the same time.
- You must have consent that your client’s details can be given to the housing authority, so they can contact them regarding the referral.
Domestic Abuse
The South Essex Domestic Abuse Hub, is a place where you can come for help, advice and assistance. The hub includes a range of support services that you can access.- Help and advice to find safe accommodation.
- Help to remain safe in your home.
- Help to access legal advice and assistance.
- Money and welfare advice.
- Help to access therapeutic and outreach support services.
How to get in touch
- Your personal safety is threatened.
- You are at risk of assault or injury.
- It's an emergency.
- Rochford District Council.
- Basildon Borough Council.
- Brentwood Borough Council.
- Castle Point Borough Council.
- Thurrock Council.
- Changing Pathways.
- South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre.
Leaving the home of family and friends
If you have been asked to leave by family or friends, this can be a very distressing time for everyone involved. This is one of the biggest causes of homelessness in Rochford, so it is vital that we explore all your options first. Where applicable, we will always try and negotiate with the family or friends, for you to remain within the home, if it is safe to do. We will work with you to assess, and plan your future accommodation needs.
For more advice and support from the Housing Options service, complete the assessment form which is in the Related Content section.
Once the completed form has been received you will be contacted within 5 working days.
Leaving the home as a young person - 16 and 17 year olds
There is always help and support available. But always remember if you choose to leave home without preparation, you may find yourself in a worse situation.
If you are under 18, the council has a legal duty to support you. This will be through Essex County Council's, children’s social services - a link is in the Related Content section. If you have been asked to leave by family or friends and you have nowhere else to go, you should contact Social Care as soon as possible. A link is in the Related Content section.
A joint assessment will be carried out by a social worker, and a Housing Options Officer. They will discuss with you, your housing options and any support needs.
If a young person approaches the council direct as homeless, it's procedure for a housing options officer to make a call to social services.
If, you feel unsafe at home, and feel you have no choice but to leave home immediately (eg: fear of violence). You must seek help right away.
For more advice and support from the Housing Options service, complete the assessment form which is in the Related Content section.
Once the completed form has been received, you will be contacted within 5 working days.
Homeless on Prison release
- An injunction means you can't go there.
- You're at risk of violence there.
- You may not qualify for any housing or support from the council, if you don't meet immigration or residence conditions.
- Have dependent children who live with you, or would reasonably be expected to live with you.
- Are pregnant, or a partner you live with is pregnant.
- Are 16 or 17 years of age.
- Are 18-20 years of age, and spent time in care.
- Are vulnerable due to old age, mental illness or a physical disability. This means it's harder for you to cope with being homeless, than other people in the same situation.
- Any support you get from friends or family.
- Your physical and mental health and how it affects you.
- How long you spent in prison and when you were released.
- If you've been able to find, or keep accommodation since release.
- The council will speak to agencies involved in your support and supervision. For example, probation, youth offending team or drug and alcohol services.
- You could be intentionally homeless, if you lost your home because of the offence.
- You didn’t pay rent when you were in prison.
They can complete the Duty to Refer form in the Related Content section.
Once the completed form has been received they will be contacted within 5 working days.
Care Leavers
If you are a care leaver with a local connection to Essex, there are a range of services available to help you. This can include help to get accommodation and support, but the help you get mainly depends on your age.
For more information about what assistance is available to you, and details of who to contact, please continue reading.
Personal adviser
Before you leave care, you're given a pathway plan setting out what support you might need to live independently.
You're given a personal adviser, whose job it is to make sure that you claim everything you are entitled to. They can help you with application forms for housing, benefits, and education. They should also help you with learning life skills and how to budget.
Your personal adviser should stay in contact with you, and provide ongoing support and help until you turn 21, or until your 25th birthday if you are still studying full time.
If your personal advisor is satisfied that you already have the skills to manage your home, then you may be assisted by the Council to move into your own independent accommodation.
For more advice and support from the Housing Options service, complete the assessment form which is in the Related Content section. Once the completed form has been received you will be contacted within 5 working days.
Homeless on leaving hospital
If you have been assessed as being unable to return home because of your disability or ill health, the hospital occupational therapist/discharge team will, where applicable, provide you with equipment to keep you safe at home and/or refer you to the local housing occupational therapist for more permanent housing adaptations.
For more information on the local disabled facilities grant service, please see the link to our page in the Related Content section.
If you have no place to return to when you are discharged from hospital, you should tell the hospital nursing staff as soon as possible, so that they know that you will be homeless when you are discharged. They will ask the hospital discharge team to help if they can.
The discharge team may refer you to the council, and the housing options service will assess your situation to secure accommodation where possible, that meets your medical need. Emergency temporary accommodation may be offered, while your application is assessed.
Armed Forces
Veterans can access services through the Veterans Gateway. Which an online service and telephone resource commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, and delivered by a consortium including the The Royal British Legion. A link to the website is in the Related Content section.
Within the Gateway, a housing specialist service is in touch with veteran housing providers. They have up-to-date information on any vacancies within the 4,000 plus housing units in the country, specifically ringfenced for veterans.
If you are homeless, or threatened with homelessness, you can apply for the housing register to access social housing with in the Rochford District. Members of the armed and reserve forces would have a priority for an allocation of housing.
You can apply to the housing register using the link in the Related Content section.
For more advice and support from the Housing Options service, complete the assessment form which is in the Related Content section.
Once the completed form has been received you will be contacted within 5 working days.
Single Homeless Scheme
If you are single and homeless the Council may be able to help you find suitable accommodation.
Eligibility
- Single aged over 18 years.
- Homeless.
- Rough sleeping.
- You have a local connection to Rochford District Council.
- Not in priority need.
- Claiming benefits universal credit or working.
To find out more or to apply for this, you must submit a request for housing assistance and a housing options officer will contact you. They will ask you a series of questions about your circumstances, and will access whether you would be helped under this scheme.
For further resources for single homeless, please see the website links for Streetlink, Crisis, and Shelter, which are available in the Related Content.
For more advice and support from the Housing Options service, complete the assessment form which is in the Related Content section.
Once the completed form has been received you will be contacted within 5 working days.
Rough sleepers
Report rough sleepers
If you've seen someone sleeping rough, we can help. We work with the homelessness charity Streetlink to meet with rough-sleepers, carry out assessments, and provide support.
If you spot a rough-sleeper in your local area or have concerns about people sleeping rough or using the streets, contact Streetlink via their website in the Related Content section or telephone on 0300 500 0914.
When a report is made, the local Streetlink Officer will be notified and investigate. Working closely with the councils Housing Options team, as well as a wide array of volunteers.
Local Housing Options officers will arrange to visit the location of the rough sleeper to see how they can help. Food parcels and vouchers are often used by officers to meet any immediate need.
Alternatively you can contact the council by completing the enquiry form which is in the Related Content section.
If you do make a report, please make note of as many details as you can, such as their location, buildings nearby, clothes they are wearing etc. This makes easier for an officer to identify the rough sleeper.
Note: Some people who appear to be sleeping rough may be engaged in street activities, such as drinking or begging, but in fact have somewhere to stay.
They may need a different type of response from local services. Housing option officers often work alongside community safety, and the local community policing team, to manage these cases.
Further resources for rough sleeping like Crisis and Shelter are available in the Related Content section.
What is being done locally?
A Brunch Club is held at Hawkwell Baptist Church every Saturday 10am-12pm. Vulnerable individuals, and families who may have health and well being concerns that don't feel listened to are encouraged to attend. Peer support and signposting is available through volunteers. Food/fare share is also available.
If you have any queries about this service, please contact Hawkwell Baptist Church on tel:01702 542000 or email: office@hawkwellbaptistchurch.co.uk.
Hawkwell Baptist Church, Rectory Road, Rochford, SS4 1UG.
Severe weather provision for rough sleepers
Anyone sleeping rough is offered overnight accommodation during severe weather. Severe weather is any conditions that increase the risk of harm to people sleeping rough. This is usually when the temperature is forecast to fall to zero degrees or below.
When this type of weather occurs, and it is accepted that the rough sleeper has nowhere to go, then emergency accommodation will be offered alongside advice for a limited period only.
For more advice and support from the Housing Options service complete the assessment form which is in the Related Content section.
Once the completed form has been received you will be contacted within 5 working days.
Financial Support for Tenants
- Applications for Discretionary Housing payment (DHP).
- Rent arrears.
- Applying for assistance under the local Homeless Prevention Fund policy.
- Downsizing through the Council’s housing register.
Key Facts – a little more about the legislation
- If you think you may become homeless, or you are threatened with homelessness within 56 days, contact the Housing Options Service as soon as possible.
- For more advice and support from the Housing Options service complete the assessment form which is in the Related Content section.
- If you are likely to become homeless within 56 days.
- You have no home in the UK or elsewhere that you do not have a legal right to occupy.
- You have a moveable structure such as a boat or caravan, and there is no where it can be placed lawfully.
- You are at risk from harm if you stay in your current home.
- If the Council has reason to believe that you are homeless and in priority need, you will be offered emergency accommodation whilst your homelessness application is being investigated.
- Whether or not you are eligible for assistance will depend on your immigration status.
- If you are eligible for assistance, we will help find you a home. If you are not eligible you will only be entitled to advice and assistance on homelessness, and the prevention of homelessness.
- If you are eligible but not homeless or threatened with homelessness in the next 56 days, then the Council has a duty to offer advice and assistance.
- If you are eligible and threatened with homelessness within 56 days then the Council will create a Personal Housing Plan (PHP) to prevent your homelessness.
- If you are eligible and have become homeless but have no local connection, the Council will refer you to another local authority where you have a connection.
- If you are eligible, have become homeless, and are in priority need, but have no local connection, the Council will provide temporary accommodation until the referral is accepted by the local authority where you have a local connection.
- Pregnant, or a member of your household (who is eligible for assistance) is pregnant.
- 16 – 17 years of age.
- You have dependent children.
- You are homeless because of fire, flood or similar disaster.
- You or a member of the household (eligible for assistance) is vulnerable due to:
- Old age.
- 18-21 years of age and previously been in Social Services Care.
- Previous member of the Armed Forces.
- Left your home due to domestic violence (or threats of domestic violence).
- Mental Illness / Physical disability.
- Special reason that puts you in risk of harm (greater than most people).
- You have lived in Rochford District for at least six months during the last 12 months.
- You have lived in Rochford for at least three years, during the last five years.
- You have a close relative who lives in the District, and has done so for at least the last five years (relative must be either Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, or adult child).
- You have a permanent job in the District.
- You have a local connection to the area for another special reason.
- You have been evicted from your home (or your property was repossessed), because you failed to pay your rent/mortgage even though you were able to.
- You decided to leave your current home without sufficient reason, and the current accommodation can only be considered temporary.
- You were evicted from your home because of nuisance, anti-social behaviour or Domestic Violence (from you to another family member).