Homelessness

You can apply for help if youre homeless now or you are due to leave prison or a youth detention centre in the next eight weeks and wont have anywhere to stay on release. You can self-refer or your probation officer, MAPPA or the prison from which you are being released can refer you.

The Housing Solutions team will carry out an assessment of your situation and you will be given a Personal Housing Plan. The plan will confirm the steps that you need to take to obtain suitable and affordable accommodation.

If you have low or no support needs, we will offer advice on securing your own housing, such as assistance with funds to secure private housing via the Rent and Deposit Scheme or applying for the Homeseekers Register

If you need more support, you will be referred to Access Point for supported housing. If we see that you have other needs that are not housing-related, we will refer you to the relevant support agencies.

You can apply to any council for help but its usually best to apply to an area where you have a local connection, either through having lived there, having family there or working there. Being in prison in an area doesn't count as a local connection. If you apply to an area where you don't have a connection, you can be referred to an area where you do. However, you cannot be referred to another area if an injunction means you cannot go there or doing so would put you at risk of violence.