By law, we have a duty to provide people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness with advice and appropriate assistance.  Homeless Law is complex, and the threat of losing your home is stressful.

A review of the homelessness provision in Ashford was carried out between July 2007 and February 2008, the results of which are contained within the Homelessness Review document which can be seen on our Homelessness Strategy webpage.  The Homelessness Strategy which runs from July 2008 - 2012 can also be seen on this webpage.

Our Homelessness Strategy explains what we and our partners are going to doing to do to both prevent homelessness in Ashford and to assist those households who are faced with the prospect of becoming homless.

Who should I contact if I am homeless?

If you find yourself homeless or threatened with homelessness you should call us straight away on 01233 330688.

We will arrange an appointment for you to talk to a trained Housing Advice Officer about your situation and what can be done to help you. We may be able to prevent you from losing your current home.  Before you attend the interview you might think about the questions you will want to ask, perhaps write them down beforehand.

At the interview you will be asked how you became homeless or why you may lose your home. You should bring with you any documents that you have which may help to explain what has happened.   If your home is being repossessed because you have not been able to pay your rent or mortgage payments  then you should provide details of your  rent or mortgage payments, details of any other debts and details of your income.  If your landlord has given you notice for some other reason bring your tenancy agreement and any other letters you have received from your landlord.

The kind of assistance you are entitled to depends on your circumstances and how you became homeless. The Housing Act 1996 (amended 2002) states that enquiries must be made about all homeless applicants to establish if we have a duty to help, and if so, what kind of help we should give.  Every Council must, by law, ensure that enquiries are made into all homeless applications.

What enquiries will be made?

We will make enquiries following five criteria.  This will tell us what kind of help we have a duty to provide accommodation for you. It is important that you provide full and truthful information.

1. Are you Homeless?
2. Are you eligible for assistance?
3. Are you in priority need?     
4. Are you intentionally homeless?
5. Do you have a “Local Connection”?

For full details of the criteria, please view our Homelessness Criteria webpage.

What help will I be entitled to?

Everyone is eligible for advice and assistance. You can get advice relating to any aspect of housing. For example:

• How to prevent you from losing your accommodation, your rights as a tenant or owner-occupier
• How to find your own accommodation
• Other organisations that may be able to help you
• Where to get advice about money or legal matters
• Where to get assistance with writing letters and filling in forms to secure accommodation

• If you are: Homeless within 28 days, and eligible for assistance and in priority need, and unintentionally homeless, we have a duty to provide you with advice and assistance to help you find other accommodation. If there is no other suitable accommodation available for you, we have a duty to provide you with temporary accommodation.
  
  If this applies to you but you have not lost your home yet but are threatened with homelessness then we will give you advice and assistance to prevent you losing your home.

• If you are 'Not homeless or threatened with homelessness', or 'Not eligible for assistance', or 'Not in priority need'. Then we have a duty to provide you with appropriate housing advice and assistance, which everyone is entitled to.

• If you are: 'Homeless or threatened with homelessness', and 'eligible for assistance', and 'in priority need', but you made yourself homeless intentionally. We have no duty to provide you with accommodation.

• If you have already lost your home and there is nowhere else you can stay, then we may provide you with emergency accommodation for a reasonable period of time, usually 28 days, to enable you to find somewhere to live. This is likely to be in a bed and breakfast establishment and will sometimes be located outside the borough.
  
  You should be aware that you would not be allocated a secure tenancy within social housing as a direct result of your homelessness.

Council and Housing Association accommodation in this borough is allocated to households on the housing register. To join the register complete the Choice Based Lettings Housing Application Form 272Kb PDF. 

The Decision

When you make a homeless application you will be asked to fill in a homeless application form. We will then make enquiries and investigations using the Homelessness Criteria.  We aim to complete all our investigations in relation to the five criteria and make a decision on your application within 33 days of your initial application.

If you disagree with the decision we make then you may ask for a review of that decision. 

Your Right to a Review

If you disagree with a decision made about your homeless application you have the right to ask for a review. You must do this within 21 days of receiving the decision by writing to Housing Services at the address below or by completing our online Homelessness Review Form. The review gives you the opportunity to provide any new or additional information about your claim. It also allows the Council to consider any new information you may have in relation to the review.

The review will be dealt with by a senior member of staff. You will be told the result of the review within a maximum of 56 days from the date you requested the review. If you disagree with the review decision, or are not notified of the decision within the time limits above, then you can go to the county court to appeal. You must do this within 21 days of the date of the review decision (or the date when you should have been notified).  Ashford's County Court is situated in Bank Street and we would advise that you contact the Citizens Advice Bureau to assist you prior to approaching the County Court.  You can also go to the Local Government Ombudsman if you think you have been treated unfairly.

The Local Government Ombudsman,

10th Floor Millbank Tower

Millbank Road

London, SW1P 4QP

Telephone: 020 7217 4620

Fax: 020 7217 4621

Advice Line: 0845 602 1983

email: enquiries.london@lgo.org.uk