Warrington Borough Council is working together with other organisations to help homeless people and to prevent others becoming homeless by offering advice and support so that they can remain in their own home.
Councils have a legal duty to assist people who are homeless. You are entitled to apply as homeless to any local authority in the UK even if you have no connection with that area.
For an appointment to see one of our Homeless Officers who will be able to offer you advice and support Contact us at:
Homelessness and housing
Warrington Borough Council
The Gateway
85 - 101 Sankey Street
Warrington
WA1 1SR
01925 24 68 68
If you become homeless outside of office hours and need emergency accommodation immediately you can contact the duty Homeless Officer by ringing the council's switchboard 24hrs a day 01925 444400.
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The Council aims to offer you an appointment for a full homeless assessment within 3 working days of your request.
You will see a Homeless Officer who will be your caseworker throughout the process. We will do an initial assessment when you first contact us to establish what our duties might be.
- If you appear to be homeless
- If you appear to be in priority need (see section 5 for categories of priority need)
- If you are completely without anywhere to stay while we carry out a more in depth investigation
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If, after asking you the questions, above, the Council has "reason to believe" you are homeless, in priority need and have nowhere at all to say (however temporary) while we investigate your claim, you will be provided with emergency accommodation in any of the following:
- A hostel
- Bed and breakfast
- A temporary Council property (unfurnished)
- A supporting housing scheme
- A women's refuge
Remember, this is only an emergency measure. If, after investigation you are accepted as homeless you may be moved to something more suitable if necessary. If our investigations find the Council has no duty to provide you with accommodation you may be asked to leave. In this case we will offer you as much advice and assistance as possible to help you make your own arrangements.
Depending on the time available, the Council may do a full homeless assessment on the day you apply prior to placing you in emergency accommodation. Alternatively we may do only the initial assessment, arrange emergency accommodation and invite you back for a full assessment within 3 working days.
If you can stay where you are currently living while the Council investigates
You are classed as 'homeless at home'.
As stated earlier you should be offered an appointment for a full homeless assessment within 3 working days of your enquiry.
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The Homeless Officer who interviews you will be your named Caseworker throughout the process.
The Homeless Officer will ask you about where you live and where you have lived for the last five years; about you and the people who are moving with you; about health problems; about what has led to you becoming homeless and about what type of housing you need etc.
It will be helpful if you can bring along any documents relevant to your case for instance, letters from relatives or landlord asking you to leave, crime incident numbers if you are being harassed, letters from Doctors or Social Workers.
Don't worry if you don't have these, the assessment can still go ahead. You can provide any information later or your Caseworker will obtain it for you.
You will be asked to sign to say you have told the truth and that you will tell us if your circumstances change at all during the investigation.
You will also be asked to sign to allow your Caseworker to contact people like Doctors, Social Workers, relatives and landlords if they need information to help them investigate your homeless claim.
NB It is unlikely that your Caseworker will be able to tell you at the interview whether you will be offered accommodation or not. They need to investigate your case carefully.
Please be patient.
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After your homeless appointment, your Caseworker has 30 working days to consider the facts you provided and make a decision on what duty the Council has to assist you.
They must make the following decisions:
- Are you eligible for homeless assistance?
The law says that some people cannot be helped, for example people from abroad or who are subject to immigration control.
- Are you homeless?
You may be classed as homeless if you have no home; if you have a home but can't live in it; If you will lose your home in less than one month, or if it is unreasonable for you to live in your home, for example if you would be at risk of violence.
- Are you in priority need?
You may be classed as "in priority need" if for example
- you have dependent children or are pregnant;
- you are very young (16 or 17 years old);
- you are or have been in care;
- you are vulnerable because of a physical or mental illness or disability;
- you can't live in your home because of a serious fire or floor or other disaster;
- You are vulnerable because you are coming out of prison, armed forces, hospital etc. and as a result are less able to sort out your own housing or, or if you lost your home because of violence or threat of violence likely to be carried out; or because of old age.
- Are you intentionally homeless?
If you have lost your last settled home because of something you deliberately did or failed to do you may be classed as intentionally homeless and our duty to assist you will be much more limited. For example, if you were evicted because you didn't pay your rent and you could have afforded it; if you were evicted because you caused nuisance or harassment to your neighbours.
We will also consider whether it would have been reasonable for you to continue living there e.g. if you voluntarily sell your house you may be classed as intentionally homeless BUT if it was unreasonable for you to stay because you couldn't afford the mortgage this will be taken into account and you may be accepted.
- Do you have a local connection?
You have a local connection if you or one of the people who are moving with you:
- have lived in Warrington (by choice) for 6 months out of the last 12 months or for 3 years out of the last 5 years;
- have close family in Warrington;
- you have settled employment (paid or unpaid) in Warrington;
- have any other special reason for needing to be in Warrington.
If we decide you have no local connection with Warrington you may still be accepted as homeless but we will then normally refer your case to the Local Authority with whom you have some connection. They will then provide accommodation.
If you have no connection with Warrington but have a local connection with more than one other Local Authority, we will ask you which you would prefer to be referred to for accommodation.
If you do have a local connection with Warrington but need to live elsewhere, we can ask another Authority if they will help by providing accommodation in their area. It is their decision whether to assist or not.
We will not refer you for housing to an area where you would be at risk or violence of threats of violence.
Once the decision on you homeless case is made, the Council must notify you by letter within 3 working days. If you don't understand the letter you should ask your Homeless Caseworker to explain.
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No duty is owed to applicants who are ineligible for assistance or not homeless but you are entitled to homelessness advice (s.179).
- Unintentionally homeless
- unintentionally homeless and have a priority need (s.193): duty to secure accommodation
- unintentionally homeless and do not have a priority need (s.193): duty to provide advice and assistance.*
- Unintentionally threatened with homelessness
- threatened with homelessness unintentionally and have a priority need (s.195): duty to take reasonable steps to ensure that accommodation does not cease to be available;
- threatened with homelessness unintentionally and do not have a priority need (s.195(5)): duty to provide advice and assistance.**
- Intentionally homeless
- intentionally homeless and have a priority need (s.190(2)): duty to provide advice and assistance and secure accommodation for such period as will give applicant a reasonable period to secure accommodation for him/herself;
- intentionally homeless and do not have a priority need (s.190(3)): duty to provide advice and assistance.
- Intentionally threatened with homelessness
- threatened with homelessness intentionally and have a priority need (s.195(5)): duty to provide advice and assistance;
- threatened with homelessness intentionally and do not have a priority need (s.195(5)): duty to provide advice and assistance.
* Section 192(3) gives housing authorities a power to secure accommodation for applicants who are unintentionally homeless and do not have a priority need.
** Section 192 (9) gives housing authorities a power to take reasonable steps to ensure that accommodation does not cease to be available for applicants who are threatened with homelessness unintentionally and do not have a priority need.
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You have certain rights to appeal and must normally do this within 21 days. See the Council's leaflet called "Homeless Applicants Reviews and Appeals - your right to ask for a decision to be re-considered".
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