Homelessness

What to do if you are worried about your housing situation

If you are worried about your housing situation (for example, you are struggling to pay your rent or mortgage, or your landlord is threatening to evict you), we offer advice and assistance to help you stay in your home.

If you are likely to become homeless within 56 days and you are eligible for assistance, we can help to prevent your homelessness. Let us know about your situation by submitting an application on the Home Connections portal and we will get back to you within 48 hours.

We provide specific information and advice to individual groups who are threatened with homelessness. Specific guidance is available for:

• people leaving prison
• people leaving HM Armed Forces
• people leaving hospital
• care leavers

You can also access additional help and support from the following independent organisations:

• Housing Associations
• Shelter
• Citizens Advice
• New Hope Trust
• Herts Young Homeless

Temporary accommodation

We will provide temporary accommodation while we investigate your situation if you are homeless, eligible for assistance and in priority need.

Please read our temporary accommodation placement policy.

Where will my temporary accommodation be?

We will try to offer you temporary accommodation in Three Rivers District, but due to the limited supply of homes, you may be offered accommodation outside the district. We will consider your personal circumstances when assessing the suitability of the accommodation we offer you. If you are offered temporary accommodation outside the district, we will try to move you back into the district as soon as possible.

You may be asked to move at short notice when living in temporary accommodation. We aim to give you at least 24 hours’ notice if we ask you to move.

What type of temporary accommodation will I be offered?

Most temporary accommodation properties are self contained. However, in emergency situations where no other accommodation is available, you may be offered temporary accommodation in a property with shared facilities (for example, a shared kitchen) or a bed and breakfast. If you refuse an offer of suitable temporary accommodation, we may end our duty to secure accommodation for you.

You will need to sign an agreement before moving into temporary accommodation. If you breach the terms of this agreement, you may lose your offer of temporary accommodation, and we may end our housing duty towards you.

Can I get help paying my rent?

You may be able to claim Housing Benefit to help you pay your rent. Your Housing Options Officer will explain how to apply for Housing Benefit when you are offered temporary accommodation.

Night shelters

If you are concerned about the welfare of someone sleeping rough, please call our Housing Options Team on 01923 776 611.

If you are sleeping rough yourself, you can contact the following local night shelters:

New Hope provide a day shelter, a night shelter, longer-term accommodation and outreach services for people who are homeless and have a local connection to Watford. Contact New Hope on 01923 801382 or out of hours on their emergency line on 0300 012 0168. 

Open Door Homeless Service offer 12 bedrooms in St Albans as temporary accommodation if you are homeless. They can also help with housing, welfare and employment issues.

Severe cold weather

We provide emergency accommodation to rough sleepers in the event of severe cold weather. If you need emergency accommodation in winter, you can secure a referral by either:

• calling us on 01923 776 611
• contacting Open Door Homeless Service
• presenting yourself to your local police station

Duty to refer

As part of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, certain public bodies have a duty to refer people they believe are currently homeless or may become homeless within 56 days to the local authority. Named public bodies include:

• prisons
• youth offender institutions/youth offending teams
• secure training centres
• probation services (including community rehabilitation companies)
• Job Centre Plus
• children’s services (County Council or unitary authorities)
• adult social care services (County Council or unitary authorities)
• hospital emergency departments (A&E)
• hospital urgent treatment centres
• hospitals providing inpatient care
• the Secretary of State for Defence in relation to members of HM Armed Forces

How to make a referral under the duty to refer

Download a duty-to-refer form (doc) and send the completed form and supporting documents to dutytorefer@threerivers.gov.uk. Please note we do not accept referrals from organisations that are not on the above list.

When making an application to us, you must:

• obtain permission from the individual to make the referral to a local housing authority
• allow the individual to identify the local housing authority in England they would like the referral sent to
• ensure that the individual consents for their contact details to be supplied to the local housing authority so that they can contact them about their referral

Who is considered homeless or threatened with homelessness?

A person is considered homeless or threatened with homelessness if either of the following apply:

• they have no accommodation available to them that they have a legal right to occupy
• they cannot stay in their current accommodation (e.g. because doing so would risk domestic abuse)

Someone is defined as being threatened with homelessness where they are likely to become homeless within 56 days, or their landlord has served them with a valid notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 that expires within 56 days.

What we do after we receive a referral

After we receive a referral, we aim to contact the individual within 48 hours. We discuss the individual’s circumstances and arrange to interview them as soon as possible so we can establish what duty is owed to them.

Please note that we cannot guarantee that temporary accommodation will be offered, as this depends on whether the individual has a priority need.

Illegal evictions

An illegal eviction happens if your landlord or person acting on their behalf forces you to leave your home without following the correct legal process. The correct legal process depends on the type of tenancy you have. You can check what type of tenancy you have by checking the tenancy agreement you signed when you moved in or visiting the Shelter website for guidance.

Illegally evicting a tenant is a serious criminal offence. An illegal eviction can take the form of a landlord:

• changing the locks to your home while you are out
• preventing you from using parts of your home
• forcibly removing you from your home
• moving into part of your home

If your landlord has illegally evicted you, contact our Housing Options Team and let us know about your situation. Our first step will be to contact the landlord to try to resolve the situation.

What to do if you are being harassed or threatened

It is unlawful for a landlord to behave in a harassing or intimidating way towards a tenant. If you are being harassed or threatened by your landlord, you should:

• keep a diary of the harassment, including the dates and times that incidents occurred
• record the names and addresses of anyone involved, including police officers and witnesses
• seek advice before leaving the property
• aim to always have someone present with you to act as a witness when dealing with your landlord
• contact the police by calling 999 if you are subjected to violence or threats of violence

If your landlord is threatening or intimidating you into leaving your home, get advice from our Housing Options Team.

Leaving Prison

If you are homeless now or due to leave prison in the next 8 weeks and don’t have anywhere to stay on release.  You can apply for assistance here.

Three Rivers District Council will -

• carry out an assessment of your housing and support needs
• give you a personal housing plan that sets out the steps you and the council must take to find suitable accommodation
• take reasonable steps to try and relieve your homelessness

We will work in partnership with the probation service, community Rehabilitation Company or youth offending team to decide what support you might need to find and maintain accommodation.

You can apply to any council for help but it’s usually best to apply to an area where you have a local connection. 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 back to the area you hold a local connection with.  However high risk prisoners managed by a multi-agency protection arrangement (MAPPA) may be required to live in certain areas therefore they would have an exemption to the criteria.

Please note you won't qualify for any housing or support from the council if you don't meet immigration or residence conditions.

Accommodation

You will be provided with temporary accommodation if you are eligible, homeless or threatened with homelessness and have a priority need.

Three Rivers District council have a duty to provide longer-term housing if you meet the conditions for longer-term housing.

The council doesn't have to help with longer-term housing if they decide you are intentionally homeless.

Before you leave prison

Before you leave you should liaise with a prison housing advice and resettlement service called Through the Gate. The service is delivered by charities including Shelter, St Giles Trust, St Mungos and Catch22.

A resettlement worker in prison can help you with things like:

• Referrals to suitable accommodation if you'll be homeless on release
• Dealing with a housing benefit claim while you're in prison
• Claiming universal credit on release
• Rent arrears or eviction

You can apply for the following grants before release:

• A £46 discharge grant
• Up to £50 for your first night's accommodation (paid direct to the housing provider)

You need a suitable address to stay at before you can be released on bail or home detention curfew (an electronic tag).

If you cannot live at your usual address, court or prison staff may refer you to the Bail Accommodation Support Scheme (BASS).

Contact Nacro's Resettlement Advice Service on 0300 123 1999 for further advice.

After you are released

You are allocated a probation officer in the area you'll be living in after release. Your probation officer manages your supervision in the community.

Your resettlement worker in prison works on your resettlement plan with your probation officer.

If you're released on licence, the conditions of your licence might mean you can't live in certain areas.

Probation teams can give you housing advice and may be able to refer you to a specialist hostel, supported housing or private landlords.

You probably need to claim universal credit unless you live or move in with a partner who's already claiming housing benefit.

You may also be able to get help through a:

• Discretionary housing payment
• Grant or loan from a local welfare scheme

HM Forces

If you have served or are currently serving in the UK's Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force or in the Reserve forces and are threatened with or are actually homeless you can apply for assistance here.

Three Rivers District Council will:

• carry out an assessment of your housing and support needs
• give you a personal housing plan that sets out the steps you and the council must take to find suitable accommodation
• take reasonable steps to try and relieve your homelessness

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) offers help and advice with resettlement through the Defence Transition Services and through Veterans UK. Veterans UK is an excellent source of information about housing opportunities for most people leaving the armed services.

The MoD can also exercise its Duty to Refer you to a local authority of your choice for help. Please see the council's Duty to Refer page for more information.

People serving in the UK's regular naval, military and air forces are usually provided with accommodation by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) but must leave this when they are discharged from the forces. The MoD should issue people in this situation with a Certificate of Cession of Entitlement to Occupy Service Accommodation and this should be issued six months before the discharge date. The certificate will confirm to the council's satisfaction that the accommodation you had is no longer available for you to occupy.

You, together with your family if you have one, can approach the local council where your service accommodation is located for help because you are homeless. 

Accommodation

You will be provided with temporary accommodation if you are eligible, homeless or threatened with homelessness and have a priority need.

Three Rivers District council have a duty to provide longer-term housing if you meet the conditions for longer-term housing.

The council doesn't have to help with longer-term housing if they decide you are intentionally homeless.

Social housing register

Those who are currently serving in the Regular Armed Forces or who were serving in the Regular Forces at any time in the five years preceding their application for an allocation of social housing may not need to meet the local connection criteria in order to qualify for our housing needs register. To register, please submit an application on the Home Connections portal.

Armed Forces Champion

Three Rivers is proud to have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant.

As part of its commitment, Three Rivers District Council has an Armed Forces Champion - Councillor Sarah Nelmes.

Full details of Councillor Sarah Nelmes