What should I do if I am homeless?
If you are homeless, or think you may become homeless in the next 2 months, you should contact our Housing Needs Team as soon as you can.
It is very important that you get in touch straight away as we can:
- Try and stop you losing your home
- Help you find new accommodation
- Arrange for you to stay in short term accommodation
- Contact other agencies to help you
Getting help early can prevent you becoming homeless. Our Prevention Team can also help if you are worried about losing your home.
If you get in touch with us, we will assess whether our Assessment Team or Prevention Team will be able to help you. Our staff are fully trained to offer all the information and advice you may need. Our assessment interview FAQs answer some of the most common questions about homelessness.
How to get in touch
During normal working hours (Monday - Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm), please contact:
In an emergency
Outwith normal working hours (5:00pm until 8:45am weekdays, and during weekends and public holidays), please call us on:
This is our emergency service for people who find themselves homeless in a crisis and need immediate accommodation. Emergency staff are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you contact the emergency team because you don't have anywhere to go, we may arrange emergency accommodation for you, if required.
If you are provided with emergency accommodation, it is important that you come to your homeless interview, or speak to your Assessment Officer, the next working day.
Am I homeless?
You don't have to be living on the streets to be homeless. You are homeless if:
- You have no accommodation which you are permitted or entitled to occupy
- You are sleeping rough
- You are unable to get access to housing
- You live in a night shelter, refuge or other emergency housing
- You are experiencing violence, harassment, racial harassment or are threatened with violence from someone you live with or used to live with
- You live in a mobile home or houseboat and there is nowhere for you to pitch or moor it
- Your household is overcrowded in terms of housing legislation, and this is causing physical or mental health problems
- Your household is forced to live apart
- You have somewhere to live but it is unreasonable for you to do so, for example your house is in a poor state of repair
- You are living with friends or relatives, and they have asked you to leave
- You are in this situation through no fault of your own
- You are at risk of becoming homeless if you are likely to fall into one of the above categories in the next 2 months.