Homelessness

Contacting the Housing Team for help:

We can be contacted via multiple channels including telephone, e-mail and online. Visotors to the main offices at The Symington Building will be directed in the first instance to a dedicated telephone to contact the team. Pre-booked face to face appointments are available upon request, please speak with your Housing Advisor. 

What to do if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness.

All local authorities have a duty to provide advice and assistance to those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness within their district. If you are seeking advice and do not have a local connection to Harborough District then you should contact your own local council first.

If you do have a local connection to the Harborough district and you have been asked to leave the property you live in but you have nowhere else to live please complete the Homelessness Assistance form online as soon as possible. You can complete the form on a computer, smart phone or tablet. The form is very short and easy to complete and it should take no longer than 10 minutes. If you are unable to use the internet please call the Housing Team on 01858 82 82 82.

When we receive your Homelessness Assistance form we will contact you as soon as possible to arrange an appointment to discuss your situation.

We know that there are lots of reasons why someone might become homeless or not being able to live in their home anymore, you may find more useful information in the links at the bottom on this page. You can also find out more information if you do not feel safe in your own home.

Are you homeless now?

If you have a local connection to the Harborough District but you have nowhere to sleep tonight you should Register as Homelessness online. You can complete the form on a computer, smart phone or tablet. If you are unable to use the internet please call the Housing Team on 01858 82 82 82.

Outside of office hours, you can talk to our out-of-hours service who may be able to assist you until the next working day. You can contact our out-of-hours service on 01858 82 82 82 when you will be advised of the telephone number to contact, an Officer will assess whether the authority has a duty to provide you with temporary accommodation.

If you do not feel safe in your home there may be other support available to help you as well.

When we receive your Homelessness Assistance form we will contact you as soon as possible to arrange an appointment to complete a full homeless application with you,

We will ask you to provide documents such as proof of your ID, your previous address, any medical conditions, notice from your landlord or parents asking you to leave.

What is a homeless application?

You do not need a local connection to make a homeless application. When you approach the council as homeless or threatened with homelessness you will be allocated a Housing Advisor who will complete a full homeless declaration with you. Your Housing Advisor will interview you to find out about your situation and they may have to contact other people, such as your landlord or your parents for more information.

Your Housing Advisor will provide you with advice and assistance that will help you resolve your situation. This might include helping you to join the housing register to apply for social housing, helping you to find a private rented property in the area you wish to live or referring you to a homeless hostel.

In some cases we may not be able to help you directly, for example if you do not have a local connection to the district, however we will always provide advice on where you can go to find assistance and we may be able to make a referral to your own local council.

If we can help you your Housing Advisor will provide you with a Personal Housing Plan (PHP) identifying the steps you should take to prevent or relieve your homelessness. There will also be steps for the Council to take to help you resolve your homelessness. Your Housing Advisor will make enquiries into your declaration of homelessness in order to decide whether the Council has a statutory duty to assist you in securing permanent, settled accommodation.

You can access your PHP, appointments made with your Housing Advisor and any letters they have sent you on your online portal. Your online portal is the account you set up when you completed your Homelessness Assistance form, if you were helped to complete the form over the phone or in the council offices you can still access your online portal at home, on your computer, smart phone or tablet.

The council has to look into your situation in detail, it is very important that you tell us the correct information. We may have to contact other organisations about your circumstances (such as your landlord, doctor or social services) and this will help us to make a decision on why you became homeless and what help we can give you.

If you are intentionally homeless (this means you have done something to make you lose your home, such as not paying your rent) or not considered to be in priority need then we may be limited in the help we can give you.

How we will use your information:

If you or someone in your household receives help or advice if you are homeless or likely to become homeless, we will provide advice and assistance to you. As part of providing this service we will share your personal information (including your name and date of birth) with the Department for Communities and Local Government who will use this for research purposes.

We will only share your information with people you have given us permission to share information with.