Homelessness

What help can I get if I am leaving prison with no where to live?

If you are leaving prison and you cannot return to your previous home then you should contact the local authority where you have a local connection. Usually your housing officer in prison would have talked to you about this (professionals please see information on the Duty to Refer) but we understand that sometimes this is not possible.

A local connection can be:

- Where you lived (immediately before prison)

- Where your close family members (parents, brothers and sisters or adult children) have lived for the last 5 years

- Where you currently work

If any of these sound like it would be in the Harborough District then you can contact the Housing Team for advice. You can email us at hhs@harborough.gov.uk.

If you are homeless tonight and you have nowhere to go, or if you are going to become homeless soon, then please complete the homelessness assistance form online. If you cannot complete the online form, then you can call the contact centre on 01858 82 82 82 or email us at hhs@harborough.gov.uk.

If we do not think that you have a local connection to the Harborough District, we may refer you back to your own local authority if it is safe to do so. We will discuss this with you.

Can I get somewhere to live?

We treat everyone who approaches the council for help equally and fairly. However, there are some criminal convictions which may restrict your ability to join the housing register, you can find out more information about joining the housing register here. Please be aware that it can take a long time to find a property through the housing register.

If you are not eligible to join the housing register then we may be able to help you in other ways, you may be able to go to a hostel while we help you look for more permanent accommodation. Unfortunately there are no hostels in the Harborough District but there are some in other areas of Leicestershire. Remember that by going to a hostel you can get a good reference to give to a future landlord and it may even mean that you can join the housing register in the future.

Sometimes the council will be able to provide temporary accommodation for you for a short time. You can find out more information about this here. Please remember that you must follow the rules in temporary accommodation because if you are asked to leave then the council may not have any further duty to provide you with accommodation.

You might be able to look for a private rented property in the area, sometimes the council can help you find somewhere to move to or help you pay rent-in-advance or a deposit.

There is more information on completing a homeless application with the council here.