5 min read
This page will provide you with information on the final decisions that can be made following a homeless approach.
On this page:
The following decisions can be made following the investigation of a homeless application:
This decision will be made if the customer is not eligible to receive housing services due to their immigration status. This can occur at any point in the process, but it is typically made after the initial contact. If the customer is considered vulnerable, they may be referred to Adult Social Care or Brighter Futures for Children for additional support. The local authority is not obligated to offer accommodation to ineligible households or individuals, and no other legislation override this decision.
This decision will be made if the accommodation a customer is living in remains suitable for them. To be considered suitable, the property must meet certain criteria, including accessibility and affordability, among other factors. A full assessment of suitability will be made before reaching a final decision.
This decision will be made if the customer does not meet any of the priority need categories listed below. We will still provide support to explore alternative accommodation. However, we will not have a duty to provide accommodation. This decision is likely to be made when the relief duty ends.
A person is considered to have a priority need if they:
This decision will be made if, following a full investigation and meeting with the customer, we can provide evidence that:
If emergency or temporary accommodation has been provided and this decision is made, the customer will no longer be entitled to it and will be given reasonable notice to leave (generally 14 to 28 days, depending on the situation). If there are children in the household, and we have their consent, we will refer them to Brighter Futures for Children for additional support.
This decision will be made if the customer does not have a local connection to the borough. You have a local connection to Reading if:
If the customer is considered, at this point, to be eligible for assistance, homeless, meets a priority need category, and unintentionally homeless, the case will be referred to a borough where there is a local connection. A referral will not be made to any borough where the customer would be considered to be at risk of harm.
Any of the above decisions will result in the local authority not having a duty to provide accommodation. The customer will have the right to request a review of the decision which can be made within 21 days of the date the decision is received.
If we issue a negative decision, it will not affect the work we do to find alternative accommodation, but the main housing duty will not be owed. The above decisions may affect the applicant’s application for Homechoice at Reading.
This decision will be made if the customer:
This decision means that the local authority has a duty to support with accommodation while it supports to secure a more permanent home, unless there is accommodation that is reasonable to occupy in the short term. The housing options that will be explored are a tenancy in the private rented sector or access to social housing.
This duty can be brought to an end in the following ways:
The customer has the right to request a review of the following decisions:
The customer must request a review within 21 days of receiving a decision. Once the local council receives this request, they have 8 weeks to provide a response. During this period, the customer will need to actively participate in the process and submit evidence to support their review request.
You can contact the Homeless Prevention Service online by filling in an online form.