Homelessness

We can help you if:

• you have nowhere to stay and are sleeping rough
• you are fleeing violence or are at risk of violence and abuse
• your home is not safe to live in
• your home is overcrowded
• you are living with friends or family with no home of your own
• you are living in a home that is not suitable because of illness or disability
• you have rent or mortgage arrears
• you are leaving prison
• you are leaving local authority care

How we can help

We can offer help and support about:

• managing a tenancy
• debt advice
• benefit advice
• education training and employment opportunities
• other agencies such as domestic abuse and drug or alcohol misuse
• welfare support
• settling in to your new home

We can also help arrange temporary emergency accommodation if you have nowhere to stay.

Interviews and evidence

You will be offered an interview, either by telephone or face-to-face depending on your circumstances. We will discuss your housing situation and you may wish to make a homeless application at this time. You may be offered temporary accommodation if you need it while we assess your application.

It's easier for us to deal with your application if you can supply evidence, such as:

• proof of your identity
• information on your personal circumstances
• details of your income from working, benefits and pensions
• information on your children (or proof you are pregnant)
• documents showing why you're homeless or are at risk

Decisions

We will always try to reach a decision on any homeless application within 28 days. However, there are times where an applicant’s circumstances can take longer to assess, for example, where there are complex issues or we have difficulty getting the information that we need.

We will keep all applicants informed about how their application is progressing as it is assessed. Applicants will be advised on our decision in writing, with an explanation of how the decision was reached.

Depending on the decision we will:

• make a referral for permanent housing for you (and provide temporary accommodation for you if you need it until permanent accommodation becomes available)
• offer you temporary accommodation if you need it for a reasonable period and give you advice and assistance to help you secure other accommodation

We do not have housing stock available. We will therefore refer you for permanent housing to:

• Homes4D&G
• Loreburn Housing Association

How we are tackling homelessness

For more on how we are tackling homelessness and homeless prevention, go to Housing Options and Homeless Strategy. 

Annual assurance statement

Housing options and homeless services booklet

For a copy of our housing options and homeless services booklet or our housing support booklet, please contact us:

Email: HomelessPrevention@dumgal.gov.uk

Landlords and homelessness

You are legally required to tell us when you start taking court action that could result in making someone homeless if you are a:

• landlord – either a private landlord or a registered social landlord
• creditor – mortgage holder

Find out about private residential tenancies, disputes and Section 11 notices.