What we can do to help
Our housing options and homelessness team can offer advice if you're homeless or at risk of losing your home.
Contact us as soon as you realise there's a problem. The earlier we can intervene, the better the chance of achieving a successful outcome.
What we do:
- Deal with enquiries by telephone or personal interview
- We may provide temporary accommodation if you need to leave your current property immediately (depending on your circumstances)
- Help you look for private sector affordable accommodation
- We operate a bond scheme and we will establish whether you're eligible
- Provide advice to get you registered on our housing register, choice-based lettings
- Refer you to our private sector housing links worker if you are experiencing problems with disrepair in private accommodation
- Help you if you are having problems with benefits and you are struggling to pay your rent, or struggling keeping your property in the manner your landlord expects
- Assess your situation if you are having mortgage arrear problems and make a referral to organisations that can help
We ask you to:
- Provide us with the information we ask for as soon as possible to prevent delays in processing your application
- Notify us promptly of any change in circumstances
- Let us know if you need help completing your housing application
- Let us know if you move away and no longer need help
Homelessness prevention
One of our main aims is to prevent people becoming homeless and we work closely with other agencies and internal departments to achieve this.
These include:
Some of the tools we use to help are:
- Discretionary housing payments
- Mortgage rescue scheme
- Tenancy support
- Mediation with landlords and families
- Debt advice
- Negotiation regarding court proceedings
Choice-based lettings
We work to get you registered on our housing register, choice-based lettings.
Bond bank scheme
In some cases, we may be able to help you financially with a bond payment to prevent homelessness. Find out more about the bond bank scheme.
No second night out for rough sleepers
Eight councils in North Yorkshire have formed a partnership to tackle rough sleeping across the county.
Part of a national initiative, the aim is that anyone who ends up sleeping out on the streets gets the rapid help they need to ensure they don't have to spend a second night out.