How long does it take to get a council house on priority?

[SRi-Jonny 10]

I'm just about to put a homeless application in as i'm living with my parents above their pub. I have two young children & me & my mother aren't getting on too well due to the stress that she has a business to run & it's not exactly suitable for us to be there. I'm on some depression tablets as i'm struggling to cope with the situation (arguing all the time, noisy at night & disturbing the children, lack of sleep). My mum is sending me to the council with a letter explaining this & not that she wants to, but she asking me to move out in x amount of weeks.

 

I'm new to all this so just wondered if anyone could share their experiences with me. :confused:

[SRi-Jonny 10]

I'm just about to put a homeless application in as i'm living with my parents above their pub. I have two young children & me & my mother aren't getting on too well due to the stress that she has a business to run & it's not exactly suitable for us to be there. I'm on some depression tablets as i'm struggling to cope with the situation (arguing all the time, noisy at night & disturbing the children, lack of sleep). My mum is sending me to the council with a letter explaining this & not that she wants to, but she asking me to move out in x amount of weeks.

 

I'm new to all this so just wondered if anyone could share their experiences with me. :confused:

 

sorry i am female too just using my brothers log in not that it makes much difference

[Plain Talker 11]

Have you had a look in the housing section of the forum? There's a thread about getting social housing, when you are in need, there's a list of housing associations you can apply to, as well as properties offered, privately, that might be of use to you either short- or long-term.

 

good luck.

[pinklady 10]

rotherham homeless application takes 31 days, i presume sheffield will be the same. good luck but i doubt you'll get priority. Have you thought about private rentals?

[Ms Macbeth 73]

No time scale is given on SCC website - initially you make a homeless application at First Point in Howden House. An initial decision will be made based on certain criteria. If you meet those, then your case will be passed to a homeless officer, and you'll have an interview (or more than one) to investigate your circumstances. At that point, if a decision is made to give you priority, then you can start bidding on suitable properties. None of it is a quick process, but its possible you could be offered temporary accommodation straight away while your case is investigated. This could well be a hostel, or a B&B. Basically what it says here: http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/housing-services/homeless/assessment

 

Bear in mind the shortage of family sized council homes. Consider other options for housing you and your children, like private rental or housing associatons.

 

If you need support, try Shelter. http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-136.cfm

[Plain Talker 11]

If you have difficulty raising the equivalent of a month's rent in advance for a "bond" for a privately rented property, contact NOMAD, the homeless advisory charity, as they used to do a "Bond Guarantee Scheme" which would cover you for the bond.

 

it's worth a try.

[honeyb35 10]

If you have difficulty raising the equivalent of a month's rent in advance for a "bond" for a privately rented property, contact NOMAD, the homeless advisory charity, as they used to do a "Bond Guarantee Scheme" which would cover you for the bond.

 

it's worth a try.

 

oh thats a good thing, i've never heard of that before

[icklesweet 10]

the council also have private rented scheme where they can offer you the bond in these kind of circumstances. My sister has just been granted priorty under special circumstances of over crowding, their decision took a matter of days. She is now free to bid, they have told her it could be more than 16 weeks before she is re housed due to the shortage of propertys.

 

Good luck.

 

the council were very helpful at the time, but we were sat there all day, so be prepared for the long haul.

[sugarbear264 10]

I'm just about to put a homeless application in as i'm living with my parents above their pub. I have two young children & me & my mother aren't getting on too well due to the stress that she has a business to run & it's not exactly suitable for us to be there. I'm on some depression tablets as i'm struggling to cope with the situation (arguing all the time, noisy at night & disturbing the children, lack of sleep). My mum is sending me to the council with a letter explaining this & not that she wants to, but she asking me to move out in x amount of weeks.

 

I'm new to all this so just wondered if anyone could share their experiences with me. :confused:

 

 

My daughter has been waiting months and she has just got a house just before christmas. It might be a little shorter for you because you have 2 children. But it does take months keep pestering them every day.

[TeaFan 10]

When you make your homeless application with a Customer Services Adviser at First Point, it will be about a week before you are interviewed by a homeless assessment officer. If it looks like you have a case, you can be placed in temporary accommodation while you wait for your full interview. How quickly you get a decision from there depends on how complicated your case is, and how much information the assessment officer needs to check/find out. If they tell you that they don't owe you a duty for rehousing, you get 21 days in which to appeal, and then however long it takes for someone to look at your appeal.

 

A caveat on the Nomad scheme: I think they can only put up £300, so you are likely to need to top it up, especially if the landlord also wants rent in advance as well as a bond.

[rad 10]

When I was homeless and had ill health issues on my priority status too, it took a few weeks to be made priority and abouty six months to be offered somewhere (by which time I'd got a property with a housing association - although their waiting lists were also long). This was in 2006, things may have got better/worse, but I imagine they'd rush a family through quicker than a single adult or couple.

[FairyNormal 10]

My daughter has been in a council B&B since mid October and was given her proirity just last week. They are currently paying £57 per night for her to stay there. Surely it would be cheaper to re-house people quicker?