You might be at risk of losing your home for different reasons including if -
- your landlord has served you notice
- your family has asked you to leave
- domestic abuse or relationship breakdown
- you are getting behind with your mortgage
We contact you within two working days after the application has been received.
Homeless or under threat of homelessness
If you -
- have nowhere to stay tonight
- are under threat of homelessness
- it is not safe for you to remain in your current property
Please ring the Housing Options Team on -
- Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm - 01482 612 040
- Fridays 9am to 4.30pm - 01482 612 040
- out of hours - 01482 300 304
and an officer will help you.
Alternatively you can go to the below link for advice and to complete a self-referral. An officer will call you back within 48 hours.
Cases will be managed via telephone and email.
If you do not have access to a phone, you can attend The Wilson Centre where you will be able to use a phone to contact the Housing Options Team.
Find out the Wilson Centre opening times
Documents to bring
You need to bring the following documents which are applicable to you -
- proof of identity for everyone in your household – birth certificate, passport, driving licence
- proof of income – wage slips, benefits
- letter from Home Office or other documents which says you are allowed to stay in the UK
- proof that you are pregnant
- copy of your tenancy agreement
- copy of any notice to leave the place you have been living
- bank statements and bills if you are being made homeless because of money problems
- crime reference number or other proof if you are being made homeless due to violence
- proof that you are disabled
What happens next
You are assigned a caseworker and working together you create a personalised housing plan to prevent your homelessness or secure alternative accommodation.
Find out if you are eligible
We cannot help you without proof that you are able to stay in the UK. This proof can be -
- your birth certificate
- passport
- Home Office documents or Worker Registration Scheme documents
- proof of your income (may be required)
Your personalised housing plan
There are many stages to your personalised housing plan -
- your caseworker carries out an assessment to identify what has caused your homelessness or threat of homelessness
- your housing needs and any support needs are taken into account to help you secure and retain accommodation
- we work with you to develop a personalised housing plan which includes actions to be taken by you and your caseworker
- you are expected to work with your caseworker and follow their advice and guidance to prevent you losing your home
- your needs and wishes are taken into account as well as what accommodation is realistically available. We encourage informed and realistic choices to be included in your plan
- limited council housing means we also look at other housing providers such as housing associations and the private rented sector
Preventing your homelessness
We help you stay in your current accommodation or help you find a new place to live before you actually become homeless. We take all reasonable steps to prevent your homelessness from happening and this continues for 56 days, unless it is brought to an end by you securing accommodation or by you becoming homeless.
We do this by talking to your landlord or mortgage lender, getting you advice on how to manage your money so that you can afford to stay in your home, or talking with your friends and family to check if they can help. You may be asked to change the ways you currently spend household money or how you receive it. For example, arranging for housing costs to be paid direct to a landlord.
If you rent privately and need some advice
Your landlord, or their agent, has legal responsibilities to manage your tenancy fairly and to keep your home up to a decent standard. You can find advice below -
- find out if your section 21 notice is valid
Visit the England shelter website to check your section 21 notice - check if your tenancy deposit is protected
Visit the England shelter website to check your tenancy deposit - your landlord isn't meeting safety standards
Visit the GOV.UK website to check your landlords safety responsibilities - your landlord is trying to evict you
Visit the England shelter website for advice on eviction notices from private landlords - you have asked your landlord for repairs or complained about conditions in your home
Visit the England shelter website for advice on revenge eviction
What to do if you are a homeowner struggling with mortgage payments
If you are an owner occupier and you are in difficulty with your mortgage, there may be help available through the Breathing Space Loan scheme. These are interest free loans run by Wakefield council to cover mortgage payments depending on your circumstances.
Visit the Wakefield Council website for more information
Homeowner's might be able to get help towards interest payments.
Visit the GOV.UK website for support on your mortgage interest
You can ask a judge to ‘suspend the warrant for possession’. This means delaying the eviction or allowing you to stay in your home if you are able to make payments
Visit the GOV.UK website for advice on delaying your eviction
Free and impartial money advice to help you manage your finances
Visit the MoneyHelper for more information
If you would like to know how much benefit you may be able to receive or want help with budgeting, visit our benefit calculator and budgeting tools.