Homelessness

You don’t have to be living on the street to be homeless. You may be legally classed as homeless if you are sleeping on a friend’s sofa, staying in a hostel, suffering from overcrowding, or other bad conditions. Shelter

Homelessness can often be avoided if you act quickly and get the right help.

General advice

Local help

Our Supporting People programme can provide help if you are homeless:

If you are homeless or about to become homeless, you can also contact your local district or borough council for help:

The district and borough councils have a legal responsibility to re-house certain households. They must arrange alternative temporary accommodation for any household which is homeless or threatened with homelessness within the next month and in ‘priority need’. This includes people who:

  • have children or are pregnant
  • are elderly
  • have physical or mental health problems
  • are homeless as a result of an emergency such as fire or flood.