Homeless or at risk

This advice is for:

• those who have been placed in care generally through Calderdale Social Services;
• and who are usually involved with Calderdale's Pathway Team;
• also, help may be available to anyone placed in Calderdale, such as a foster placement by a different council.

Are you at risk of being homeless? Our Young People's Housing Team (with other organisations) will work with you to see how they can help. To talk about this, phone: 07766465470.

It could be that:

• after being in care you went back to live with your family, but things have not gone how you hoped.
• running your own tenancy is not working out and the landlord wants to evict you.

Seek help when the problem starts and it can prevent you from being homeless. Having someone to help you talk to your parents or landlord can make a difference. This can then avoid the stress that comes with being homeless.

The Young People's team will always try to help you stay where you are as long as it is safe.

Homeless

If after mediation you have no place to stay, we will work with you to find somewhere. We have a legal duty to do this. Accommodation can include:

• a short stay in Bradford Night Stop;
• Council temporary accommodation until somewhere longer-term can be found for you.

At 21 years old, our duty to find you a place to stay ends. Unless there are special circumstances that may extend the duty. These are defined in Homelessness Law and will be taken into account in assessing your situation.

If you become homeless at short notice and have nowhere to stay, go in person to Halifax Customer First. Our staff will see what can be done to help you.

Schemes

These can help you to gain daily living skills. Some offer a place to stay in a planned way as an alternative to where you are living now.

Calderdale Foyer

Calderdale Foyer are here for you when you need help!

They will give you:

• somewhere safe to live;
• support to help you develop the skills you need to live successfully on your own.

A place at the Foyer is not just a place to live! It is a friendly organised programme to help you learn and get involved.

To apply for a place you must be:

• 16 - 25 years old;
• homeless or in need of somewhere to live;
• ready and willing to take part in education, training or work.

You can apply by yourself, as a couple or as a family with children, phone: 01422 264300.

Horton Housing

This is an accommodation service for young people in Calderdale who are:

• homeless;
• or at risk of homelessness.

There are 14 high-quality accommodation units for young homeless people from Calderdale and managed by Horton Housing. Support staff from Horton Housing's Young Person's Prevention and Support Service (YPASS) are based there to assist the young people.

YPASS also offers advice and support to young people aged 16 - 21 years (or 25 years if they are care leavers). This includes drop-in advice sessions for people seeking support on housing. For more about this, please phone: 01422 385993.

Together Housing

To apply for your own housing association home, contact: Together Housing Group:

• Phone: 0300 555 5560;
• Visit: B-with-us.

Private rented accommodation

Before you look at this, you could need help to pay your rent. Seek advice about how much Housing Benefit you are entitled to. How much you get depends on your age.

Make sure you tell them your age and that you have been in care. This will help them to work out what you will get towards your rent.

For more about this:

• Go in person to one of our local offices.
• Phone: (01422) 288001.

The advice here is for anyone of any gender, age, sexuality or religious belief.

Please see: Domestic violence and abuse for more on this subject. If you feel that you are in immediate danger, phone the Police on: 999.

Getting in touch with us

There is a range of help from someone to talk with to support for you to leave where you are. This can be a planned move or at short notice.

We encourage you to contact services or the Police, but we know it is not easy at times. If you prefer, ask someone you trust to call to find out what help you can get.

Whether you are single or have children, if you contact us about an abusive domestic situation we will:

• listen;
• work with you to find a solution that meets your needs.

If you are at risk in your own home, we can find you somewhere to go the same day.

We will try to find you a place in Calderdale's Women Centre or a refuge in another area. If there are none that day, we can get you somewhere to stay temporary. We will keep looking for a refuge for you, where they can support you during this difficult time.

This can:

• help you make a fresh start in another area;
• give a safe place while we look for another home for you in Calderdale.

If you want to live in Calderdale, we will do a homelessness assessment to help you find a home here. It does not matter if you go to a refuge in Calderdale or another area.

Contact Housing Options to discuss your choices:

• Phone: (01422) 392460.
• Email: housingoptions@calderdale.gov.uk. (We normally reply within 24 hours.)

Important note: Please let us know if it is safe (or not) to reply to you by email or phone.

Please note: The majority of refuges are for women, but there are some for men outside Calderdale.

Staying put in your home

It might be that having extra security measures will help keep you safe from an ex-partner, such as:

• having door and window locks fitted to your house.

We work with the Police and the Women’s Centre to offer this Sanctuary service. This can be enough to help you feel safe remaining in your home.

If you think this might work for you contact:

• The Women Centre;
• or Calderdale Housing Options.

Being in hospital can be an anxious time and more so if you:

• have nowhere to go when you leave;
• think you can no longer manage in the property you live in, due to a disability or long-term illness.

Speak to the hospital staff as soon as you can. Do not wait until the day of discharge. Ask if they have a hospital discharge team who can help you to:

• get in touch with a range of services;
• make a plan when you are preparing to leave.

Each hospital has its own discharge policy and you can ask the ward manager for this.

For more advice and support, please see: Health and social care.

You can also get advice from our Housing Options Service while you are in hospital, such as:

• housing options and to discuss referrals to other services, if you face being homeless;
• home adaptations, like grab-rails to help you return to your home.

If you have concerns about your housing needs, please contact us.

Homeless

Think about options to stay with family and friends, if you:

• have nowhere to go when you leave hospital;
• need time for adaptations to be made to your home.

If you do not have anywhere to go, you can ask for a homeless assessment:

• This is to see if we have any duty to offer you a temporary place to stay.
• You will need to have any discharge papers and medication to help with the assessment.

Always plan ahead for your release to have the best chance of not ending up homeless.

Housing advice and resettlement services

This is a service offered by some prisons. Always try to see them before leaving prison to:

• ask for advice;
• and see if they can make contact with Calderdale Council on your behalf.

If you have access to a computer, you can self-refer to Calderdale Housing Options:

• Visit: Housing Assistance Referral Portal.
• Email: housingoptions@calderdale.gov.uk.

We may also be able to arrange a phone interview with you while in prison. This will be to assess your situation and provide advice.

Homeless

If you are at risk of having nowhere to stay on leaving prison please be aware that:

• Most single people are likely to be assessed as Homeless but Non-Priority. This means that we do not have a duty to give you a temporary place to stay.
• You will be asked a series of questions when you have your interview. This is so we can assess your situation.
• If you contact the Council before your release:
  • you can be given information and advice in a Personal Housing Plan. This aims to help you find a place to stay when you leave prison.
  • it gives us time to:
    • work out if there is any duty to give you a temporary place to stay when you leave prison;
    • make referrals to other schemes and hostels.

If you leave with nowhere to stay, please go in person to Halifax Customer First.

• You can get advice on your housing options and may be referred to other agencies.
• If you think you will be sleeping on the street tell the staff. They can refer you to the rough sleeper’s service to see if they can help.
• If you need support with anything else, tell the staff. They can tell you about other places that may offer help.

If you need housing advice or support, please contact us.

You can contact our services yourself, through a support worker, family or a friend, if you are:

• unhappy with where you live;
• or at risk of homelessness within 56 days.

Calderdale specialist mental health service - Housing Support Scheme

This is for people with complex long-term mental health issues who usually have a care co-ordinator.

Referrals

• Your Community Psychiatric Nurse or Social Worker would normally refer you to the scheme.
• You can also be referred by ward staff if you spend time in hospital for your mental health issues.

They can provide advice, support and practical assistance to enable people to secure and maintain their own tenancies

If you are accepted onto the scheme they can help:

• with bidding on B-with-us;
• people to set up new homes. (They have a small budget to assist some people who may need help with moving to a new property)

The team also provides advice and support to carers, family and professionals. If they cannot help, they will give advice on other schemes, such as SmartMove. (If they cannot help, they may refer you to the Housing Options Service.)

To contact the Housing Support Scheme, phone: (01422) 393318 or 393309.

Homeless

• If you have nowhere to stay or no stable accommodation, do not hesitate to contact us.
• We will assess if you are owed any duty under which the council will provide temporary accommodation. To help with this we will ask things like:
  • Where you are staying or sleeping if on the street?
  • What is your diagnosis?
  • What services you are currently working with and proof of medication?

If temporary accommodation is not offered, these details will help us to draw up a plan. This will help to find a place for you to stay that meets your needs.

If you need housing advice or support, please contact us.

Housing advice for former and current members of the regular armed forces.

We can award you the highest Banding (Band 1) on the local Housing system - B-with-us, if you:

• have a local connection to Calderdale;
• and contact us up to six months before your discharge;
• or up to for three months after you leave the Armed Forces.

Before you leave

It is best to plan ahead to avoid leaving with nowhere to stay. For useful housing advice, visit: Joint Service Housing Advice Office (JSHAO - GOV.UK).

After you have left

You can still get advice, visit:

• The Veterans Gateway (GOV.UK). This covers a range of issues including homelessness. They have links to other resources, some of which can help to secure accommodation with bonds and rent in advance.
• The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA).
• The Royal British Legion.
• Contact the Ministry of Defence (MoD) - Veterans UK helpline (advice for veterans in a crisis):
  • Phone: 080 8191 4218.
  • Email: Veterans-uk@mod.gov.uk.

Op FORTITUDE

This is funded by The Armed Forces Covenant Fund and delivers a centralised referral pathway into veteran supported housing.

The team work with those at risk of being homeless or who are homeless. It supports them into suitable accommodation or to maintain their current home.

For more details, visit: Veteran Services - Op FORTITUDE (Riverside).

Apply directly for social housing in Calderdale

For a list and contact details, please see: Housing Associations.

You can apply online with B-with-us or Places for People.

For more about B-with-us, please see: Choice based letting scheme.

Note: Make sure you tell them that you are (or have been) in the regular armed forces.

Homeless

If you are:

• Homeless or do not have a permanent place to stay you can visit: Halifax Customer First.
• Street homeless (outside office hours) phone: (01422) 288000. Someone will make a phone assessment of your situation to see what can be offered.

Note: Make sure you tell us that you were in the regular armed forces.

Also, let us know if you have:

• Had front-line service and experienced any traumatic events no matter what the situation.
• Any medical conditions in particular if they are related to your time in service.
• A Medical History Release Form for any ill-health or conditions you have.

We will always offer a service to anyone who has been in the regular armed forces. This includes an assessment to see if we have a duty to provide temporary accommodation if you are street homeless. If we:

• do - we will find somewhere for you at that time.
• do not - please be aware that we may not be able to find you a place to stay that day.

It does not matter why you are homeless. We will do our best to help you find a place that fits your needs as quickly as possible.

If you need housing advice or support, please contact us.

For advice and support on other matters, please see: Armed Forces personnel.