Housing - Homeless in Maidstone
What Happens if I am Homeless?
Who do I need to contact?
If you are homeless or think you might become homeless in the
near future, you should contact the Housing Options Section for
advice and information (see below).
What documents will I need to
bring?
If you have arranged an interview or intend to drop-in because
you are homeless tonight you may need to bring several of the
following documents to support your application.
- Proof of identification for all household members.(passport,
driving licence etc)
- Proof of income for all household members (wage slips, benefit
letters, bank statements showing benefit/tax credit payments)
- Proof of address (tenancy agreement, utility bill etc)
- If you are about to lose your home you need to provide proof.
Ie notice to quit, possession order, letter from landlord or family
member.
- If you have children in your household you need to provide
proof that you receive child benefit for them.
- Proof of pregnancy if applicable.
- Proof of immigration status if applicable
What am I entitled to if accepted as homeless?
You will be interviewed by an experienced housing advice case
worker who will conduct full enquiries on behalf of the Council.
Your caseworker will be your point of contact throughout your
application. If you fail to respond to a request for information or
your caseworker loses contact with you then it may be deemed that
you wish to withdraw your application.
If, after carrying out our enquiries the Council decides
that you are not owed a duty under the current housing legislation,
usually due to you being either intentionally homeless, not
homeless or ineligible, then you have the right to request a review
of that decision. All reviews of homelessness decisions are
undertaken by an independent officer who is senior to the officer
who made the decision and who was not connected with the original
decision.
If, after carrying out our enquiries, we are able to house you,
you will be offered a home with enough bed-spaces for your
household. All accommodation at Maidstone is let on the basis of
the bed-spaces it is deemed to have, not on the number of
rooms.
Your nomination will be calculated on the following
basis:
- Single people will be entitled to a bedsit or one bedroom
flat.
- Couples are entitled to one
bedroom.
- Adults and people over 16 are entitled to a bedroom
each.
- Two children of the same sex under the age of 16 would
normally be expected to share a bedroom - there is a common
misconception that there is law stating that it is illegal for
children of opposite sexes to share a bedroom - If, however both
children are both nearing 16 and are of opposite sexes it may be
that you will be offered a property with a bedroom for
each.
You are not eligible if:
- you are from abroad and subject to immigration control;
- you are from abroad and you are not habitually resident in the
U.K; or
- you are a British citizen and you have not been habitually
resident in the U.K for a number of years.
You are considered to be homeless if now or within the next 28
days:
- there is nowhere that you and your family can stay together;
or
- you no longer have a legal right to stay in your home; or
- you have somewhere to live but cannot gain entry to it; or
- you are at risk of violence from someone who is living in your
home; or
- your home is a caravan or boat and you have nowhere to legally
place it and live in it; or
- you have a home in which it is not reasonable for you to live,
when compared with the housing conditions of other people living in
Maidstone.
If, for example, you have become homeless because you did not
pay your rent or mortgage and you could afford to do so, you could
be considered intentionally homeless. This means that you have done
something deliberately which causes you to be homeless. If you are
found to be intentionally homeless, the Council cannot house you
permanently even if you have children. We can only help for a short
while and advise you where to go to find somewhere to live.
Generally, the Council will only house you if you or a member
of your household have a local connection with Maidstone. You
may have a local connection if:
- You have lived in the borough for six out of the last 12
months, or three out of the last five years; or
- You have permanent work in Maidstone; or
- Your close relatives, such as mum, dad, brother or sister, have
lived in Maidstone for the past five years; or
- You have very special reasons why you must live in the
area.
If you have no local connection with Maidstone, we will refer
you to another area where you have connections, if it is safe for
you to go there.
If you have no connection with any area, we will house you if it
is decided we have a duty under current homelessness legislation to
do so.
You are considered to have a priority need if you or a member
of your family is one or more of the following:
- Pregnant;
- You have a dependent child aged 16 years or under, or aged 17
to 18 and still at school;
- You are 16 or 17 years;
- Vulnerable as a result of a physical or mental disability;
- Homeless due to a fire, flood or similar disaster;
- Forced to leave home because of violence or abuse, and more at
risk than most people.
Intentionally Homeless
If, for example, you have become homeless because you did not
pay your rent or mortgage and you could afford to do so, you could
be considered intentionally homeless. This means that you have done
something deliberately which causes you to be homeless. If you are
found to be intentionally homeless, the Council cannot house you
permanently even if you have children. We can only help for a short
while and advise you where to go to find somewhere to live.
Join the Housing Register list.
Contact the homelessness team
Phone: 01622 602440
Email:
ku.vog.enotsdiam@REMOVEMEsenohpeletertnectcatnoc
If you are made homeless outside our opening times, you can
contact our Emergency Out of Hours Service on 01622 212700 for
help.
This page was last updated on 7/21/2008