I am homeless - will the council house me?
 Should I apply to Wandsworth or elsewhere?
 The Homeless Queue
 Who to contact for help.

 I am homeless - Will the council house me?

If you are homeless, eligible and have a priority need for accommodation, we have a duty to secure accommodation for you. You are considered to have priority need if:

• You are homeless as a result of an emergency such as flood, fire or other disaster;
• You, or any members of your household, are pregnant or have dependent children who live with you and who are 16 or under or 17 to 19 and in full-time education;
• You are 16 or 17;
• You have been in care (i.e. a children's home or foster home) and you are under 21 or over 21 but vulnerable as a result of having been in care;
• You, or any members of your household, are vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or handicap, physical disability, or other special reason;
• You are vulnerable as a result of leaving your home due to domestic or non-domestic violence, or threats of such violence; or
• You are vulnerable as a result of having been in the armed forces or prison.

If you have no local connection to Wandsworth (do not now and never have lived and/or worked here in a permanent position and have no family associations here) we may refer you to a local authority where you do have a local connection, provided that neither you or any member of your household would be at risk of violence if you were to live there.

If you have a priority need for accommodation but are homeless because you failed to pay your rent or were asked to move out because of any other seemingly unreasonable behaviour, we have a duty to find somewhere for you to stay for only a limited time. We will however provide you with advice and assistance in finding a home.

 Should I apply to Wandsworth or elsewhere?

If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness, you can make a homelessness application to any local authority. This section gives you advice to help you decide which authority to approach.

If you apply to a local authority with which you have no local connection and that authority decides that you do need rehousing, that authority can refer you to a local authority with which you do. This will usually mean that you have to move again to another area. Therefore, it will usually be better for you to apply to a local authority with which you do have a local connection.

The authority to which you apply cannot refer you to another authority if you or a member of your household would be at risk of violence if you were to live there.

 The Homeless Queue

If you are accepted by the our Homeless Persons Unit (HPU) as homeless and entitled to rehousing by us you will be provided with temporary accommodation and placed on the Homeless Queue.

If you are currently living in temporary accommodation provided by us and are interested in moving into privately rented accommodation, either in Wandsworth or elsewhere, the council may be able to assist you under the QUAST (Qualifying Assured Short Hold Tenancy) scheme. For more information, please contact the Temporary Accommodation Team on 020 8871 7860 or 020 8871 7365.

If you are registered on our Homeless Queue, and are interested in moving out of London or into privately rented accommodation that is not in Wandsworth, you may also be eligible for assistance under the Out of London Scheme (also known as the LAWN Scheme).

Right to review
If your application for housing is refused or cancelled we will write and tell you why. We will also advise you of your right to seek a review of the decision and the timescales within which this should be submitted.

If you are a homeless applicant you also have the right to submit a review request as to the suitability of any accommodation offered to you should you wish to refuse the offer.
For further information telephone 020 8871 6812/6816/6817 or email housingapplications@wandsworth.gov.uk.

 Who to contact for help

If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness, the people you should contact for help will depend on your age and other circumstances. This is explained further below.

During office hours (9am-5pm)
If you are under 16, please contact Childrens services.

If you are 16 or 17, please contact Children services unless you have dependent children in which case please contact The Homelessness Prevention Team (Housing Aid Centre).

If you are 18 or over and think you have no priority need for accommodation, please contact Threshold Housing Advice on 020 8767 6888.

If you are 18 or over and think you have a priority need for accommodation, please contact The Homelessness Prevention Team (Housing Aid Centre).

Out of hours (6pm-8am and weekends)
Please contact Social Services on 020 8871 6000.