Are you 16 or 17 years old and homeless?

If you have been asked to leave your present home or feel it is not appropriate or safe for you to remain there any longer and you have nowhere else to go, you should contact the Council’s Housing Needs Team at Queen’s Buildings, Worksop immediately.

You can:

• Telephone (01909 533455/01909 533712/533401/533402)
• Write a letter (Housing Needs Team, Queen’s Buildings, Potter Street, Worksop, Notts, S80 2AH)
• Email housing.needs@bassetlaw.gov.uk
• Visit the offices at Queen’s Buildings, Potter Street, Worksop and ask for advice and/or an interview

If you are homeless but do not wish to contact the Council’s Housing Needs Team, there are other organisations that may be able to help you:

• Nottinghamshire County Council’s Children and Young Persons Department (previously Social Services) - tel 01623 520520
• Connexions - tel: 01909 473165 (Worksop) or 0845 6002234 (Retford)
• New Roots Housing Association (01777 711059)
• Framework Housing Association (01909 513830)
• Retford Young Persons Housing Project (01777 869936/0115 8443749)
• Centreplace (01909 479191)
• HOPE (01909 531294)
• NSPCC Helpline (0808 8005000)

If you do contact the Council’s Housing Needs Team, they will, by law, have to make some enquiries and will want to know why you have been asked to leave home. The Council will always try and prevent you from becoming homeless or take steps to try and get you back home before they do anything else. The Housing Needs Team will do the following:

• Visit your home and speak to the person(s) who has asked you to leave to see if they can do anything to help which would allow you to return home/remain at home
• Contact relevant agencies such as Social Care
• Establish whether there is any other accommodation available to you with other family members or responsible persons

If the Council accepts it is not possible or appropriate for you to return or remain at home, they may need to find you somewhere to live whilst they finish their enquiries. This might be:

• a bed or a room in a hostel such as HOPE emergency access accommodation
• bed and breakfast accommodation
• supported lodgings

You will be required to attend at least one interview and you will be asked to provide information about your background and situation. If you are aged 16/17 years and/or a Care Leaver you may also be referred to Nottinghamshire County Council’s Social Care Department for an assessment to be carried out to see if you are a “Child In Need”. If you are assessed to be a “Child In Need” or a Care Leaver, Nottinghamshire County Council will be responsible for finding you somewhere to live and the Council’s Housing Needs Team will close your case.

If you are not assessed to be a “Child In Need” or Care Leaver and, on completion of enquiries are accepted to be homeless through no fault of your own, Bassetlaw District Council will be responsible for finding you somewhere to live.

If you are accepted as homeless, you will be made one offer of accommodation only. This may not be Council accommodation as there are various types of accommodation from other organisations and sources that also may be available such as:

• Housing Association property
• Supported Housing
• Privately rented property

If you refuse the offer, the Council will have no obligation to provide any further accommodation and will close your case. You will then be responsible for finding and paying for accommodation.

Regardless of the type of accommodation offered, you will have to abide by the rules in your Tenancy Agreement and keep your home (and garden where appropriate) in a clean and tidy condition. You must also give consideration to other people living near you. If you do not, your Landlord can take steps to get you evicted from your home. This means:

• You will have to be in receipt of an income, either a wage from a job or a benefit such as Job Seekers Allowance or Income Support or you will be unable to afford to pay your bills or feed or clothe yourself. If you do not have an income and are not in receipt of any benefit payments, you must contact your local Jobcentre Plus, Connexions Office or Support Agency such as Framework or HOPE immediately who will assist you to make a claim
• You should make a claim for Local Housing Allowance or Housing Benefit as soon as you find a new home if you require help with paying the rent. However, it is unlikely you will receive full benefit therefore you may still have to make a contribution towards the rent out of your income.
• You will be responsible for paying the full cost of all your own bills including rent, gas, electricity, water rates, TV licence etc
• You will have to purchase your own furniture, electrical goods and carpets. You may ask for some money towards the cost of purchasing these items by submitting a crisis loan or other application, however there is no guarantee your request will be granted
• You will have to do all your own shopping, cooking, washing and ironing, cleaning and decorating. In some cases you may even have to do the gardening.