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Housing, Do I have any options?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I'm currently staying with a friend and her Family in Bristol on a tempoary basis, I need somewhere more permenant to stay. but Bristol council and hundreds of other places me and my friend have contacted have said "You need local connections" or "You need to be in Bristol for 6 months" I need somewhere more permenant before then...
Helppp
Helppp
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Comments
Awhh..poooo
Do you think you would be in a position to afford to rent privately when you start being paid?
Wish I did though
If you were, for the sake of argument, to start volunteering in Bristol, would they count that as a local connection?
I applied for college but I start in september
It might be worth contacting Shelter again and re-explaining your situation. Bristol City Council and Bristol Youth Links signpost to some services, a local youth centre should also be able to give you support and possibly act as an advocate for you.
It's great that you've applied for college
http://otrbristol.org.uk/campaigns
Thanks for your post. Must be a big change moving to Bristol and you're really brave for it. However, it seems like a good move given the issues you were having in Hull.
Sorry you're having a difficult time sorting out your housing situation.
You might find it helpful reading this page on the Shelter website which explains local connection in more detail - http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/help_from_the_council_when_homeless/local_connection
This is of course in relation to making a homeless persons application to the council. Even if you do not have local connection to Bristol, they should still take a homeless persons application and make enquiries into it. You should also explain why you cannot move back to Hull. Was there a risk of violence to you in Hull? If so you must make this clear.
Bristol council can refer you to another local authority and if this happens then it is important to seek legal advice quickly to see if you can review their decision.
You may also be entitled to emergency housing as you're just staying with your friend on a temporary basis; arguably you are homeless now.
Shelter has this 'emergency housing rights checker' which is really handy and you might find useful - http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/downloads_and_tools/emergency_housing_rights_checker
In summary - the council are wrong to turn you away because you do not have a local connection. They must still take a homeless person's application, make enquiries into it and then make a decision about whether they owe you a housing duty. You should remind them of their duties and insist on making an application. Ensure that you give them all the information about why you cannot go back to Hull and what you are doing in Bristol at the moment and in the future.
Also, I am not sure how old you are, but if you are 17 or younger, then Social Services may also have a duty to house you
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps
Ditto, you might also find some help via the Bristol Night Stop team
We called them, and they've given us some details of another...person
Given up on it all though, Gonna go live with the fishies at this rate!!
Someone even turned around and said "we can't help you because your mental health problems aren't severe enough" even though my friend told them I tried to end it a few weeks ago.
Sorry to hear you're still not getting anywhere with this.
Do you think you would find legal advice helpful? It seems like that might be a good option now, considering you've tried several times to get the local authority to listen to you.
You could try a Citizens Advice Bureau or a local solicitor who specialises in housing law. I know it's not always easy or desired to get lawyers involved but in my experience, if you have a good lawyer who knows what they're doing, you should get somewhere.
Link for CAB - http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/about_this_site/get_advice.htm
Link for finding a solicitor - unfortunately the Community Legal Advice finder has been replaced with a telephone advice service called 'Civil Legal Advice' - https://www.gov.uk/legal-aid/how-to-claim
But I can't find the lawyer finder link...
You can use the Law Society website instead - http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/find-a-solicitor/
So my friend rung the people helen mentioned who told us about another thing they're doing, they then told us to come in, we went into their building thingy and filled out this never ending form and a few days later give them a letter that had my social services details on and why I was moved into a hostel, now they've put a referral in for somewhere (forgotten the place). to see about talking to the council and saying "Yeah she doesn't have any local connections but such and such has happened now she cannot return back to hull"...
Hopefully they listen...