Homeless Approaches to Cannock Chase Council

The legislation around homelessness changed with the introduction of the Homeless Reduction Act (HRA). This places more emphasis on the assistance each council in England can offer customers who have experienced or are about to experience homelessness.

This will result in more customers being assisted as each council will no longer consider if a customer has a priority need or has made themselves intentionally homeless initially before they are assisted. As such the council will make every effort to prevent or relieve homelessness after registering an application before it makes a final decision on the application.

This means that applications will be opened beyond the former statutory guidance, of 33 working days, whilst the council tries to assist each customer in preventing or relieving their homelessness.

The council registers applications for those who are threatened with homelessness within 56 days to ensure that more people are assisted as soon as possible. The council will make its decision for wheter you are owed the full housing duty at the end of thr relief stage if the homelessness has not been resolved. It will continue to provide customers with temporary accommodation where applicable whilst it seeks an alternative solution to thier problems. This will be all council's in Englands way of working from now on.