When you apply for help with homelessness, we check whether you are:

• eligible for assistance - we look at the eligibility of all members of the household
• homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days
• in priority need
• not intentionally homeless

To decide if you're homeless, we will look at any place that you have access to and whether you’re at risk of homelessness in the next 56 days.

Eligibility for assistance

You'll usually be eligible for help if you:

• live in the UK, are a British citizen and have not recently spent time living in other countries
• have refugee status or indefinite leave to remain in the UK
• are a citizen of the European Union who is a worker in the UK

Some other people from abroad are also eligible for assistance, depending on their circumstances.

Priority need

We’ll consider your circumstances to decide if, according to homelessness legislation, you're in priority need.

Priority need is where we must give more help if you are homeless or facing homelessness. This can sometimes include emergency housing.

Examples of priority need include if you are:

• pregnant or have children
• homeless because of domestic abuse
• aged 18 to 20 and were in care

Intentionally homeless

We may also need to assess whether you have become homeless due to your actions.

Local connection

If you do not have a local connection with us, we may refer you to another council for help. We will not refer you to an area where you would not be safe.