Our Housing Options Team provide advice if you are homeless of threatened with homelessness.
You can contact the Housing Options Team by telephone between 9.30am and 12.00pm or between 2.00pm and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. A duty worker will discuss your circumstances with you to enable them to decide what further action is required.
We offer advice and information if you're at risk of homelessness because you're:
- being asked to leave by family or friends
- break up of a relationship
- domestic violence/domestic abuse
- leaving hospital with nowhere to go
- leaving prison with nowhere to go - read the York and North Yorkshire Offender Housing Protocol
- mortgage arrears and house repossession
- notice to quit or notice seeking possession received from landlord
- redundancy or loss of earnings
- rent arrears from us, a Housing Association or a private landlord
- eviction
- benefit entitlements (housing benefit and council tax support)
- rough sleeping
If you're 16 to 17 years old and at risk of homelessness, contact our Youth Homeless Team.
See further information about Hosing Options services:
- Housing Options interview
- Resolving housing issues
- Duty to Refer
- Contact the Emergency Duty Team
- Further Housing Options guidance
Housing Options interview
During your initial Housing Options interview (triage), we'll ask questions about you and your situation.
Following your Housing Options interview we'll arrange a full housing assessment and agree your personal housing plan - this session will last between 1 and 2 hours.
So we can give you accurate advice at your housing assessment you'll need relevant paperwork, such as:
- a tenancy agreement
- notice to quit
- notice seeking possession
- court documents
- arrears letter
- financial information
A Housing Options Adviser will talk to you about your current situation, discuss any difficulties you're having and help you look at your options to either:
- help you stay in your current home (prevention duty)
- find alternative housing (relief duty)
Resolving housing issues
To help resolve your housing issues we can:
- negotiate with your landlord by checking the validity of a ‘notice to quit’, or by referring you to specialist services
- negotiate with your parents for an extension while we help you find suitable alternative accommodation
- give information about your rights as a tenant
- give advice and put you in touch with money and debt advice specialists
- give advice on mediation, counselling and long-term housing support
- seek to maximise your income, for example by exploring your entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support
- give advice on rent arrears
- give advice on rough sleeping
We'll also help you explore other housing options, including:
- how to apply for shared ownership or other forms of affordable housing
- how to find private rented accommodation (including renting from YorHome)
- using a bond guarantee to pay the rent
- how to apply for social housing through the North Yorkshire Home Choice housing register or through other Housing Associations
- information about hostels and supported housing
- older persons' housing
You may be referred to a specialist adviser or legal representative.
If you're homeless or threatened with homelessness in the next 56 days, we will carry out a homelessness assessment.
Duty to Refer
The Homelessness Reduction Act, 2017 means we must:
- take early action to prevent homelessness in our area
- provide homelessness services to all those who are eligible
See a guide to 'Duty to Refer' on GOV.UK for more information.
Referrals to our Housing Options team
Certain other organisations have a 'duty to refer' you to our Housing Options team, if they believe you're homeless or threatened with becoming homeless; they must have your consent before completing a Duty to Refer referral form from GOV.UK, to send to our Housing Options Team by email: dutytorefer@york.gov.uk.
Contact the Emergency Duty Team
Our Emergency Duty Team are the contact point for all homelessness enquiries outside of normal office hours including:
- Monday to Thursday, 5.00pm to 8.30am
- weekends (from 5.00pm on Friday until 8.30am on Monday)
- bank holidays (24 hours)
Contact the Emergency Duty Team on telephone: 0300 131 2131 or email: edt@northyorks.gov.uk.
Further Housing Options guidance
We've published a series of housing option booklets and information to guide you through your housing options. You can also find out about applying for a council home.
See our Housing Options Service Standards which relate to how we'll help you if you're at risk of losing your home or have nowhere to live.
Find out about translation services if you need this information in another language.
Also see