Homelessness advice

Local areas should have adequate provision to prevent rough sleeping at any time of year, however the winter period often presents the greatest risks to people’s health. Severe weather provision enables rough sleepers to be accommodated to ensure no one comes to significant harm or dies on the streets during severe weather.

The consequences of severe weather on rough sleepers can often be linked to the effects of extreme cold temperatures, but can include high winds, heavy rain, snow and heatwaves all of which increase the risk of harm.

South Cambridgeshire will generally provide severe weather provision to confirmed rough sleepers during severe weather between the months of November and March, although any severe weather experienced at other times of the year will also be considered.

Provision is only for known rough sleepers who have been discovered to be or would otherwise be sleeping out if provision was not available.

These arrangements are to ensure there is a humanitarian response to prevent rough sleepers dying from the effects of the severe weather.  It is expected that all rough sleepers, including those who would normally have no recourse to public funds, are made an emergency offer and these arrangements will often be made outside the usual eligibility/entitlement framework that governs access to housing.  As such the quality of the accommodation might be of a lower standard than that offered ordinarily.

It is not the Council’s duty to force people to access the SWEP. However, we will strive to encourage those who are rough sleeping to use this provision. Officers will also work with and refer into mental health services where they are concerned about the vulnerability or mental capacity of a rough sleeper who continues to refuse assistance with accommodation in periods of severe weather.

In all other instances of suspected homelessness, applicants should contact the Housing Advice and Homelessness team in the usual way.

A referral can be made to the Housing Advice and Homelessness team who will complete an assessment form and/ or refer to the P3 rough sleeping outreach service.

Email: housingadvice@scambs.gov.uk

Telephone: 01954 713000

Emergency out of hours telephone: 01253 501117

As part of the assessment, the Housing Advice and Homelessness Team will ascertain the precise location of the sleep site and evaluate the accessibility of accommodation with family members.

Depending on the outcome of the assessment, the Housing Advice and Homelessness Team will determine whether it is necessary to provide emergency accommodation.  Consideration will be given to utilising beds within the Council’s hostel accommodation. If this is unsuitable, or no bed spaces are available an emergency referral to a B&B will be made by a member of the Housing Advice and Options service.

If a rough sleeper is identified out of office hours, please telephone the Emergency out of hours number which is 01253 501117.

Outside of office hours, if it is not possible to verify a rough sleeper, officers will give clients the benefit of the doubt for one night only and an assessment will be carried out on the next working day, before agreeing provision for a second night.

Emergency severe weather provision will be available to rough sleepers where severe weather, such as extreme cold, wind or rain, is anticipated usually between the months of November and March.

South Cambridgeshire (along with Huntingdonshire District Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council) works in partnership with P3 to provide an outreach service to rough sleepers within the three district areas.  Referrals or signposting will also be made to other services that can assist the rough sleeper with specific issues they may be experiencing. Advice and assistance will also be offered by the Housing Advice Service to help them access longer term accommodation.

Some rough sleepers may have dogs.  Dogs will not be accepted in most temporary accommodation. Therefore, in order to help encourage the rough sleeper to come in from the severe or cold weather, officers will try their best to find bed and breakfast accommodation where dogs will be accepted, although this is by no means guaranteed.

If you do not agree with the review decision you can make an appeal:

• you can approach us to ask for housing assistance under the Housing Act 1996, Part VII (amended), you have the right to request a review in some circumstances
• you can appeal to the county court on any point of law arising from the decision of the review, or on the original decision if we have not met the time limit to complete your review
• an appeal must be brought within 21 days of the date we tell you of our review decision
• if you are considering appealing to the county court, the local Citizens Advice Bureau can assist you.

For independent advice, you can contact:

• Citizens Advice
• England Shelter
• Local Government Ombudsman: PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH. Telephone: 0300 061 0614
  • Take a look at their fact sheet, aimed at people who are, or may become, homeless and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman

Asking for a review

You must ask for a review within 21 days of the date of the letter notifying you of the decision. 

You can make this request in writing. If you are unable to write, please contact us in person or by telephone, confirming that you are asking for a review.

Your review will be considered by a senior officer on the team who was not involved in making the original decision that you are asking to be reviewed.

The request should be addressed to:

Housing Advice and Homelessness Service
South Cambridgeshire District Council
Cambourne Business Park
Cambourne
Cambridge
CB23 6EA

If you have new information which you feel should have been taken into account in making the decision, you should ask for your application to be looked at again.

This will be done by the officer who made the original decision. If the information does not change our decision, it will be considered during your review.

When to request a review:

• if we have made a decision that you are not eligible for assistance
• if you do not agree with what duty, if any, we owe you if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness
• if you do not agree with the steps we take as stated in your Personal Housing Plan under the prevention and/or relief duty
• if we have ended its prevention or relief duty to you
• if we have served notice due to deliberate and unreasonable refusal to cooperate with the steps set out in your Personal Housing Plan
• if we have referred its relief duty to another local authority and the referral has been accepted by the notified authority
• if we have referred its main homeless duty to another local authority
• if another local authority has accepted a referral of a main homeless duty
• if we have has offered accommodation after accepting a main homeless duty and you feel that this accommodation is unsuitable
• if we have offered accommodation intended to end its prevention, relief or main homeless duty and you feel that this accommodation is unsuitable.

Accommodation during your review

If you request a review of the suitability of an offer of accommodation which we have made in order to end its relief duty, you are already in temporary accommodation and you would be owed a main homeless duty, we will provide accommodation during the review process.

We also have the power to accommodate you under exceptional circumstances pending a decision on a review in all other circumstances.

You will be asked for any extra information you feel should be considered that was not included in your original request for a review.

It is in your best interest to provide us with as much information as possible. If you do not provide any extra information within the time given, the review will be based on the facts we already know.

During the review process, if it appears that there has been some irregularity in the original decision, but that the decision is likely to be upheld, you will be invited to a meeting to discuss this. This is known as an oral hearing.

Decision process

We must make a decision on your review and provide a decision in writing within a given time, dependent on what decision you are asking to be reviewed. This may be extended in agreement with you.

The deadlines are as follows:

• 3 weeks from the date of the review request of a decision to bring the prevention duty to an end
• 8 weeks from the date of the review request of a decision to bring the relief duty to an end, decision on eligibility, decisions on duties owed, decisions to refer and decisions on suitability of accommodation
• 10 weeks from the date of the review request of a decision jointly made by this and another local authority on whether the conditionals for a referral have been met.