Formal Homelessness Applications

Each homeless case is dealt with completely individually and in order to find out exactly your circumstances you will be asked to attend an interview with a Homelessness Assessment Officer.  In this interview you will be asked for information to find out if you are:

• Eligible for Help
• Homeless
• In priority need
• Intentionally homeless
• Have a local connection

Eligible

This mainly concerns people who have been living abroad.

Homeless

This is defined in law as having no accommodation that a household has a reasonable right to occupy either currently or for less than 28 days.  (So even if someone has a Notice to Quit, it does not mean that they are homeless).

In Priority Need

The Council only has a duty to provide accommodation, even temporary accommodation, to homeless people who are defined as being in priority need.

You may be in priority need if you:

• are pregnant
• have dependent children living with you
• are over 60 years of age
• are unable to find your own house because you are severely ill or severely disabled
• are homeless because of a fire or flood
• are 16 or 17 years old
• are leaving the armed forces
• have been directly released from prison to no fixed abode

Intentional Homeless

The Council will investigate any deliberate action that has led to accommodation being lost (eg. Mortgage repossessions) or reasonable actions that were deliberately not taken (eg Benefits could have been claimed but an applicant just decided not to claim).

Local Connection

Long term rehousing will depend on all of the above and local connection with Denbighshire.  Local connection is defined as residence of six months out of the last twelve or three years out of the last five, a permanent job, or having immediate close family living in the area for over five year.

Please note:

Homelessness law is very complex so it is impossible to give more than a brief outline on these webpages.