32. I am homeless. What can I do?

If you have nowhere to live, then you are homeless and you have the legal right to seek help from your local council. They must look into your case and, if you are eligible, find you somewhere to live, either temporarily or longer term.

If you think you may become homeless (for example, you are going to be evicted) contact your local council as soon as possible. You will need to fill in a homelessness application form, and may be interviewed at the council's offices. At this point you may also apply to join the council's waiting list for housing.

If you are homeless and the council decides you are ‘eligible for assistance’ and in 'priority need', it must make sure you have somewhere to live immediately while it investigates your case. There are sets of rules that councils use to decide whether you are ‘eligible for assistance’ and in ‘priority need’. The rules are complicated, and differ slightly in England and in Wales, but you are considered to be in 'priority need', for example, if you:

• are pregnant;
• have children;
• are elderly; or
• are vulnerable for one of several reasons.

When the council investigates your case, it will look at, among other things, why you became homeless. If it decides that you are ‘intentionally homeless’, for example, because you left your home when you didn’t have to, it may not offer you anywhere to live in the longer term.

If you need help dealing with homelessness, or any other aspect of housing, we recommend that you speak to one of our housing advisers on 0845 345 4 345 for specialist advice. Telephone specialist advice is only available if you qualify for legal aid.

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