If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness

If you are worried about becoming homeless, you must tell us as soon as possible so we can start looking at options to help prevent you losing your home.

You can access homelessness and housing advice on a range of different topics through the self-service platform below. It can advise on situations including relationship breakdown or issues with your landlord, and can help you see what options are available to you.

If you need housing assistance, you can complete our referral form below which will give you an indication of whether or not we can help you. We will be in touch within seven working days.

If you are already homeless, please call us on 01304 872265. You will still need to complete the referral form.

If you're not at immediate risk of homelessness but are struggling with your housing costs, you may be able to get extra help with a discretionary housing payment.

• Find out about discretionary housing payments

Duty to Refer

If you are a public body in England such as a hospital, prison, probation service or Jobcentre Plus, you must tell us about service users who are homeless or at risk of homelessness within 56 days.

Before making the referral, you must have the person's consent to both make the referral to us and share their details so we can contact them.

What we need to know

When you tell us you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, we must make five enquiries to determine what help we are required to provide. It is important you provide full and truthful information when requested.

What happens next

When we have finished our enquiries we will write to you with our decision and the reasons for it, and tell you your housing options.

If we have decided your circumstances don’t meet all the legal criteria:

• we may end any emergency housing and/or storage arrangements we have provided for you
• we will explain how to request a review if you think our decision is wrong
• we will offer you advice and assistance in your efforts to find somewhere to live.

If we decide you do meet all the legal criteria:

• we will arrange suitable temporary accommodation until you either find somewhere else to live yourself or while you wait to be offered a tenancy
• we will offer you advice and assistance in your efforts to find somewhere to live.

Find out more about temporary accommodation

Right to a review

You have a right to ask for a review:

• on any decision we make on the facts of a housing application
• on decisions regarding eligibility for housing
• on our decision about your homelessness application, including if we decide our duty has ended because you refused a suitable offer
• against a decision that an offer we have made is reasonable.

Requests for a review of a decision must be made within 21 days of the date of our decision letter.

Contact us

If you need further assistance, you can contact our housing options team.

• email: housing.options@dover.gov.uk
• phone: 01304 872265

Alternatively, use our contact form to get in touch.

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