Homelessness

If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days please contact the  Homelessness and Prevention Team on 0300 123 4510 to arrange an appointment.

Once you have made an appointment please arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before your appointment time.   At this time, only joint applicants or single applicant and one other person can attend the appointment.

You must bring along the following information to your appointment:

• Proof of ID/address
• Two months bank statement (current bank statement)
• Poof of national insurance number  
• Proof of income i.e. screenshot of UC breakdown, child benefit, wages (2 month payslips), any other benefits

During your interview, it is important that you give the Homelessness Officer as much information as possible, including details of:

• You and the members of your household
• Your previous addresses
• Any special circumstances
• your finances (if you cannot afford to live in your present home)
• Anyone with information to support your application (eg doctor, solicitor, social worker, your current landlord or mortgage lender)

Homeless Investigation Process

Where appropriate or necessary, the Homelessness Officer will make further enquiries about your application. This is to confirm the information you gave at interview. He or she may ask for further information from any interested party that you have told us about at interview, like a doctor or a solicitor.

You must let the Homelessness Officer know about any important changes to your circumstances - you have a legal duty to do so. The law says it is a criminal act not to tell us about important changes to your circumstances.

When the Homelessness Officer has completed the investigations, he or she must by law give you a written decision on your application - we aim to do this within 28 days.

This letter will tell you the result of your application. The letter will tell you:

• What our decision is
• Our reason(s) for this decision
• What we can do to help you and how we plan to do this (this depends on the decision made on your application)
• How to appeal if you are unhappy with this decision (including sources of independent housing information and advice)

Before we accept a duty to provide permanent accommodation, we must be sure you are:

• Homeless or threatened with homelessness within two months
• Not homeless because of something you intentionally did or failed to do
• Have a local connection to East Dunbartonshire

If added to the Homelessness List you will be considered for all areas unless there is evidence that you and/or your households is at significant risk from another person.  Property types are only restricted where there are mobility issues within the household.  

Due to the shortage of housing stock within East Dunbartonshire, you will receive only one reasonable offer of permanent accommodation in discharge of the homelessness duty owed to you.  An offer is deemed reasonable when:

• The offer resolves your homelessness
• The property is of suitable size for your household
• The property is within the East Dunbartonshire area
• There is insufficient evident to suggest that you or your household is at significant risk from another person in the street/area

Housing/other support can be provided to assist you to sustain your tenancy

Due to limited stock and low turnover in the area the waiting times on the Homelessness List are -

• 1 bedroom properties 2-3 years
• 2 bedroom properties 1-2 year
• 3 bedroom properties 2-3 years
• 4 bedroom properties 2-3 years

To enhance your housing prospects the Council would encourage you to apply to other housing providers and consider assistance from our Deposit Guarantee Scheme. 

The service that you can expect from East Dunbartonshire Council if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness.

• East Dunbartonshire Council will provide a service for homeless people 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• If you are homeless and have nowhere to stay, we can give you help and advice straightaway, we will also make available to you, interim accommodation pending the outcome of your homelessness investigation.
• If you have somewhere to stay but have been told to leave, or have to leave, an appointment will be made with a Homelessness Officer, who will interview you within 5 working days.
• You can bring a friend, relative or advocate to your interviews.
• You are entitled to a Homelessness Interview undertaken by an officer of the same sex.
• We will listen to everything that you tell us in a sensitive, respectful and understanding manner.
• Wherever possible, the same Homelessness Officer will deal with your case. You will know their name, where they work and how to get in touch with them.
• We will let you know whenever there is a development in your case.
• We aim to provide you with a written homelessness decision within 28 days of your homelessness interview.
• If we cannot provide you with permanent council housing, we will give you advice and assistance to help you find alternative accommodation.
• We will explain all housing options that are available to you.
• We will make sure that you are told of your legal rights and given information about where to go for independent advice and help with your case.
• We will explain all decisions about your case to you carefully. We will explain to you that you have a right to appeal against our decisions, and we will explain where you can go to get help with your appeal.

If you find yourself homeless out of office hours, contact one of the following: 

Organisation	Telephone number
Homelessness and Prevention Team	0300 123 4510
Social Work on call service	0800 811 505
Police Scotland	101