Response 4098301

Response to request for information

Reference

4098301

Response date

7 September 2026

Request

Please can you provide us with responses to the questions listed below and send us copies of all available documents to support such responses. Local housing authorities have a duty under section 179(1) of the Housing Act to make homelessness advice and assistance service available to the public at large, and to design that service to meet the needs of people in their district. We are interested in all information and documents relating to the way in which your authority’s homelessness advice and assistance service is, and has been, made available to applicants, in particular, to those who present in person, whether because

• they need to be seen urgently on the day or
• for example, they are unable to complete an online application or manage a telephone call.

We are also interested in any changes to the provision of homelessness advice and assistance services over time, including the impact of any changes on applicants, any effect of those changes on other third party or local authority services, and any steps taken to address that impact.  

1. Please provide copies of any policy and practice documents currently used or relied upon by your housing officers to manage the initial approach of homeless applicants and how they are required to make their homelessness application. Such documents could include, but not be limited to:
   • guidance notes;
   • briefings;
   • training materials or records;  
   • reports;
   • recent reviews of your homelessness service; and/or
   • internal policy/practice documents.
2. Please confirm the different methods by which you currently assist homeless applicants who approach the council to make a homelessness application under the provisions of the Housing Act. In particular, please confirm whether services are provided via: 
   • online application form;  
   • email;
   • telephone booking;
   • in-person appointments; and/or
   • other (please specify).
3. For each of the methods in question 2, are they available on an on-demand basis or are they restricted to appointment only?
4. Do you publicly advertise each of the above methods?
   • If so, where and in what format is the information about how to access these services provided?  
5. What in-person services do you offer to people who need to make a homelessness application and in what circumstances?  
   • Where you are not meeting applicants face-to-face, what methods do you have in place to ensure that you have sufficient information about the applicants to process homelessness applications and prioritise available housing?  
6. How do you triage someone who presents in person seeking homelessness assistance? What information do you provide to that person, and in what format?
7. If services are restricted to appointment only (i.e. walk-ins are not accommodated):
   • how can those appointments be booked?
   • what are the current wait times for securing an initial appointment?  
   • what criteria are applied in prioritising the order in which appointments are offered? 
8. Have the methods for accessing homelessness services in question 2 changed in the last 6 years?
   • If so, please explain the changes and when they were implemented. 
   • At the time any of these changes were being contemplated or implemented, did you conduct any impact assessment on those who might be adversely affected by the relevant change?
   • If so, what were the results of those impact assessments?
   • Since the relevant change, have you observed any changes in:
     • the number of homeless applicants; 
     • the profile of homeless applicants; or 
     • the method via which they have accessed homelessness services or made an homeless application? 
9. How many homelessness applications have you received each year for the past 6 years? 
   • In each of those years, how many applications have been received via each of the methods in question 2?  
   • Do you track statistics on the profile of applicants and whether they may face difficulties in accessing services via the different methods above, including, but not limited to:  
     • illiteracy or low literacy;
     • individuals who are digitally excluded;
     • people with disabilities;  
     • elderly people; and/or
     • non-English speakers.  
   • What assistance and/or special provisions do you make for any individuals who may face difficulties in accessing services? 
     • Are any of these restricted in any way? For example, is an applicant required to demonstrate a specific disability in order to be offered certain types of support?  
10. How many in-person appointments do you provide daily?
    • On which days of the week, during what hours and at which locations are in-person appointments available?
    • Of the total number of daily in-person appointments you offer to constituents generally, how many are available for homelessness applicants?  
    • On average across the past 6 years, how many people that have presented for in-person appointments each day were offered appointments?
11. How do you receive and deal with urgent homelessness applications?  
12. Do you offer emergency walk-in slots daily? If yes:  
    • How many emergency slots are available each day and on which days of the week?
    • Are these slots solely for homelessness appointments or are they for a range of council services?
13. Do you rely on, or direct applicants to, other third party or local authority services for assistance in making a homelessness application? If so:  
    • Please specify the service providers.
    • Do you train those service providers on how to assist?  
    • For each of these service providers:
      • What are their hours of operation?
      • Are there any access restrictions in place? In particular, are they available on a walk-in basis or do they need to be booked in advance? If booking is required, what is the process?  
14. Have you received any complaints:
    • in relation to the process for accessing homelessness support;
    • from anyone who has struggled to access homelessness support due to the closure of, or restrictions on, face-to-face homelessness services you provide; or
    • from other service providers as a result of the closure of, or restrictions on, face-to-face homelessness services you provide?

Please share the above information/documents from your authority’s housing department, excluding any information which could be considered personal information under the Data Protection Act 2018.  

Response

1. The Council does not hold any specific policy, practice, training or guidance documents governing how homeless applicants must make an application. Approaches are managed in accordance with the Council's statutory duties under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended). 
   The Council does however use standard operational documents to record information provided by applicants, including a triage form used by officers during initial contact with applicants. The Council also operates in accordance with relevant homelessness legislation and statutory guidance. Information relating to homelessness enquiries and assessments is recorded using a standard triage process and assessment procedures. The Council records applicant information using a standard triage form.
2. The Council currently provides homelessness assistance through the following methods: 
   • Telephone
   • Email
   • In-person appointments
   • Online information available through the Council's website

Initial homelessness appointments are primarily conducted by telephone, although in-person appointments can be arranged where required. Subsequent contact may take place by telephone, email or in person depending on the circumstances.

3. The Council generally operates an appointment-based system to manage demand. However, urgent homelessness approaches, including circumstances where an applicant is homeless on the same day, will be dealt with as required and are not restricted to pre-booked appointments. Information about accessing homelessness assistance is publicly available on the Council's website. The website provides information about how to contact the Council and access homelessness services.
4. In-person homelessness appointments may be provided where required, including where:
   • An applicant is unable to engage effectively by telephone or email.
   • Additional support is needed to complete enquiries or assessments.
   • The circumstances of the case indicate that a face-to-face meeting is appropriate.

Appointments can be arranged at Council customer service contact points, including local libraries. Where a secure interview environment is required due to risk or safeguarding considerations, appointments may be arranged at West Bridgford Police Station.

Applicants are provided with advice regarding their housing situation, any duties owed by the Council, available housing options and support services. This information may subsequently be confirmed by email where appropriate.

5. The Council obtains information through discussions with applicants, evidence provided by applicants, enquiries with relevant third parties where appropriate and information recorded during homelessness assessments. Information can be gathered via telephone, email and in-person contact. This information is used to assess homelessness duties, housing needs and available housing options.
6. Where a person presents seeking homelessness assistance, the Council's Customer Services Team will record initial information using a standard triage process. Information is recorded on a standard triage form. Following triage: 
   • An appointment may be arranged with a Housing Options Adviser; or
   • The enquiry may be transferred to a Housing Options duty officer where the matter is urgent.
   • Applicants are provided with advice verbally and this may be followed up in writing, including by email where appropriate.
7. The Council does accommodate walk-in approaches where there is an urgent housing need, including where an applicant is homeless on the same day. Appointments can be arranged through either: 
   • The Customer Services Team; or 
   • The Strategic Housing Team.

At the time of this request, the typical waiting time for a non-urgent initial appointment is approximately one week. Appointments are prioritised according to urgency, with applicants facing immediate or imminent homelessness generally being seen more quickly.

8. No. The methods used to access homelessness services have not materially changed during the past six years.
9. The number of homelessness applications received each year is publicly available through the statutory homelessness statistics published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (now MHCLG):  The Council does not record homelessness applications by method of contact and therefore does not hold this information.
10. The Council does not maintain specific statistics regarding applicants experiencing difficulties accessing homelessness services due to factors such as literacy, digital exclusion, disability, age or language. The Council seeks to comply with its duties under equality and accessibility legislation and will consider reasonable adjustments and alternative methods of communication on a case-by-case basis. 

Support may include telephone contact, email contact, face-to-face appointments and referrals or signposting to relevant support services where appropriate. No specific daily allocation of in-person homelessness appointments is maintained. 

11. The Council does not operate fixed homelessness appointment sessions. In-person homelessness appointments are arranged on an ad hoc basis according to the needs of the applicant and officer availability. The Council does not maintain records of: 
    • The number of in-person homelessness appointments available each day;
    • The number of in-person homelessness appointments offered each day over the last six years; or
    • The average number of individuals attending in-person homelessness appointments each day.

In-person appointments may take place at Council customer service contact points, primarily local libraries, or at West Bridgford Police Station where a secure interview facility is required due to risk or safeguarding concerns. Urgent homelessness applications are assessed and managed on the day where circumstances require an immediate response. Applicants who are homeless that night or who have another urgent housing need will not be required to wait for a routine appointment. 

This makes clear that the response relates specifically to face-to-face appointments and avoids any suggestion that the Council does not record telephone appointment capacity. 

12. The Council does not operate a formal system of dedicated emergency walk-in homelessness appointment slots. Urgent homelessness presentations are considered and responded to on the day according to the circumstances of the case. 
13. No. The Council does not rely on third-party organisations to make or accept homelessness applications on its behalf. Following initial contact with Customer Services, applicants are referred directly to a Housing Options Adviser within the Council. 
14. In-person appointments are arranged on an ad hoc basis according to need. Telephone appointments are generally booked into one of four daily appointment slots, Monday to Friday. Appointments can be booked through the Customer Services Team or the Strategic Housing Team. The Council has not received any complaints relating to: 
    • The process for accessing homelessness support; 
    • Difficulties accessing homelessness support due to restrictions on face-to-face services; or 
    • Restrictions on face-to-face homelessness services from other service providers.