If you're at risk of becoming homeless

We provide transitional accommodation to support people who are homeless and in urgent need of housing. These placements are not just about providing a roof over someone’s head — they are part of a legal duty to help people in crisis.

People housed in transitional accommodation come from all walks of life. Many are local residents who’ve lived in the community for years but have found themselves in difficult circumstances. This could be due to a relationship breakdown, loss of income, eviction, or unsafe living conditions. Others may be fleeing domestic abuse, leaving care, the armed forces, or prison — situations that can make someone especially vulnerable and as such their chances of experiencing homelessness are higher.

We prioritise those who are most in need. This includes:

• families with dependent children
• pregnant individuals
• people with serious physical or mental health conditions
• survivors of domestic abuse
• people who are vulnerable due to past experiences, such as time in care
• an emergency such as fire or flood

Every person placed in transitional accommodation has been assessed as being in priority need and at risk of homelessness. Before any placement is made, we carry out detailed housing and risk assessments to ensure the accommodation is suitable and safe for the individual or family.

We also work hard to keep people close to their local area — near schools, jobs and support networks — whenever possible. Most people placed in transitional accommodation are already part of the community and simply need support to get back on their feet.

It’s important not to make assumptions about who might be in transitional accommodation. Homelessness can happen to anyone, and stigmatising those affected can discourage people from seeking help early. By understanding the challenges people face and offering support without judgement, we can help prevent homelessness and build stronger, more compassionate communities.

You can read more about how we make placements in our Transitional Accommodation Placement Policy (PDF 482.5KB) .

Remember that this is an emergency provision for housing whilst we investigate your homeless application. It is important that we make best use of transitional accommodation for all our residents in need, which means that on occasion you may have to move to another placement at very short notice – possibly within 24 hours. You will be expected to accept any placement offered, or alternatively make arrangements to find your own accommodation.

You will need to provide us with ID, which will be reviewed within 7 days of your placement. If you are unable to verify your identity at this time, we may withdraw the offer of placement and this may affect your homeless application. If you are unsure what type of ID would be accepted, please speak to us.

When you leave your transitional accommodation placement an inspection will be carried out to ensure that there is no damage to the property. Any damage discovered will need to be put right before you leave the property. Any damage discovered after you have left will result in you being re-charged for the cost of the repairs.

All households have to pay for their transitional accommodation. The charges may vary according to the type and size of the accommodation. You can apply for Housing Benefit to help cover these costs if you are eligible.

The costs in transitional accommodation may include:

• rent (paid weekly)
• service charge (in hostel style accommodation, paid weekly)
• Council Tax
• utilities e.g. water, gas, electric
• contents insurance for your belongings
• bedding/clothing
• laundry wash tokens
• public transport
• groceries
• TV licence
• furniture storage

When moving on from transitional accommodation, you will continue to be charged for the property until the keys are returned to us. You will also incur charges for failure to return your accommodation keys or entrance fob/cards.

Though it depends on the type of transitional accommodation you are offered, it is likely that most of your furniture will not fit, therefore it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for storage. For example, there may be room for some of your own furniture in a self-contained property, but in a hostel style transitional accommodation it is very likely you will have to find storage elsewhere. It is your responsibility to arrange contents insurance for any of your possessions kept in transitional accommodation.

When you leave your placement, anything left behind will be removed from the property and stored for a period of 7 days. At the end of this 7-day period any items left behind will be disposed of and you will be charged for the costs for removal, storage, and disposal.

Except for service animals, transitional accommodation properties are not pet-friendly. if you take a pet into a property where they are not permitted, you risk being asked to move out and not offered any further transitional accommodation.

For everyone’s safety and wellbeing, no overnight visitors are allowed in transitional accommodation. Anyone whose name is not on the homeless application is not permitted to stay in the property overnight.

The license agreement that you sign when you move into transitional accommodation will explain the behaviours that are required by everyone named on the homeless application. We operate a zero-tolerance policy in terms of inappropriate behaviour towards our staff which includes our contractors such as security, cleaning and repairs staff. If you or your household behave unacceptably, breaking the rules in the agreement, you could be asked to leave, and you will not be offered any further transitional accommodation. This also goes for not keeping up with your rent / service charge payments. If you are waiting on your Housing Benefit application to be assessed, it is your responsibility to ensure we have everything we need to assess your claim, e.g. wage slips, documents, etc. and you should still keep up with your token payments while you wait.

We offer tenancy training modules, which you will receive a certificate for when completed. These modules are designed to help you practice and develop skills to maintain a tenancy. We do not want to see you homeless again and want you to move forward into settled housing with more knowledge and confidence. You can speak to us regarding these sessions.

You can make an application for Housing Benefit to help you cover your weekly rent charge. You will be expected to make token payments towards your rent while your Housing Benefit application is assessed.

You may also apply for Council Tax support to help cover your Council Tax charge. Your entitlement depends on your circumstances.

There is no limit for how long you may be in transitional accommodation. The amount of time that you spend in transitional accommodation may depend on:

• what is happening with your homeless application
• the type and size of longer-term housing property that your require
• how many people are in your household
• the availability of appropriate longer-term housing