Homelessness help from Norwich City Council

If you are homeless tonight, or about to lose your home, contact Norwich City Council straight away. It cannot turn you away without looking at your case. You do not have to wait until you are on the street. For anyone eligible, the council's duties begin once you are likely to become homeless within 56 days.^[28]

In office hours, phone or email. Call the council on 0344 980 3333. Its office hours are 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. You can also email housingoptions@norwich.gov.uk with details of your situation.^[17]

Out of hours. Outside those hours and on public holidays, call the council's emergency out-of-hours line on 01603 412180.^[17] If you or someone else is in danger, call 999.

Domestic abuse. The council says it offers private interviews away from the person who harmed you, a personal safety plan, and emergency housing such as a refuge if you need to leave quickly. Call 0344 980 3333, then option 3 and option 1, or email homeoptions@norwich.gov.uk.^[20] It names the Norfolk Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (NIDAS) on 0300 561 0555, with the free 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 0808 2000 247, as the out-of-hours number.^[20]

Sleeping rough. If you are sleeping rough, call the council on 0344 980 3333. If you are worried about someone else, the council asks you to connect them to local outreach teams through StreetLink.^[21] In freezing or very hot weather, its severe weather protocol can give shelter to people over 18 who would not usually qualify for housing help.^[21]

Free advice. The council names Shelter, Citizens Advice and Norfolk Community Law Service among the organisations that can help.^[22]

Norwich's duties come from Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 and are the same across England. The general homelessness guide explains each one. In short:

• If you are eligible and likely to become homeless within 56 days, the council owes you the prevention duty. It must take reasonable steps to help you keep your home or find another.^[28]
• If you are already homeless and eligible, it owes you the relief duty — reasonable steps to help you secure accommodation.^[28]
• In both cases it must assess your circumstances and record the steps you and the council will each take in a personalised housing plan.^[28]
• If you are eligible, in priority need and did not become homeless intentionally, the main housing duty can follow once the relief duty ends. The council must then secure accommodation for your household until the duty ends in one of the ways the law allows.^[28]

How the council says it helps. If you are eligible, it works with you on a Personal Housing Plan, a step-by-step guide to preventing or relieving your homelessness.^[17] Depending on your situation, it says it may talk to your landlord, refer you to support services, help with benefits or deposits, or help you find affordable housing or a place in supported housing or a hostel.^[17]

Who is eligible. Some people from abroad are not eligible for homelessness help; the general homelessness guide sets out who is.^[28]

Local connection. The council's housing register requires two years living in Norwich, but that is a rule for council housing, not for homelessness help.^[17] Without a local connection, a homelessness case may be referred to a council where you have one. It is never referred where you would be at risk of domestic abuse, or where you have suffered other violence there and would probably face more.^[28]

If Norwich has reason to believe you may be homeless, eligible and in priority need, it must secure interim accommodation while it looks into your case. The duty arises before any decision on your application.^[28]

Whatever is provided must be suitable for your whole household. For households with dependent children or a pregnant member, bed and breakfast can be used only when nothing else is available. Even then, it can be used for no more than 6 weeks in total.^[28]

What the council provides. The council's temporary accommodation policy lists self-contained homes, shared or cluster housing, refuges, and hotels or bed and breakfast where unavoidable.^[26] It says it tries to house people in Norwich, but may place you outside the area if nothing suitable is available locally.^[26]

Pets. The policy says most temporary accommodation providers do not allow pets, and that pets do not count as part of your household. Registered assistance animals are treated differently.^[26]

Offers. The council will usually make one offer of temporary accommodation, and you do not have a right to view it first. If you refuse, you must give your reasons.^[26] Get advice before you refuse anything.

If no duty is owed. The policy says that where no homelessness duty is owed, single people will normally have to leave within 7 days and families within 28 days.^[26]

If you think accommodation offered under a duty is unsuitable, you can normally ask for a review. Emergency accommodation provided while the council investigates is challenged differently.^[28]

Section 202 of the Housing Act 1996 gives you the right to have most important homelessness decisions looked at again.^[28] That covers decisions on:

• your eligibility, or whether you count as homeless
• priority need, or a finding of intentional homelessness
• the council bringing a duty to an end
• whether accommodation offered to you is suitable.^[28]

You have 21 days from the date you are told the decision, unless the council agrees in writing to give you longer. If the review goes against you, or you do not hear back in time, you can appeal. The appeal goes to the county court on a point of law under section 204, again within 21 days.^[28]

Asking Norwich for a review. The council's policy confirms that you can ask for a review of the suitability of accommodation offered under the main housing duty. For emergency accommodation, it says it will consider what you tell it and reassess suitability where appropriate.^[26] Its homelessness pages give no separate review address, so ask in writing to the team dealing with your case, within the 21 days, and keep a dated copy.^[26][28] Whether you can stay in your accommodation during a review is at the council's discretion.^[26]

Homelessness cases fall within civil legal aid. If you qualify, a legal aid solicitor can advise on and run a review or appeal at no cost. Check through the government's Find a Legal Aid Adviser tool.^[43] The council names Norfolk Community Law Service and Shelter among the organisations that can help.^[22]

A complaint about how your case was handled, rather than what was decided, goes to the council first. After that, it can go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. That route cannot replace a section 202 review or a section 204 appeal, which have their own strict deadlines.^[40]