How we can help

If you’re homeless or worried about losing your home, we can help. You can speak to someone from our team who will:

• give you advice on what to do next
• look at your current housing situation
• talk with you about what kind of home you need
• work with you to make a housing plan to help you find a safe and permanent place to live
• check if you’re in ‘priority need’ – this means you might be more at risk and could get temporary housing while we look at your case

The help we give depends on your situation. We might be able to:

• talk to your family or landlord to help you stay where you are
• offer money support to help you stay in your home or move somewhere new
• see if you can join the housing waiting list

Sometimes we can’t help you stay in your home or find a new one straight away. If that happens, we’ll look at whether we have a duty to find you somewhere to live. This depends on how vulnerable you are and why you became homeless.

If you don’t agree with a decision we make, you can ask us to look at it again.

You can also get free, independent advice from Advice Portsmouth.

The Homelessness Reduction Act started on 3 April 2018. It changed how councils help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

You can read more about these changes in the Government’s fact sheets and the official guidance that councils must follow.