Help if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness aged 16 and 17

If you are aged 16-17 and homeless, or worried that you might become homeless, you can get help and advice from a number of great organisations which are accessible to you.

Page Contents

• Help if you are homeless aged 16 and 17
• Applying to the Councils housing service
• Help with living costs
• Further information

Help if you are homeless aged 16 and 17

If you are aged 16 or 17 and have nowhere to stay, first of all you should contact the Duty Social Worker for Children’s Services on either:

01454 866000 ‐ Monday to Thursday 9am‐5pm
01454 866000 ‐ Friday 9am – 4.30pm
01454 615165 ‐ Out of hours and at weekends

They will give you help and support on finding somewhere to stay if:

• your parents have asked you to leave or said you can’t return home
• you are staying with friends or another family and have been asked to leave
• your home is unsafe for you (for example, because you’re at risk of violence or abuse)

The social worker will check to see if you can return home but can’t force you to go back if you don’t feel safe there.

If you can’t go back home, they will find you a temporary place to stay while they work out what help you need.

You may be offered a place in a:

• foster carer’s home
• a hostel or supported housing scheme
• a place in someone else’s private home (further details will be explained to you by the social worker)

Applying to the council’s housing service

You can apply for housing by contacting our housing options service, HomeChoice. The number if you are homeless is 01454 868005.

If you do this, they will also check if it is safe for you to return home and if not they will refer you to children’s services.

If you have nowhere to stay, you will be offered emergency housing while children services follow up the referral to them.  A HomeChoice team member will explain what happens next.

You should not be housed in a bed and breakfast unless there is no other housing available and this is the last resort.  If so, you will be moved to somewhere more suitable as soon as possible.

It is important to accept the housing the council offers you, even if you don’t want to stay there.

You can read the Homelessness leaflet for more information on ‘Applying as homeless’.

Help with living costs

The council’s children services department can help you with living costs (including rent) if they have provided you with housing for at least 13 weeks.

You cannot usually get benefits if children’s services are helping with your living costs.

If you are not being supported through children services, you may be able to claim benefits if you have to live away from your parents because you’re at risk or estranged from them.  HomeChoice will help you do this or refer you to a support worker who can help you.

Further Information

Find out more about low income benefits and Jobseekers Allowance from Gov.uk.

You can get housing advice and support from 1625 Independent People, contact Freephone - 0800 7317213

You can also get information and advice from Childline, contact Freephone - 0800 1111 (24 hours)

Contacts

South Gloucestershire Council Homelessness Service -  01454 868005

South Gloucestershire Council children services -  01454 866000

South Gloucestershire Council Emergency Duty team - 01454 615165 (out of hours and weekends)

1625 Independent People: Freephone  - 0800 731 72 13