Help if you're homeless or could become homeless

How we can help, who we can help, how to apply for help, after you apply.

We can help you if you're:

If you're homeless now or will become homeless in the next 8 weeks

How we can help

Tell us if you're homeless or if you could become homeless in the next 8 weeks (the next 56 days).

A housing options adviser will talk to you and find out more about your situation. They'll discuss your housing options with you. If you need housing support, they'll refer you to our housing support team.

The housing support team will help you:

while you're still homeless
settle into a new, permanent home
avoid becoming homeless again.

Who we can help

We can help if you're homeless or if you think you'll become homeless in the next 8 weeks. This could include if:

you've been living with friends or family, and they've asked you to leave
you're at risk of violence from someone you live with or used to live with
your landlord evicted you, and you have nowhere to stay
your current home is unsafe or unsuitable for you to continue living in, and staying there would put you in danger
you do not have a home or any place to stay right now.

How to apply for help

Phone us on 0300 300 1203.

A housing options adviser will talk to you and explain the next steps.

You can let us know if you'd prefer a male or female adviser.

This phone number is to start the homeless application process. We have other information and help available if you're worried about sleeping rough or need a temporary place to stay tonight.

After you apply

Once we've talked to you, we'll be able to find out if you:

are homeless or may become homeless in the next 8 weeks
deliberately did something, or failed to do something, which resulted in you losing your home
have some local connection to Renfrewshire.

To help us make a decision on these 3 points, we may need to contact people you know, such as:

your previous landlord
friends or family who have asked you to leave their home
other agencies that may have information related to your situation.

We will not contact anyone that would put you at risk.

Once we've determined that you are homeless or may become homeless in the next 8 weeks, we'll work with you to find you a permanent home.

We aim to reach our decision on your homeless situation within 28 days. We'll let you know if that's not enough time to collect all the information we need.

If you need it, we can provide you with a temporary home during the time it takes to find you a permanent home.

If you're worried you could become homeless later on (more than 8 weeks from now)

How we can help

We can help or give advice if you're:

struggling to pay your rent
struggling to pay your mortgage
worried that your landlord is going to evict you before you can find another home
worried that your home is going to be repossessed before you can find another home
in prison or jail and will become homeless once you're released.

We'll be able to give you advice on:

how to find somewhere to live
understanding the court process for eviction or repossession
specialist legal or debt advice
accessing housing support services.
accessing other agencies that can assist you with benefits advice, employability, and other issues that can help resolve your homeless situation.

Phone us on 0300 300 1203.

If you'd prefer to speak to someone face to face, phone us first, and we'll arrange an in-person appoint for you in our office at:

15 Abercorn Street
Paisley
PA3 4AA.

If your landlord or mortgage provider is planning to evict you or repossess your home

If you rent your home from a private landlord or housing association, they have a legal duty to tell us if they're taking you to court to evict you from your home.

If you're a homeowner with a mortgage, your mortgage provider has a legal duty to tell us if they're planning to repossess your home.

Once we receive this notice from your landlord or mortgage provider, we'll contact you to talk about your situation and how we can help.

Read more about benefits and money if you're struggling to pay your rent or mortgage.

If you're currently in prison or jail

If you're in prison (long-term)

If you're currently serving a prison sentence and will become homeless once you're released, ask for a housing appointment through your prison link centre.

Once you've done this, our new start officer will contact you and talk through your options.

If you're in jail (short-term)

If you're temporarily in jail, you should stay in touch with your landlord and try to maintain your tenancy so you can return home once you're released.

Phone us on 0300 300 1203 if you think you'll become homeless once you're released.

If you have a family member in prison and they need support

If you have a family member in prison and you're worried they'll become homeless once they're released, there are various organisations that you can contact for advice:

Renfrewshire Council