Homelessness and Emergency Housing
Practical first steps if you are homeless, have nowhere safe to stay tonight, are facing eviction or are struggling to keep a private tenancy.
Nowhere safe to stay tonight?
If you are in immediate danger
Call 999. Do not wait for a reply from Sixpence Support UK.
In England: nowhere safe tonight, facing eviction or struggling with a private tenancy
- Contact your local council’s homelessness team as soon as possible. You can ask for help if you have nowhere safe to stay tonight or think you may lose your home. GOV.UK: if you’re homeless or at risk of homelessness.
- Get free housing advice from Shelter England on 0808 800 4444 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm). Shelter England helpline.
Before you contact the council, try to note:
- your housing situation now, including where you are staying tonight
- the date you may lose your home, if you know it
- any notice, letters or documents you have, such as an eviction notice, tenancy agreement or messages from your landlord
Our free letter and complaint support can help you organise the facts and draft a letter.
If you have children or are pregnant
When you contact your council’s homelessness team, tell them straight away:
- if children live with you
- if you, or someone you live with, is pregnant
- if you or your children are not safe where you are now
This information can affect the help the council considers. GOV.UK explains that you may be in priority need if you or someone you live with is pregnant, or dependent children live with you. The council will decide what help it can offer; Sixpence Support UK cannot promise that housing will be provided.
If you’re disabled or have a long-term health condition
When you first ask the council’s homelessness team for help, tell them what you need so they can take it into account. For example:
- step-free access, or no stairs
- an accessible bathroom or toilet
- space for equipment, such as a wheelchair, hoist or medical equipment
- access for a carer, or room for a carer to stay
- staying near your hospital, treatment, GP or support services
- any communication needs, such as an interpreter, British Sign Language, easy read or large print, and any help you need to complete the application
Government guidance for councils in England says they need to consider carefully the suitability of accommodation for people with medical or physical needs, including access, bathroom facilities and nearby medical support. This does not guarantee a particular property or priority.
If you are offered somewhere you cannot safely use, tell the council straight away and explain why. Get housing advice before you refuse an offer, because refusing may affect the help the council gives you.
Contact the council early, even while you still have a home
In England, your council must help if you are legally homeless or will become homeless within the next 8 weeks. You do not have to wait until you have left your home to ask for help.
If you have nowhere safe to stay tonight and the council office is closed, look on your council’s website for its out-of-hours or emergency homelessness contact, or call the council’s main number for the out-of-hours option.
If you have received an eviction notice or court papers
- Contact your council’s homelessness team now, and tell them the date on the notice.
- Keep every notice, letter, email and text message from your landlord or the court, including envelopes and dates.
- Read any court papers straight away and act on the deadlines. Court forms may ask you to reply or attend by a set date.
- Get advice quickly. In England and Wales, free legal advice through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service is available from the moment you receive written notice that someone is seeking possession of your home, whatever your finances. If you have a court hearing, GOV.UK advises arriving at least 30 minutes early and asking the court usher for the adviser.
- Get advice before you move out or hand back your keys, if it is safe to stay. Leaving before getting advice may affect the help available to you.
If you are behind on your rent
If you miss rent payments or pay late, you are in rent arrears, and your landlord may take steps to evict you. The notice and rules depend on the type of tenancy you have.
- Speak to a free debt adviser as early as possible.
- Keep records of what you have paid and any messages with your landlord.
- Contact your council early if you think you may lose your home.
If you have been locked out or told to leave
GOV.UK says it is a crime for a landlord to harass you or try to remove you without following the correct process. Contact the police if there is violence or threats, or if someone is trying to remove you or your belongings without a court order or court-appointed bailiff.
- Call 999 if you are in immediate danger.
- Contact your council’s homelessness team, using the out-of-hours contact if you have nowhere safe tonight.
- Write down what happened, when, and who was involved, and keep any messages.
Claiming Universal Credit without a fixed address
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says you can claim Universal Credit if you have no permanent address, are sleeping rough, sofa surfing or staying in a hostel. You still need to meet the usual eligibility rules.
You could use one of these as your ‘care of’ address when you apply:
- the hostel you are staying in, or last stayed at
- a friend or family member you trust
- a day centre
- your local Jobcentre
If you do not have a bank account, proof of identity or internet access, your local Jobcentre can tell you what help is available.
Different rules may apply to you
The guidance above is mainly for England. Different rules may apply if you are a lodger, live with your landlord, have a licence rather than a tenancy, or live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. An adviser can check which rules apply to you. This page is general information, not legal advice.
You may count as homeless even with a roof tonight
Homelessness is not only sleeping outside. It can include having no safe or settled place to stay, for example staying temporarily with friends or family, being locked out of your home, or it not being reasonable to stay because of violence or abuse. If this sounds like you, you can still ask your council for help. The council decides whether you are legally homeless and what help it can give.
If you are a veteran
Op FORTITUDE is the official GOV.UK referral pathway for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Check the GOV.UK page for current contact details.
Housing help and advice
England
Shelter England — 0808 800 4444
Free advice if you are homeless, have nowhere to stay tonight or face losing your home. Covers England. Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm, excluding bank holidays. Shelter gives advice; it does not provide accommodation.
For local housing help, including routes for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, visit GOV.UK’s homelessness guidance.
About this page
Sixpence Support UK gives information and signposting only. We do not give legal advice, make formal referrals, provide an emergency response or arrange accommodation.
For other urgent contacts, see Emergency and Useful Telephone Numbers.