Your location: Help from social services
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. This page applies to England only. Get advice relating to Scotland
If you are homeless and you apply to the council housing department for help, it may refer you to social services for assistance. This section explains when and how the council might try to get social services involved, and what sort of help social services may be able to provide.
The council housing department might send you to social services because it has decided it can't help you, or because it wants social services to help fulfil its duties towards you. Social services only have to help certain groups of people in certain circumstances.
Support for 16 and 17 year olds
If you are homeless and are aged 16 or 17, you might be entitled to help from social services. Read more 
Support for care leavers
If you have been in care in the past, social services may have an ongoing duty to help you. Read more
Support for families with children
If you have children under 18, you may be entitled to help from social services. This could be the case even if the council's housing department can't help you. Read more
Support for other groups
Social services have duties to help older people and people who are ill, disabled, or have mental health problems. Read more
