Gathering evidence

What is meant by 'evidence', how to gather it, and how to use it.

There are many situations where an adviser will need to gather evidence regarding a young person's situation to assist them in obtaining housing. These could include:

• when making an application for supported housing, to show that they meet criteria for a place in the supported housing project
• when making a homelessness application
• when requesting or making a submission in respect of a review of a homelessness decision.

What is evidence?

'Evidence' can be simply a letter from you explaining the young person's situation.

In cases where the young person's situation is complex and/or means that they are likely to face difficulties in getting accommodation (for example, where they may have mental health problems), however, it is advisable to get evidence from other people or agencies that have been involved in their case.

This will usually be in the form of letters from those people/agencies. Be aware that some agencies (for example, GPs) will sometimes charge for letters; advisers can ask them to waive any fee.

Evidence can also include any existing documents that are relevant to the case (for example, a copy of a prescription where the young person has a medical condition).

Who might I gather evidence from?

Listed below are some examples of individuals and organisations that it may be useful to gather evidence from in housing cases:

• health professionals , for example, GP, Community Mental Health Team where the young person has health problems that are relevant to their housing needs
• social services, where the young person has been looked after by them, or they have been involved in their life in some way
• parents or relatives of the young person, especially to explain the reasons for the eviction where they have been evicted from accommodation with family
• police or other criminal justice agencies, where they have been involved in the young person's case.

Note that, where the young person has alleged abuse or violence, it is not appropriate to gather evidence from the perpetrator.

How to gather evidence

Unless it is an emergency, it is usually best to write to the relevant agency to request evidence, rather than telephone.

Set out the background to the case, exactly what evidence is needed, why it is needed, and when it is needed by.

Keep a copy of your letter on the young person's file. You will usually need to enclose a 'form of authority' signed by the young person, authorising the agency to release information about their case.

A sample letter requesting evidence can be downloaded for your information.

What to do with the evidence

When you have gathered all the relevant evidence, submit it to the relevant organisation, with a covering letter.

The covering letter should list all the evidence provided and state exactly why it is relevant to the young person's case.

The sample review submission gives an example of this.

Homelessness applications and reviews

Although it is the duty of the council to make inquiries and gather evidence when a young person has made a homelessness application, it can be advantageous (when the situation is not an emergency) for an adviser to gather some evidence, to provide a preliminary case to the council, before making an application.

For a review of a homelessness decision, the most important piece of evidence to request is the council's file on the application.

This should contain a copy of the decision letter, details of the enquiries the council have made, and the evidence it has gathered in making the decision. You can see from this where the council's inquiries may have been insufficient, where the evidence it has gathered appears to be at odds with the decision, or where it appears to have misinterpreted the law or not followed the guidance. This will help you to decide what further evidence you will need to gather or what arguments could be made to support the young person's case.