Emergency housing from the council
What is emergency housing?
Emergency housing is short term accommodation where you stay while the council:
look into your housing situation after you've made a homeless application
decide if they must help you in the longer term
Who can get emergency housing
The council must give you emergency housing if they think you might:
have a priority need because you have children, are pregnant, are at risk of domestic abuse, or vulnerable for other reasons
Contact a Shelter adviser if you think you have a priority need but the council will not give you emergency housing.
Do not refuse emergency housing if you have nowhere else to go
The council might not give you anything else at this stage.
You can raise concerns about the safety, quality or location of the housing. The council should look at safety risks and might find you something else.
You may have to accept lower standards than in longer term housing.
Emergency housing has to be very unsuitable to be challenged in court.
Last updated: 12 January 2024