People with social care needs
Contents:
Are you someone with social care needs?
If you are homeless and destitute and
- have children in your family or household, or
- are disabled, elderly or suffering from long term serious illness, or
- need care and attention for some other reason, or
- in some circumstances, are a young person who was once in the care of the local authority
- you are a child with no parents able or willing to accommodate you, including if you are undocumented
then even if you are not entitled to council housing or benefits (as explained on other pages), you may be able to get limited help with housing and financial support from your local council.
You must ask for this help from the social services department. The law on this is complex and you should seek legal advice and help before making an application if you can.
What documents might you be asked for?
If you ask social services for help with housing or financial support, they will check why you cannot get help from the housing department or from state benefits, which means checking your immigration status. They will often check this with the Home Office. They may also check where else you have lived, to decide which social services department is responsible for your care.
Social services help
You will only get help from social services if you have children or social care needs or are a young person who has been in the care of social services before. The help may be basic accommodation, food vouchers or money.
If you are an asylum seeker with children, you will not get housing or living costs from social services because the Home Office should house and support you if you are destitute.
If you are an asylum seeker who has social care needs you can ask social services to house you.
But even then, if you:
- have refugee status in another European country and not the UK, or
- are a refused asylum seeker who has not cooperated with removal directions, or
- are an overstayer or someone who entered illegally or who has broken the immigration laws
then the social services department does not have to provide you with any help at all except the minimum necessary to avoid a breach of human rights. In some cases, this might be simply offering you the fare home.
If it is impossible for you to go home because of one or more of the following:
- you cannot travel because you are ill or disabled
- your children have been in the UK so long it is unfair to make them leave
- you have close family members in the UK who cannot travel home with you
- you would not be safe if you went home
Then you can apply to stay in the UK. While you make the application you may be able to get housing and living costs from social services, although once the application is being considered by the Home Office you may be able to get asylum support from Home Office instead. Get advice about this if possible before you go to social services.
If you are a non-EEA national who has EU pre-settled status (or are waiting for an EU settlement decision) on the basis that you are the sole carer of a British child (because the child has no other parent with a right to live in the UK who can look after them in the UK), then you have the right to work but not to claim basic benefits or apply for housing or homelessness assistance from the council. If you are destitute, you can, however, get help from social services. Once you get EU settled status you have full access to housing and benefits.
Other housing help
All people with social care needs can apply for accommodation from housing associations but
may face problems if they cannot show how they would pay the rent. You can also apply for
accommodation from a private landlord but in
England you can expect checks
on your immigration documentation to be made by the landlord.
Everyone has the
right to get free advice and information from their local council (or an organisation they
have commissioned to provide it) to help them if they are homeless or threatened with
homelessness within 56 days. This advice must, in particular, meet the needs of anyone who is
or was released from prison or youth detention accommodation, a care leaver, a former member
of the regular armed forces, a victim of domestic abuse, leaving hospital, suffering from a
mental illness or impairment, and from any other group that the authority identify as being at
particular risk of homelessness in their district.
There are some small charitable projects that offer food and shelter to destitute people. Contact one of the advice agencies to see if one may be able to help you. There is more detailed advice on the page for destitute migrants.
