Advocacy Information & Advice—Housing

If people are homeless and considered to be in priority need (which may be the case for people with mental health problems), local authorities have a duty to provide temporary accommodation while they consider if there is a duty to provide permanent accommodation.  Often people go to the office with a social worker, but people can contact the housing office direct, in which case the office will need to contact the relevant mental health professionals. If a homeless person who is not local is discharged from psychiatric hospital, the local authority may still have a duty towards that person, but could refer them to an authority where they lived previously. If people with mental health problems are not homeless but want to be rehoused by the local authority, they can go to the Housing Department to put their name on the Housing Needs Register. Medical problems may count towards additional points when an application is considered.

You can get advice on housing (including help with finding it) from the following organisations, depending on where you live.