Help with housing

Housing advice and support for serving personnel and veterans

Ways of finding a home for serving personnel

• Whether you are living on or off base, renting or thinking about buying a home, there is advice and support available to you.
• Regular armed forces personnel can benefit from a £200-million scheme to help them get on the property ladder. The Forces Help to Buy scheme enables servicemen and servicewomen to borrow up to 50% of their salary, interest free, to buy their first home or move to another property on assignment or as their families needs’ change.
• Another way to get financial help is through the government’s affordable home ownership schemes.
• Own your own home provides a range of schemes that make home-buying more affordable.
• The Joint Service Housing Advice Office (JSHAO) provides serving personnel and their dependants with civilian housing information for those wishing to move to civilian accommodation at any time in their career, and for those during resettlement to assist with the transition to civilian life.

Ways of finding a home for veterans

• Whether you are renting or thinking about buying a home, there is advice and support available to you.
• Own your own home provides a range of schemes that make home-buying more affordable.
• Council Support to Find a Home: Whether you own your own home, rent it privately, from the Council or Housing Association.

Useful links

• Advice and support from the British Legion: The Royal British Legion provides advocacy and assists them with a range of issues in addition to housing advice, for example finance and health.
• Alabare Homes for Veterans: This charity provides temporary accommodation to British Armed Forces Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. 24 homes across England and Wales, providing 110 bed spaces. Contact tel: 01722 322 882.
• Citizens Advice: Housing options for people leaving the Armed Forces, veterans and their families.
• Forces Compare: Forces Compare, founded and ran by veterans, is an independent search engine that specialises in comparing quotes for insurance to meet the unique requirements of those in the armed forces. Their professional partners can also assist with payday loan refunds, military tax refunds, MOD housing claims, flight delay claims and MOD legal services.
• Haig Housing: Housing provider for ex-Service personnel in the UK, owns over 1500 properties across 50 locations. Endeavour to help any veterans in housing need, whether they are transitioning into civilian life or are simply in need of a helping hand. Tel: 0208 685 5777.
• Launchpad: Charity providing affordable supported rental accommodation with onsite support to veterans of all ages and their partners. Accommodation in Newcastle and Liverpool, provides a base from which residents can successful make the transition to civilian life. Accepts veterans with complex issues which can be resolved over a max of 2 years. Tel: 0300 1111 238.
• MOD Army: Provides subsidised accommodation for its servicemen and women. Visit their website for details of service personnel entitlement to service accommodation and removals for personal possessions on assignment to a new area.
• Shelter: Provide expert advice to help you deal with your housing difficulties.
• The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA): Offers advice and assistance to anyone eligible for their help, whether they are serving or ex-service, or a family member of someone with a service connection. The SSAFA also provide housing and residential home facilities.
• SPACES: Single Persons Accommodation Centre for the Ex Services, SPACES, is a housing advice and placement service for veterans. SPACES targets the most vulnerable of Service leavers, regardless of rank, length of service, or reason for discharge.
• Veterans Gateway: Gives access to a network of organisations, making it easy for veterans and their families to connect with the help, advice and support they need from their first point of contact.
• Veterans UK: Provides advice regarding the help available to ex-service personnel who are homeless or are threatened with homelessness.

Additional local support

• Beacon House: Help for homeless people, those in insecure accommodation and those at high risk of homelessness.
• Colchester Night Shelter: Help for homeless men and women in Colchester.
• Emmaus Colchester: Providing a home and meaningful work for former homeless people.
• Project Nova: Engages with ex-military veterans who have become involved with or are on the periphery of entering the Criminal Justice System. Co-ordinators work closely with these veterans to carry out a complete Needs Assessment to ensure their housing, health and employment needs are addressed.

Handy Van Service – Poppy Calls

Telephone
0800 032 0306

Email
homesupportadmin@britishlegion.org.uk

The Legion's handy van service, Poppy Calls, helps ex-Service people and their families with small household repairs and minor adaptations.

If you're having trouble with those small household repairs and minor adaptations around your home and are one of our beneficiaries, The Royal British Legion can provide our handy van service known as Poppy Calls.

We have a dedicated and trusted team of experienced handypeople who are fully trained to carry out low-level maintenance in your home, including:

• Changing light bulbs and tap washers.
• Putting up shelves, curtain rails and grab rails.
• Fitting smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Fitting and changing door locks and other security features.
• Building access ramps and storage sheds to house Legion-provided Electrically Propelled Vehicles.
• Installing care phones.

Homelessness

Colchester Borough Homes can help if you’re legally homeless or are likely to become homeless.

The Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) became law on the 3 April 2018. It changes how we help people who are, or may become, homeless within the next 56 days.

We will work with you where possible to prevent you from becoming homeless, and to reduce the need for temporary or emergency housing. The type and level of help depends upon your personal situation, but we’ll always provide you with advice and assistance wherever possible.

You can complete a 10 minute online assessment which will provide advice and guidance tailored to your current situation. It will give you the next steps that you should take to address your current situation. If you are homeless or threatened with homeless in 56 days and are unable to help yourself, you will be able to self-book an appointment with a Housing Solutions Officer at a date and time to suit your needs.

If you do not have access to a smart phone/computer or the internet, you can contact the Housing Solutions Team on 01206 580290 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, who will provide you with advice and assistance on how to book an appointment. In the Colchester area, we have asked all of our partners to automatically refer their customers to us if they meet the criteria and assist them where needed to complete the EHO.

If you are unable to complete the online assessment and are already engaged with services, you may be able to complete this with the assistance of your support worker. Some public bodies will also have a duty to notify the Council if they are aware that you are threatened with homelessness within 56 days, or are currently homeless.

If you have not got a support worker, you can telephone our customer service centre on 01206 282569 to find out where you can find support completing the form and any enquires about accessing the housing solutions service.

You can email the Housing Solutions Team at housing.solutions@cbhomes.org.uk.

For more information, visit Colchester Borough Homes.

Duty to Refer - Homeless Reduction act 2017

Public bodies duty to refer service users they believe to be homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days.

From the 1st October 2018 public authorities will have a statutory duty to refer clients they believe to be homeless or threatened with homelessness to the local authority if it is likely they are homeless or will become homeless within the next 56 days.

Your referral does not become or replace a homeless application. The referred person(s) will need to complete a homelessness application if they wish to seek our help. However, following a referral, we will contact you to acknowledge receipt of the referral form within 5 working days. If your client has not made an appointment through our online system we will try contact them to invite them to begin the process. We would ask that you assist your client to make an appointment for our services at a time that is convenient for them, and you, if you are accompanying them.

Please ensure that your client brings with them the appropriate documentation to confirm that they are Homeless or threatened with homelessness and that they are eligible for assistance.

Before making a referral, a public authority must:

• Have consent to the referral from the person(s) being referred.
• Allow the individual to identify the housing authority in England which they would like to be referred.
• Have consent that the service user's contact details can be given so the housing authority can contact them regarding the referral.

Online self help system

To access the self-help and booking system please use the Housing Options website portal.

Referral form

Public bodies are required to complete the following referral form.

Please email the form to dutytorefer@colchester.gov.uk

Emergencies

If your client is street homeless outside of Office hours please call 01206 769779.

Please note that Colchester Borough Homes provides the Homeless Services on behalf of Colchester City Council.