Duties of Homeless Reduction Act

The Homelessness Reduction Act – what it means for you
You can make a application for housing and homeless assistance if you are homeless or threatened with becoming homeless within the next 56 days. The Homelessness Reduction Act increases the requirements for Stroud District Council to help all eligible applicants - rather than just those with a 'priority need'.

It adds two new duties:​

• Duty to take steps to prevent homelessness: Stroud District Council will have to help people at risk of losing suitable accommodation as soon as they are threatened with homelessness within 56 days.
• Duty to take steps to relieve homelessness: Stroud District Council will have to help all those who are homeless to secure suitable accommodation, regardless of whether they are 'intentionally homeless' or 'priority need'. This should mean that all eligible households are offered assistance in finding a home. It should also ensure that the true scale of homelessness is recorded.

If neither of the above steps work and the household becomes, or remains, homeless, then those in priority need may be offered further assistance. Non priority households will not be entitled to further help.

Provision of interim accommodation
The council can provide interim accommodation if there is reason to believe you are eligible for assistance, homeless and fall into a priority need category (as defined by the Housing Act). This is likely to be a room in a shared house sometimes called a B&B or homeless hostel. All of the interim accommodation we currently have available to us is in Gloucester City.