How we can help if you are homeless

If we can't stop you from becoming homeless, we may have to give you temporary housing while we work out if it is our responsibility to find housing for you. 

To see what the rules are about who councils and other local authorities have to house if they are homeless, visit the Shelter website.

Worried about becoming homeless

Find out what to do if you think you may become homeless.

We will try and help you with your housing problem to stop you from losing your home, or you can call us on 020 7527 2000 or email advice.housing@islington.gov.uk.

When you have contacted us, we will make an appointment to check what type of support you can get. Shelter’s guide on housing rights can help you work out if you could get help and what you have a right to get.

What to bring to your appointment

When you get an appointment, bring with you:

• proof of identity - full birth certificates or passports for all the people in your household
• documents about you losing your home - for example, letters from your landlord or the court that say you must leave
• proof of income - for example, payslips, benefit books, document for when you leave work (P45), bank statements and savings books
• where you have lived for the last five years - such as tenancy agreements, rent books or receipts for rent, addressed letters, bills, bank statements, medical cards
• documents that tell us you are married or divorced, have custody of children, are pregnant, if you have them
• documents about any medical information you have

If you are already homeless

If you are already homeless or will be in the next two months (56 days), we will talk with you about your options and create a plan to help you fix your housing problem. You will get a personal housing adviser and they will support you to find somewhere to live for up to eight weeks from when we know it is our duty to help you. Find out more about what to do if you are already homeless.

If you don't follow the plan, we may have to stop helping you. This will mean that even if we have to house you, you may not be able to get longer term housing from us.

If we can't stop you from becoming homeless

If we can't stop you from becoming homeless, we may have to give you temporary housing.

At first, this will probably be a hotel because a lot of our temporary accommodation is outside Islington.

Councils can offer homeless people a council, housing association home or a home with a private landlord.

If you move into a property with a private landlord, you can still join Islington’s housing register, even if the property is located outside of Islington. We will look at your housing register application based on your new home and you will be given points to bid for social housing in Islington. Your housing adviser can tell you more.

Our responsibility by law

By law, all local authorities must find out if they have a responsibility to provide someone with long term housing. If you are still homeless after eight weeks of support from us, we will decide if we have a duty to provide you with longer term housing.