You are likely to be eligible for assistance unless:

• you are a person from abroad subject to immigration control; or
• you are not habitually resident in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man

You are likely to be considered homeless if:

• you or your family have no accommodation which you are all entitled to occupy anywhere in the world; or
• you have accommodation but cannot gain entry to it; or
• you have a home but we consider that if you continue to live there it is probable that this will lead to violence against you or a member of your family; or
• you have a home but we consider that it is unreasonable for you to carry on living there

You are likely to have a priority need if:

• you have a dependent child who normally lives with you; or
• you or your partner are pregnant; or
• you are 16 or 17 years old; or
• you are 18, 19 or 20 years old and have previously been in care; or
• we consider that you or someone living with you is ‘vulnerable’ due to mental illness/disability or physical disability; or
• we consider that you are ‘vulnerable’ because you have been in care, or have suffered threats of violence; or
• you are homeless following a fire, flood or similar emergency
• you are homeless due to fleeing domestic abuse

You are likely to be found intentionally homeless if:

• you have given up accommodation that you could have continued to occupy; or
• you have lost accommodation through your own fault; or
• you have made an arrangement with somebody in order to take advantage of homelessness legislation

You have a local connection if you, or anyone who usually lives with you, have:

• lived in Crawley for six months in the past year or three years in the last five years; or
• permanent employment in Crawley; or
• immediate family who have lived in Crawley for the last five years; or
• other special connections with Crawley

Being in prison, hospital or another institution does not count as a local connection, neither does casual employment. If you meet the other criteria (for the main homelessness duty) but do not have a local connection with Crawley, we will usually refer you to the council with which you have a local connection.

You will only be offered temporary accommodation if we have reason to believe that you are eligible, homeless and in priority need

This is dependent on what is available. It may not be self-contained, have its own kitchen and bathroom facilities and may not be in Crawley. If you are offered accommodation out of Crawley, you will need to make your own travel arrangements. We are not able to help with moving or moving costs.

Temporary accommodation is not free. It is your responsibility to pay for your temporary accommodation. If you are on a low income or in receipt of benefits, you may be eligible for Housing Benefit. We can assist you with an application, but you will be expected to provide the information needed for the application to be processed.  You may have to pay a service charge and you will need to pay utility bills and your TV licence during this time. We will advise you of the rent and any applicable service charge at the time of making the placement.

Failure to pay can result in your eviction from temporary accommodation and our housing duty to you being ended. It may also impact future applications as homeless or to the housing register.

It depends on what duty you are owed and how it is ended. Households owed a main housing duty are likely to wait several years for an offer of settled accommodation.

If you refuse an offer of temporary accommodation, it is likely that no further offer of temporary accommodation will be made until a decision is made on your homeless application. If you refuse accommodation, you will need to make your own housing arrangements whilst we process your homeless application.

The space and level of facilities available for your use vary depending on the type of accommodation you are placed into. You may not be able to take all your belongings into temporary accommodation with you. If you need help identifying storage options locally, your case officer can advise you further.

Most temporary accommodation providers do not accept pets. Exceptions can be made for assistance pets.

Most temporary accommodation providers have an agreement that lays out the terms and conditions of your stay. This may cover how you are expected to behave, rules about visitors and how much you are expected to pay. If you break the terms of your agreement, you could be evicted from temporary accommodation and our housing duty to you may be ended.