Housing advice: care leavers and young people

If you are at risk of homelessness or worried about your housing situation, you can email housing@westberks.gov.uk and we will contact you to arrange an appointment.

If you are homeless today, or your enquiry is urgent, you can call 01635 519 530 and choose option 2 to speak to a housing officer. We are available Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm, Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm. 
If you have been made homeless outside of these hours, call the emergency duty team on 01344 351 999.

See our homelessness support page for more information.

Care leavers

If you are a care leaver, you may be entitled to help and support from the Care Leavers Team.

You can find out more about this service on our post-16 and leaving care webpage.

Will the council provide me with accommodation?

If you have contacted us about homelessness, we will assign you a homelessness prevention and relief officer.

Your homelessness prevention and relief officer will make a full housing options assessment and will ask necessary questions to decide what our duty towards you is.

Under 18

If you are under 18, we have a legal duty to support you. This will be through a 'joint assessment', which will decide what is in your best interests.

You can contact Children's Services directly by calling the Contact Advice and Assessment Service (CAAS) on 01635 503090, or email child@westberks.gov.uk. If you are calling outside normal office hours (9am to 5pm), please call the Emergency Duty Team on 01344 351999.

Over 18

If you're a single person over 18 with no children and you are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, you may be able to access our local hostel. 

Two Saints operate a direct access hostel close to Newbury town centre. The main hostel has 60 beds and is staffed 24 hours a day - it's also able to accept people with varying support needs.

Contact Two Saints directly for further information.

Supported accommodation at Bramlings House

Bramlings House is a supported housing scheme for vulnerable young people, including young parents.

There are support staff available 24 hours a day. They have 12 single en-suite rooms, which share a lounge and kitchen, and 13 self-contained one bedroom apartments. Eight of these are reserved for young parents.

To be referred, please contact the Housing Options Team

You can find more information about Bramlings supported housing on the A2Dominion website.

Financial support

Under 18

If you're under 18, you may not be eligible for the usual benefits. If you are 16 or 17, you may be able to access certain benefits depending on your circumstances - see guidance on claims for 16 to 17 year olds on the Entitled To website.

Universal Credit

Universal Credit (UC) is a national benefit for people who are on a low income or out of work. You can find out more about Universal Credit and eligibility on the GOV.UK website.

You can use the Benefits Calculator on the Entitled To website to see what benefits you may be entitled to.

Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is a national welfare benefit paid by the council to help meet the cost of rent.

There are specific eligibility requirements for accessing Housing Benefit. Most new claims for housing costs from working age claimants now need to be applied for through Universal Credit (UC). You can find out more about Housing Benefit here.

If you're under 35

If you are under 35 years of age, single and do not have children, you are usually only entitled to benefits which would cover renting a room in shared accommodation. Shared accommodation is when your tenancy agreement states that you have access to one bedroom only and shared use of a bathroom, kitchen and living room. 

The maximum benefit that you would get would be the rate for renting a single room in a shared house. This rate would be given to you even if you live in a self-contained flat.

The shared accommodation rate (SAR) differs depending on where you live. You can check the rate in your area using the Local Housing Allowance rates search.

The shared accommodation rate only applies when renting from a private landlord, it doesn't apply to council or housing association properties.

The shared accommodation rate doesn't apply if you live with another adult or child. There are also other exceptions based on specific circumstances.

Find more information about renting, SAR and exceptions on GOV.UK.

Other support services

Centrepoint

Centrepoint is a charity supporting homeless people aged 16 to 25.

If you're rough sleeping, sofa surfing or don't feel safe in your home, the Centrepoint Helpline can help. You can also get in touch if you're worried about a young person.

You can call the Centrepoint Helpline and contact them online - find out more on the Centre Point website.

The Mix

The Mix is a support service for young people under the age of 25.

They tackle issues from money to mental health, homelessness to finding a job. You can find more information, including how to contact them, on The Mix website.

Galop

Galop provide support and advice to LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse or violence. They also work with young people under 25.

You can contact the Galop Helpline to ask for advice or to arrange an appointment - find out more on the Galop website.

The Prince's Trust

The Prince's Trust works with disadvantaged young people aged 16 to 30. They provide training, personal development opportunities and grants to help young people to get into work, education, self-employment or training.

You can find out more on the Princes Trust website, including how to contact the Princes Trust.