Homelessness and prevention

If you are homeless, threatened with homelessness, or would just like advice on housing, you should go to one of our Customer Service Points or (if you have one) speak to your support worker.  Your situation will be assessed and we will advise you accordingly. You may be referred on to our specialist Housing Advice Team, who can help in a number of ways:

• By helping you find accommodation in the private rented sector (with a private landlord) or referring you to a Housing Association.
• Visiting you where you're staying to discuss ways that may stop you becoming homeless.
• Visiting you in hospital to assess your housing options before you are discharged.
• Prevent you from becoming homeless by linking you to other services.
• Get you help in your current accommodation. This may be a Tenants Support Worker, a Tenancy Relations Officer or other services outside the Council.
• If you are a young person who needs to leave your family home, we can contact mediation services, give you advice and guidance on independent living, or put you in touch with youth housing projects.
• If you have been the victim of domestic abuse or violence, we can put you in touch with organisations who can help you.
• Referring you to temporary emergency accommodation or supported accommodation.

We will allocate you a caseworker to guide you through the process.  We may provide emergency accommodation to those who are homeless, but this is a limited service and only available to those in priority need.

If you are a professional agency and wish to refer someone for housing advice, please fill in a our referral form (different versions below) and forward either by fax or email to the contact information given at the end of the form.

Housing Advice Referral Form in MS Word (msword, 273 KB) (opens new window)
Housing Advice Referral Form in PDF (pdf, 157 KB) (opens new window)

There is a shortage of council housing in Bristol, so we cannot immediately assist everyone who has a housing problem. Bristol City Council therefore tries to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place. If this is not possible, we will try to find a solution and options to make sure that you have a safe place to stay, and preferably avoid the use of emergency accommodation. 

Each year, the City Council and partners operate a Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) to find accommodation for people who would otherwise be sleeping rough in periods of particularly cold weather.  This includes additional temporary hostel beds.  The arrangements operate when temperatures are predicted to be zero centigrade or below for 3 nights in a row.  If you are worried about someone you think might be sleeping rough call St Mungo's Compass Centre on 0117 944 0581 or contact the national rough sleeping helpline at 0300 500 0914 or go to www.streetlink.org.uk