Support and advice available for people including legal issues, domestic abuse, support getting furniture for your home and people from a range of circumstance such as ex offenders, ex-armed forces personnel, young people leaving home and those with financial issues.
Housing Support
The council can help support you with a number of housing issues. This page provides a short summary of each offer and a link through to further information and support available on the council website's Housing pages.
Being homeless means you don’t have a home you can reasonably live in, either in the UK or anywhere else in the world. Homelessness isn’t just about sleeping on the streets, and it’s not a problem limited to expensive areas. Here are some situations that count as homelessness:
- Rooflessness: You have no shelter at all and are sleeping rough.
- Houselessness: You have somewhere to sleep, but it’s only temporary, such as a shelter or an institution.
- Insecure housing: Your living situation is unstable, for example, you could be forced out because of eviction, domestic violence, or you’re staying with friends or family (‘sofa surfing’).
- Inadequate housing: Your home is unfit to live in, extremely overcrowded, or you’re living in places like caravans on illegal campsites.
The Council's Housing Department can help you and provide support across a range of homeless situations including:
- Support for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
- Homeless advice
- Rough sleeping
- People who need accommodation now (have nowhere to stay tonight)
You can find need help and support with these issues on the Housing department's Homeless Services website.
There is homelessness support available 24/7 over the telephone, with details again available on the Homelessness Service website.
In additional to the support provided by the Housing Department, there are also support services commissioned by Birmingham's Public Health service that can help people who are affected by homelessness
Emerging Futures
Support for adults (18+) affected by homelessness, substance misuse, and health needs. Services include:
- Housing & structured therapeutic support
- Behavioural change programmes & coaching
- Peer-led family support
- Emergency housing for rough sleepers
- Stable homes for recovery & independent living
Contact via:
- Online referral: http://www.emergingfutures.org.uk/contact/
- Email: bhamhousing@emergingfutures.org.uk
- Webpage: http://www.emergingfutures.org.uk/
- Call: 0795 891 3318
SIFA Fireside
Support for adults 25+ (single or childless couples) affected by homelessness. Services include:
- Emergency & rough sleeper support
- Housing Navigator for those with drug/alcohol issues
- Financial help, food & clothing vouchers
- Care Of postal address, document storage & health services
- Workshops & skills development
Contact via:
- In-person: Drop-in Mon–Fri, 9am–12:45pm and workshops: Mon–Fri, from 1pm (except Weds)
- Address: Liverpool St, Deritend, Birmingham B9 4DY
- Call: 0121 766 1700
- Email: office@sifafireside.co.uk
- Website: http://sifafireside.co.uk/
If you rent your property from the council, there is support available to help you with a number of different issues:
- Paying Rent
- Repairs, cleaning and maintenance
- Tenancy issues
- If you have bought your council property (Right to Buy)
- If you want to apply for social housing
Support for all these issues can be found on the Housing Department's Council Tenants webpages.
There is a range of information, advice and support for people with a range of housing situations across the Housing Department's webpages. Below are links to a number of these:
The Housing Department provides information, support and services for other housing and home related issues. Below are links to these:
Property licensing This includes information about houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), additional licensing and selective licensing.
Rent your property to the Council
A full range of housing related services, information and support can be found at https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/housing