Older person at risk of being homeless

Leaving hospital

Find out what to do if you are leaving hospital and at risk of being homeless.

Adapting your home

If you are struggling to live independently in your home, there are options to support you. Contact social services to find out if you can receive support to have:

equipment fitted in your home including grab rails, a stair lift, or ramps
assistive technology installed such as a Careline alarm or door and bed sensors

If you are a council or housing association tenant, you should discuss your concerns with your Neighbourhood Housing Officer.

Sheltered housing

If you cannot stay in your own home, you could apply for sheltered housing. This supports vulnerable older people to live independently in a self-contained flat with a secure tenancy.

Downsizing your property

If your council property has more bedrooms than you need, we will provide financial help to downsize.

Worried about money

Check if you can increase your income by applying for:

How to contact us

If you are homeless or at risk of being homeless, complete the homeless application form. This takes about 10 minutes.

Make a homeless application

Help with your application

If you need help to complete this form online, you could ask a relative, friend or neighbour. If you cannot go online, are vulnerable or have a disability you should contact us.

Rough sleeping

If you're rough sleeping, Routes off the Streets can provide support. This includes access to drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services.

What happens next

After completing the form, an advisor will contact you within 10 working days. They will assess your situation and ask you to provide documents such as a:

passport or Home Office documents
Section 21 notice or other information about why you are homeless
medical assessment or medication information
recent payslip or benefit payment

Don't worry if you can’t find your documents straight away. It's more important that you have contacted us to help you end your homelessness.

Eligible for housing assistance

If you have recourse to public funds and are homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days, you are eligible for housing assistance.

An advisor will work with you to agree a personal housing plan. This will include the steps that Camden and you will take to end your homelessness. 

If we have reason to believe you are in priority need, we may provide emergency accommodation. Let us know if you have a pet. Most emergency accommodation will not take pets and you should think about asking friends or family if they can help.

Emergency accommodation could include shared facilities and be:

a hostel or hotel
outside Camden

We will provide this while we work with you to find longer-term housing. View the Homelessness Accommodation Policy.

Longer-term housing 

We can support you to find longer-term housing. This will probably be a private rented property. Our support includes:

funding to cover the first month’s rent and deposit
support to negotiate with landlords to achieve an affordable rent and advice and guidance around what’s affordable
employment support
tenant rights and responsibility guidance

Rent in Camden is very expensive. Where possible we will support you to find property options in or as near to Camden as we can. Our priority is to make sure that you can keep your tenancy in a property that meets your housing needs. 

If you will struggle to manage a tenancy, we will work with you to achieve this. We can also support you to access supported accommodation if appropriate. 

Not eligible for housing assistance

If you have no recourse to public funds this means that you are not eligible for most benefits or housing assistance. If this is the case, we will write to tell you about services that may be able to support you.