The Emergency Housing Service is a section within Blackpool Coastal Housing.

The Management team are based at Progress House and can answer any queries you may have when officers are not available.

They are also there to ensure any complaints are resolved properly and quickly and can be contacted at:

Emergency Housing

Progress House

Blackpool

FY4 4US

Telephone: 477948/9

Fax: 477950

Email: sharon.buckley@bch.co.uk

dionne.nicholson@bch.co.uk

The Emergency Housing sites consist of mixed accommodation to cater for single individuals to larger families. Each of the buildings are staffed from 8am to 2am, seven days a week.

What do we do

The Officers role is to ensure the building is managed properly and safely and to provide advice and assistance on any issues you may need help with.

The Support Workers work Monday to Friday normal office hours and their role is to provide you with any additional support you may need throughout your stay with us.

What the accommodation is like/what to expect

You have your own room and shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.
The family rooms comprise:

1 x Double bed - with bedding

1 x Bunk bed – with bedding

Tables

Chairs

Drawers

Wardrobe

Fridge Freezer

The smaller rooms comprise :

Either a single/double or bunk bed with bedding

Tables

Chairs

Drawers

Wardrobe

Fridge or Fridge Freezer

You room contains a TV Ariel socket. Please note it is your responsibility to buy a TV licence if you intend to watch TV in the room.

What we provide/what you can bring

All basic items such as beds, bedding, chairs, tables and a fridge/fridge freezer are provided. Pots and pans can be provided but a charge for these is payable.

You are welcome to bring you own items to make your unit homely as long as there is no breach of safety regulations. All electrical items for example need to be working properly and safe to use.

You are not allowed to bring in soft furnishings as these may cause a fire hazard.

There is a laundry situated at each site and is open for use during office hours. There is a charge for tokens, wash tokens are £1.20 and dryer tokens are 25p. The washer and dryers are similar to those in launderettes. Free powder is given with every washing token.

How long will I be there

It is almost impossible to say how long you will be in emergency accommodation. There are several things that need to be considered:

Your Homelessness Officer will investigate your circumstances and make a decision as to whether the Council will accept a duty to house you permanently. This investigation itself may range from several days for the more straightforward cases to several weeks for the more complicated cases.

If a duty to re-house you is made then you will be placed on the housing waiting list, generally in Band A (highest priority). You are able to choose the area you would like to be re-housed for the first eight weeks after a duty is accepted, after this you will be re-housed at the earliest opportunity in any area of Blackpool.

If you are found to be Intentionally Homeless/not homeless or non-priority then the Council do not have a duty to find you permanent accommodation. You will be given a notice period in which to vacate the accommodation and you should actively look for alternative accommodation. The officers and the support worker will assist you to locate other accommodation.

Generally speaking smaller households will be re-housed in a shorter timescale than larger households. As mentioned it is impossible to put a timescale on the length of your stay but a high percentage of clients are re-housed within the eight-week period allowed for personal choice of areas. There are always exceptions, some larger families for instance may be with us for a much longer period due to the lack of larger properties available.

How much will it cost

There are two charges made for the accommodation, the accommodation charge and the service charge.

The accommodation charge covers the management of the building / staffing, repair & maintenance, cleaning, furniture and council tax. If you are in receipt of benefits i.e. Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance then Housing Benefit will cover the full accommodation charge. However, if you are working or are in receipt of additional benefits i.e. Disability Living Allowance or Incapacity Benefit, or have a large amount of savings you may have to pay some, if not all, of the accommodation charge.

You will be notified of the amount by Housing Benefit once they have received the necessary proof of your income. In the meantime, the staff are able to calculate an approximate figure which you should pay weekly to ensure you do not accrue arrears.

The service charge is a charge made for electricity, water, heating and gas and is payable weekly. Everybody has to pay the service charge whether they are entitled to Housing Benefit or not. The daily charge for service charge is £1.55 which is £10.85 per week.