LHAs will be required to take Need cases. This Relief duty will come to an Additional staff will be reasonable steps that are likely to help end after 56 days if the applicant is required to meet this the applicant to secure in priority need and not increased need. accommodation. Intentionally Homeless. This is Risk of temporary likely to result in many cases Reasonable steps could include, for accommodation remaining open up to and after 56 example, providing a rent deposit or placements and storage days. access to mediation to keep cost increasing to cover households together. Clarity over whether the non-priority households. requirement to ‘help the applicant secure accommodation’ includes paying for the accommodation is being sought by LGA. Deliberate and unreasonable refusal to co-operate Requirement for applicants to There are currently no This Clause places a duty on As there is a shortage of with the reasonable steps such requirements on councils to offer applicants with private sector tenancies agreed applicants. priority need that do not cooperate locally, so discharge of a six-month AST. this continuing duty will Where a local authority owes a duty to be particularly prevent or relieve homelessness, a There would be a continuing duty challenging and notice may be served on the applicant to applicants in priority need to resource-intensive. advising that they are considered to secure that accommodation is have deliberately and unreasonably available for their occupation, but refused to co-operate with the authority. these applicants would not be owed a main homelessness duty, and therefore would have to be offered an AST of at least six months as a minimum. Those that are not priority need and do not co-operate with the LHA will not be entitled to this support. Local connection of care leaver Clarity of the circumstances under Local Connection of This extends the legal definition for Potential for increased which care leavers should be treated care leavers is residency rules for local number of care leavers as having a local connection with a currently a grey area connection. placed in other Kent districts by KCC to
LHAs will be required to take reasonable steps that are likely to help the applicant to secure accommodation. Reasonable steps could include, for example, providing a rent deposit or access to mediation to keep households together. Need cases. This Relief duty will come to an end after 56 days if the applicant is in priority need and not Intentionally Homeless. This is likely to result in many cases remaining open up to and after 56 days. Clarity over whether the requirement to ‘help the applicant secure accommodation’ includes paying for the accommodation is being sought by LGA. Additional staff will be required to meet this increased need. Risk of temporary accommodation placements and storage cost increasing to cover non-priority households. Deliberate and unreasonable refusal to co-operate Requirement for applicants to with the reasonable steps agreed Where a local authority owes a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness, a notice may be served on the applicant advising that they are considered to have deliberately and unreasonably refused to co-operate with the authority. There are currently no such requirements on applicants. This Clause places a duty on councils to offer applicants with priority need that do not cooperate a six-month AST. There would be a continuing duty to applicants in priority need to secure that accommodation is available for their occupation, but these applicants would not be owed a main homelessness duty, and therefore would have to be offered an AST of at least six months as a minimum. Those that are not priority need and do not co-operate with the LHA will not be entitled to this support. As there is a shortage of private sector tenancies locally, so discharge of this continuing duty will be particularly challenging and resource-intensive. Local connection of care leaver Clarity of the circumstances under which care leavers should be treated as having a local connection with a Local Connection of care leavers is currently a grey area This extends the legal definition for residency rules for local connection. Potential for increased number of care leavers placed in other Kent districts by KCC to