Resettlement Service
The Resettlement Team have recently updated their guide to the Resettlement Team Service (January 2008). You can view the information here (use the shortcut links below) or download a copy of the guide - please see Related Documents below. Alternatively printed copies are available from the Resettlement Team. Contact them on their duty line number 020 8547 5424.
A copy of the Resettlement Referral Form is available to download here in Word format. Please note that all clients have to be "referred" to us. We do not accept self referrals.
What we do
The Resettlement Team are part of Kingston Council’s Housing Services. The team works with accepted homeless applicants* with a variety of vulnerabilities, to help them when they move in to their new homes (temporary or permanent) and to help them maintain their tenancy.
(*Accepted homeless applicants are those who are accepted as homeless, in a priority need, by the Council.)
The team provides advice and practical support based on an individual assessment and support plan to enable people to successfully settle into and maintain their own home.
Who we help
We can offer you help, guidance and advice if you have been accepted as homeless by the Council, you are aged 16-64 years and have one of the following vulnerabilities:
- Mental health problems.
- Drug and alcohol problems or are recovering.
- Have been in, or are fleeing, a domestic abuse situation.
- Have a learning disability.
- Are vulnerable due to poor physical health/disability.
- A young person aged 16-24.
You have to be:
- Moving in to temporary housing provided by the Council.
- Moving in to permanent housing provided by the Council (including housing association tenancies for short term support).
- Already in Kingston Council permanent housing and at risk of losing your tenancy due to rent arrears, neighbour disputes or other issues, and have a vulnerability as listed above.
- We do not help those who are going into sheltered accommodation or over the age of 65
Who can make referrals to us
All applicants have to be "referred" to the Resettlement Team. We do not accept self referrals. Referrals generally come through:
- Homelessness Assessments Team
- Allocations Team
- Temporary Accommodation Unit
- Estate Management
- Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT)
- Social Services Teams/GPs
- Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) or other advisory teams
- Women’s Refuges
- Other support agencies (statutory or voluntary).
You can ask any of the above housing teams, social services departments or support agencies to refer you to the Resettlement Team. They can download a referral form - see Related Documents below or, if they call our duty line on 020 8547 5424, the form can be emailed, faxed or posted to them.
Examples of what we can help you with:
- Help with setting up gas/electricity accounts and arranging the installation of gas/electric meters where appropriate.
- Help in applying for Housing Benefit (replaced by Local Housing Allowance (LHA) from April 2008) and Council Tax Benefit and monitoring the progress of these claims.
- Help in applying for benefits, grants and loans from the Department
of Work and Pensions (DWP). - Help in finding second hand furniture.
- General advice in budgeting.
- Help in finding and accessing other support services.
- Help in registering with GPs/schools etc.
- Help with accessing college training and return to work schemes.
If you are a tenant in an existing council tenancy and are experiencing problems, we can:
- Help you in following up claims for Housing Benefit (replaced by Local Housing Allowance (LHA) from April 2008), Council Tax Benefit or other benefit applications.
- Help you in resolving any rent arrears problems you may have.
- Help you to represent your needs by working in partnership with Estate Management over neighbour disputes.