Going into or leaving prison or youth detention

North Tyneside Council’s Housing Advice Team provides a free, confidential service to anyone who may be experiencing housing issues and is in need of housing advice.

If you think you may be going into custody you need to consider arrangements for your home while you are in custody and for when you leave custody. This needs to take place before you are remanded.

You may be entitled to benefits to help pay your rent if you are in custody in England, Wales or Scotland.  How long you may be able to get this for will depend on your circumstances:

On bail: if your bail conditions mean you have to live away from your normal home until you have been to court, you may be eligible for benefit for up to 52 weeks;

On remand: if you are in prison waiting for your trial to start or sentence to happen you may be eligible for benefit for up to 52 weeks for your normal home; and

Sentenced: if you are sentenced you may be eligible for benefit for up to 13 weeks.  You must be expecting to return home within 13 weeks of the date you first went into custody, including anytime on remand.  You will not be eligible for benefit if you are not expecting to return to your normal home within 13 weeks of the date you went into custody.

North Tyneside Council’s benefit team will be able to provide you with some guidance.
Tel: 0345 2000 104

If you were in receipt of Universal Credit to help towards your accommodation costs before you went into prison, you can continue to get the housing element for up to 6 months.  This applies if you are on bail, on remand or sentenced.   You will not receive any Universal Credit if you expect to be in prison for more than 6 months, this includes any time on remand.

You must let the local authority know as soon as possible following you going into prison, receiving a custodial sentence, or on release from prison.

If your sentence is more than 26 weeks (six months) in prison and you will have no income to pay your rent for the period you are not there, and there is no one else in your home that can pay the rent, you may have to give your tenancy up.  If this is the case, then you usually need to give 4 weeks notice to your landlord.  Any benefit that you receive to help towards your housing costs will be paid during your notice period.

Many prisons have a housing advice service available in them, run by an external organisation.  If you won’t have anywhere to live at the end of the sentence, then arrange to meet with them to discuss your housing options prior to your release.

If you apply to the local authority for housing advice, there may not be a legal obligation to provide you with interim accommodation.  The housing options officer will discuss your housing options with you at an interview and work with you to develop a Personal Housing Plan.

If it is not possible to prevent you from being homeless or relive your homelessness within the specified timescales, then the local authority will take an application from you under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996.

The outcome of this application will determine if the local authority has a duty to help you with a permanent home or not.

It may not be possible to have your own home to go to, following your prison release.  One option to think about is staying with family or friends.  This may be for a set period of time that will allow you to look at other housing options, knowing you have a roof over your head.

You may feel that you would benefit from some specialist support within a housing  scheme.  This could be to help you work through and overcome any issues that led to you being in prison or to develop skills to help you find and keep a home. 

You will need to be referred to Support Gateway by an organisation working with you, or the Housing Advice Team.

Council and housing association homes are also known as social housing. You can apply by completing an online application at www.tyneandwearhomes.org.uk

You will need to provide some information to support your application.  This will include a reference from a previous landlord.

It may not be possible for your application for social housing to be accepted. This could be due to your previous behaviour or rent arrears.  The decision on your application will be explained to you.    To help resolve this, you could enrol on courses to help you become a good tenant.

Crisis run a Renting Ready scheme from their Newcastle Crisis Skylight base: Crisis Skylight Newcastle.

If you are not happy with not being able to join a list for social housing you could contact Shelter to ask them to help you to appeal the decision.

Shelter
Telephone: 0344 515 1601
Email: shelternortheast@shelter.org.uk
Web: Newcastle (North East) - Shelter England

The Housing Advice Team will be able to advise you on what housing is available locally within this sector.   Or you could check out letting agent websites, local papers and shop windows.

Everyone leaving prison is given a discharge grant paid by the prison when you leave.  This is money to help you with your costs until your benefits are sorted out.

If a prison advisor has found you accommodation for your first night, you may be given a higher discharge grant, about an extra £50.00.  This is paid directly to the accommodation provider.