I NEED HELP
Are you homeless tonight?
Doorstep does not provide emergency accommodation so you will need to let the Homeless Prevention Team know as soon as possible if you have nowhere to stay tonight. They will decide if you are in priority need for emergency housing. We can help you to make a homeless application but we do not decide if you are eligible for emergency housing. If you are under 18 years old you will be referred to the Children’s Front Door.
Call 01472 326296 or use the online self-referral form.
This applies if you are 16 or 17, if you are pregnant or have children, if you are a care leaver, if you have recently left prison, or if you have a mental health diagnosis or a physical/learning disability.
If the Homeless Team or Social Services have decided that you are in priority need, and can pay for you to access emergency housing, you will have a bed on a night-by-night basis until something more long-term is found.
If you are rough sleeping you can call Harbour Place Day Centre on 01472 344118 (9am- 5pm) or the Home Options Team on 01472 326296.
Doorstep is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Any calls received outside of these hours are redirected to an Out of Hours service that is for tenants only. For details of any changes during public holidays please visit our Facebook page.
You can call during our office hours of 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday on 07718 494 660
You can message us on Facebook at any time. The inbox is monitored on weekdays between 9am and 5pm.
Email us on info@mydoorstep.org.uk. Emails are monitored on weekdays, 9am to 5pm.
Sofa surfing or family breakdown
If you're switching between friends or family every few nights and have nowhere safe or secure to stay, you're classed as homeless.
Many young people sofa surf until they suddenly find they have nowhere to stay that night. Don’t leave it too late to get help.
If you have been asked to leave your home or place of stay and are at risk of homelessness within the next few days or weeks, you need to notify the Homeless Prevention Team, a trusted adult or contact Doorstep as soon as you can.
We can give you advice on what to do next and help with a referral to the Homeless Prevention Team (HPS). Once the referral is made someone from HPS will contact you and complete a housing assessment. This assessment is then sent to the housing providers that match your situation who will respond to HPS with an offer of support only or support combined with housing.
Under 18 years old
If you are under 18 you will be referred to the 16/17 year old joint protocol via North East Lincolnshire Council
All 16 and 17 year olds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness will be referred to Children’s Front Door (Children’s Services). If you are homeless you are entitled to help and support up until the age of 18. A Child in Need Assessment (also called a Section 17 Assessment) will be carried out by a social worker to inform what happens next.
Read our Guidance for 16/17 year olds (PDF)
If you become homeless at this age and need an emergency bed for the night, Children’s Front Door will be notified. They will try to find out if you are at risk by returning home, or, establish if your family are saying you can no longer live there. Their priority will be to prevent you being homeless which could include mediating between you and your family.
The right housing pathway needs to be decided so that your rent and support can be paid for. This could be paid for by Children’s Services or it could come from Housing Related Support provided by Doorstep (or another agency).
Expecting a child
If you have found out you are pregnant and you can safely stay where you are until nearer your due date we would advise you to do this. If you cannot stay where you are and you are at risk of becoming homeless you will need to refer yourself to the Homeless Team. They will assess your situation and make any necessary housing and support referrals that you might need; this could include a referral to Doorstep. We can refer you to the Homeless Team if you do not feel able to do this yourself and we can state that your preference is for Doorstep support.
If you are not working the financial support for housing that you will receive will only cover the cost of a single room until you have had your baby. For some single people the option of living in a shared house for part of the pregnancy is a suitable solution and you may be offered this until the time is right to move in to a house or flat.
We start to consider referrals for Family housing around the 29 weeks mark. This gives us enough time to go through your application and gather all the information we need.
Professional enquiries
All referrals for support are made via the North East Lincolnshire Homeless Team
We no longer take referrals via the Gateway for Supported Housing. All professionals must refer via the online homeless prevention service.
We can take direct referrals for Supported Lodgings Scheme for those whose support will be financed by the referring agency. To enquire about this please call or email us.
If you are making an enquiry from outside of North East Lincolnshire, and want to access Housing Related Support, please direct this enquiry to our local authority.
Parents and concerned adults
Family breakdown is one of the leading causes of homelessness for young people but it doesn't need to be. Early advice and guidance can prevent a situation from becoming an emergency
For 16 and 17 year olds
We do not house 16 or 17 year olds who have not been assessed by Children’s Front Door first. In order for us to house someone under 18 they need to have had their situation assessed via the 16/17 year old joint protocol. This assessment decides which legislation a child needs to be housed under: The Housing Act or the Children Act.
Over 18 years old
For the majority of young people, home is the best place for them. We would advise that if a young person doesn’t need to move out, and doesn’t have the means to support themselves, staying at home until they are ready would be the best chance of successfully preparing for independence at a later date.
We welcome queries from young people and families who want to prepare for when the time comes. We can advise generally on housing options and how to access housing and support. All referrals need to be made via the North East Lincolnshire Homeless Team.
We cannot house anyone by request of the family or against their will.
Doorstep is a charity and young people come to us because they have been made homeless, they no longer feel emotionally or physically safe at home or their living arrangement has broken down in some other way. It must be their decision to seek help and concerned individuals are welcome to encourage or support someone to get in touch.
