Homelessness

You will be offered temporary accommodation if you have made a homelessness application and either have nowhere to stay or you are not able to stay in your own home. We have different types of temporary accommodation throughout South Lanarkshire including:

• First Stop emergency accommodation (rooms or flats with shared facilities and on-site support staff 24 hours a day)
• Supported accommodation  (self-contained rooms or flats with on-site support staff 24 hours a day)
• Self-contained furnished flats or houses

You can choose whether to accept the temporary accommodation offered, or make your own arrangements, for example with friends or family.

Paying rent in temporary accommodation

Depending on your circumstances you may be required to pay rent for any accommodation we provide you with. This will be discussed further with you prior to any offer of temporary accommodation being made.

Can I choose my temporary accommodation?

It is always our aim to offer you accommodation that is suitable to your needs and in an area of your choice. However, this is not always possible and our main objective is to provide you with a safe place to stay until your homelessness is resolved.

If we need to move you out of the area your children go to school, we can help with the cost of transport to get them to school. 

How long will I be there for?

This will depend on the decision that is made about your homeless application. In general, you will stay in temporary accommodation until either:

• we have made you an offer of settled housing
• your homelessness has been resolved

Storage of belongings

You will be able to take personal items such as clothes and toiletries with you to temporary accommodation, however you should make arrangements for larger items, such as furniture, to be stored elsewhere. If you are unable to do so, the council can make arrangements with an approved contractor for these to be stored. You will be charged for this service and more information will be provided on the costs and payment methods prior to any offer of temporary accommodation.

Further information

Our temporary furnished properties are managed by the local housing offices. They will be able to answer any questions you have about your temporary accommodation including how much your rent will be, how you pay it and your rights whilst residing in temporary accommodation.

Unfortunately, no pets are permitted in any type of temporary accommodation.

Office hours:

Monday to Thursday 8.45am to 4.45pm

Friday 8.45am to 4.15pm

First Wednesday of every month 11am to 4.45pm

Phone: 0303 123 1012 Option 5

Out with office hours - 0800 24 20 24