Free HRA 2017 templates: a housing plan & notifying the initial s.189A homelessness assessment

These letters and forms concentrate on the new duties to carry out an assessment, agree a housing plan, and notify both the assessment and plan.

As an assessment officer, once you're satisfied that a homeless applicant is:

• eligible for help (on immigration and nationality grounds), and
• either homeless or threatened with homelessness

then, under the amended homelessness legislation, several duties follow in quick succession.

The assessment

Firstly, under section 189A, you must undertake an assessment.

The following forms are for notifying the following types of assessment:

• Threatened with homelessness
• Threatened with homelessness / valid s.21 notice expired but reasonable to continue to occupy
• Homeless and interim s.188 temporary accommodation duty not owed
• Homeless and interim s.188 temporary accommodation duty owed

The above forms also confirm what duty is owed, namely:

• prevention, or
• relief.

They also enable you to give reasons for any adverse decision (as required under section 184(3) of the Housing Act 1996).

The housing plan

Secondly, you must of course try and agree a housing plan and give the applicant a copy:

• Generic housing plan

Most homeless managers I've spoken to have software that enables them to populate the housing plan. I've therefore kept this template very simple.

Cover letter

There's also a:

• Covering letter for enclosing the initial s.189A homeless assessment and housing plan

How do these templates fit together?

You'll see if you download them that you'll be giving the applicant the following three documents:

• the covering letter
• a housing plan
• the relevant assessment (which differs according to what duties you're accepting).

If you have your own housing plan, just use your own version.

How do I download them?

You must:

• create an account (if you haven't already done so) with your work email address, and
• work for a local authority or registered provider of social housing

There's further guidance if you need it here.