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When you make an application, the NIHE will assess your housing situation. Based on that
assessment, you will be awarded points under the Common Selection Scheme. Your level
of points will determine where you will be placed on the waiting list for accommodation.
You will also be asked to give the names of two areas where you wish to live.
3.11 What do I do if I become homeless?
You are homeless when you have no accommodation. It does not just mean being without a
roof over your head. It can also mean living in accommodation in which it is not reasonable
to live, for example because it is in disrepair, is seriously overcrowded, or is too expensive.
You may also be considered as homeless if your landlord has asked you to leave the
property within 28 days.
If you become homeless or are threatened with homelessness you must go to your nearest
*Northern Ireland Housing Executive* (NIHE) District Office or the Homeless Advice Centre
in Belfast, which is also part of the NIHE.
A Housing Officer at the NIHE will then carry out an assessment to decide if you are
unintentionally homeless (meaning that you have not deliberately made yourself homeless),
and if you are eligible for assistance and in priority need. You will be considered in priority
need if:
you are pregnant;
you have a dependent child who normally lives with you (someone aged under 16 years
old, or up to 19 years old if he or she is in full time education);
you are vulnerable because you have mental health or physical health problems;
you are aged between 16 and 21 years, and at risk of sexual or financial exploitation;
you are homeless because of an emergency such as fire, flood or other disaster; or
you have experienced, or are at risk of, violence.
If you are eligible for help under the NIHE’s rules and you are unintentionally homeless and
in priority need, the NIHE will award you Full Duty Applicant status and you will be given at
least 70 points under the Common Selection Scheme. The NIHE will also have a duty to
provide you with temporary accommodation until it finds you suitable housing.
If you do not qualify as a homeless person, the NIHE should give you advice and
information on finding suitable alternative accommodation in the private sector and on
claiming Housing Benefit.
Useful contacts
Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)
Head Office, The Housing Centre, 2 Adelaide Street, Belfast BT1
(028) 9024 0588
Housing Rights - www.housingadviceNI.org
Middleton Building, 10-12 High Street, Belfast, BT1 2BA
(028) 9024 5640
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