Advice and Assistance

Advice and assistance

Glasgow City Council can provide specialist housing advice and assistance, including advice on homelessness. Advice includes the following:

Housing advice including information:

• on the availability of permanent accommodation provided by housing associations and co-operatives , or other local authorities.
• on the availability of temporary accommodation provided by housing associations and co-operatives, private, public or voluntary bodies as well as other local authorities.
• on nomination procedures, waiting lists and any restrictions imposed by landlords
• on specialist, supported or furnished accommodation
• on services provided by estate agents and accommodation agencies
• on owner occupation including shared ownership and the availability of grants for owner occupation (including improvement, repair and adaptation grants )
• organisations providing independent housing advice can be found under further advice .

Advice on social issues covers information on services provided by specialist agencies and bodies dealing with health, welfare and other social issues. This includes advice on support and care packages to enable people to sustain tenancies.

Financial advice includes information:

• on the availability of personal benefits, grants and loans directly or indirectly related to the provision of housing
• on rent and mortgage arrears and the financial implications of home ownership
• on the management of personal finance
• on rent guarantee and deposit schemes
• on specialist agencies providing financial advice to individuals. Independent organisations providing financial advice can be found in the further advice section.

Legal advice includes information:

• on court proceedings
• on legal rights including the availability of legal aid
• on the availability of independent advice and advocacy
• Independent organisations providing legal advice can be found in the further advice section.

Assistance includes:

• providing a personal interview at a time and place with a local authority officer. An applicant may stipulate whether they would like the interview to be with a male or female officer.
• providing an interpreter or an independent personal representative at any interview if requested by an applicant.

Advice and assistance for homeless people is provided by:

• the Community Casework Team offices covering the area where they are currently living
• the Hamish Allan Centre (24-hour service, 365 days a year)
• by the specialist social work Homeless Persons' Team which provides services for people who are homeless in the following circumstances:
  • single and homeless or a homeless family not in touch with any other social work
  • homeless people placed in residential care wishing to be re-assessed
  • unaccompanied children seeking asylum.

• The Homeless Information Pages website provides advice and information for people who are homeless and those sleeping rough. It covers topics such as:
  • health information
  • money advice
  • addictions
  • accommodation
  • crime.

The Homeless Information Pages website has been developed with the help of homeless service users by Glasgow Homelessness Network, a local voluntary organisation that brings together agencies in the city working with homeless people.

Glasgow City Council is not responsible for the content of external websites.