cornwall homechoice jon warner – homechoice manager
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What We Do
• Holding and Maintaining a Register of Housing Need in Cornwall
• Advertise Social Housing Vacancies • Nominate applicants from the register• Advise on housing needs statistics• Signpost applicants to other services
Majority of social housing to rent in Cornwall
Service provided on behalf of Cornwall Council by Cornwall Housing Ltd
Applying
• Online – from home, One Stop Shops, Libraries
• By Paper application form available
• Vulnerable applicants – home visiting and extra assistance available
Assessing Housing NeedCornwall Homechoice Allocations policy, agreed by members.
Assessment of applicants housing need in relation to their current housing
Taking into account
• Substantial evidence of Risks to life or harm (A)• Welfare issues caused by the property (A-D)• Downsizing from social housing (B)• Homelessness (B-C)• Size of property/Household size (B-C)• Disrepair (B-D)• Needing to move nearer to give/receive support (C )• To be nearer work (C)• To be nearer training (C)
Cornwall Connection
We will assess whether the applicant has a connection to Cornwall• Continuous by choice for last 12months• Continuous 5 yrs in the past• Permanent employment• Close family connection & family member
currently resident and has been for 5 years continuous
• Special circumstances – eg exceptional need (medical treatment, Cornwall care-leavers living outside county)
Parish Connections
We also assess connections of all household members to parishes
within Cornwall• Currently live for last 3 years or• 5 years continuous in the past or• Permanent work or• Close family 5 years
Adverts
Applicants can now look for suitable vacancies that match their household size
Adverts run from Saturday to Wednesday midnight each week
• Cornwall Homechoice Website• Newsletter available in One Stop Shops
and Libraries• Parish Clerks• Extra assistance available for vulnerable
applicants
Bidding
Applicants have to express an interest in any vacancies they are interested in ‘Bid’. Can bid on up to 3 properties each week.
• Cornwall Homechoice Website• Automated Phone System• Assisted Bidding
Shortlisting and Nomination
– Generally applicants in the highest band will be nominated to the landlord for consideration
– Where there is more than one applicant in the same high Band it will be who has been in the Band the longest
Except…..
Shortlisting and Nomination
• Preference will be given to applicants with a Cornwall Connection within the same Band
For example an applicant with Cornwall Connection in Band B for two weeks will be nominated over an applicant without a Cornwall Connection who has been in Band B for two years.
Shortlisting and Nomination
• Parish connection applies to• 100%- Where there is less than 40 units of social
housing• 50% of vacancies in other areas
But not Key towns e.g Hayle, Truro, Camborne, Liskeard etc
For example an applicant in Band C with the parish connection would be nominated over an applicant in Band A who does not have the connection
Shortlisting and Nominations
New Build Properties/Section 106• Granted with planning permission• New properties will have criteria
similar to the Parish Connection criteria
• Criteria will stay indefinitely – re-lets
Statistics- Homechoice Register
• 29,075 ‘live’ applicants @ Sept 2014
Band Total
A 187
B 2823
C 6702
D 3899
E 15464
Total 29,075
Hayle Homechoice stats – Sept 2014
1 bed 2 bed 3 bed 4 bed 5 bed+
288 170 72 24 5
Band Total
B 69
C 112
D 68
E 310
559
Applicants with an LC who expressed a preference to live in Hayle
446
•Applicants with an assessed Local Connection to Hayle
St Ives Homechoice Stats – Sept 2014
Band Total
A 6
B 72
C 98
D 61
E 365
Total 602
Applicants with an LC who expressed a preference to live in St Ives
509
•Applicants with an assessed local connection to St Ives
1 bed 2 bed 3 bed 4 bed 5+ bed
335 192 57 13 5
Changes to the Homechoice Policy
• Assets over £50k or income over £60k will not join.• anti-social behaviour within the last 2 years will not be able to join the
register; • applicants who have not bid on any property for 12 months are removed
from the housing register unless they can demonstrate exceptional circumstances;
• applicants are only able to bid for 1 property per advertising cycle • applicants who turn down 2 properties that are offered to them are
removed from the housing register;• to be allocated a council home or a home managed by one of our partner
registered providers to which the Council has nomination rights, applicants must be able to demonstrate a 3 year local connection.