Housing options and help for homeless people
Our Council have a legal duty to help people who are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless.
The Housing Options and Homeless Service offices are open for housing options and homeless enquiries on weekdays between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
You can speak with an officer so an appointment can be made to discuss your enquiry/situation further at these times at the following locations:
- Annan: Council Offices, Annan Town Hall, High Street, Annan, DG12 6AQ
- Dumfries: Council Offices, 122 - 124 Irish Street, Dumfries, DG1 2PB
- Kirkcudbright: Council Offices, Darr Road, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4JG
- Stranraer: Council Offices, Ashwood House, Sun Street, Stranraer, DG9 7JJ
If you are homeless tonight and have nowhere to stay, please telephone us on the number supplied below for your locality between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday, or 0303 333 3001 if you are calling outside these hours.
- Annan: 01461 207019 between 9am - 5pm Mon-Fri
- Dumfries: 01387 260783 between 9am - 5pm Mon-Fri
- Kirkcudbright: 01557 332234 between 9am - 5pm Mon-Fri
- Stranraer: 01776 888312 between 9am - 5pm Mon-Fri
- Out of hours free number: 0303 333 3001 after 5pm and weekends
Housing Options
Housing Options is the information and advice process that we use when you approach us with a housing problem. Housing Options aims to prevent homelessness wherever possible and there has been a fall in homelessness applications since the process was introduced nationally.
Housing Options focuses on your personal circumstances, helping you to explore all options including social and private rented accommodation. It can also provide support for underlying issues that can underpin housing problems such as debt, family breakup and mental health problems. This process means our staff can work with other services to help people before they reach crisis point. Rather than just making a homeless application.
You can find out more about Housing Options in Dumfries and Galloway via https://www.dandghousingoptions.org.uk/ .
Visit our Housing Options portal
Help for homeless people
If you are homeless, or think you might become homeless we can arrange temporary or permanent accommodation if circumstances warrant it and by providing support and advice.
We can help you if:
- you have nowhere to stay and are sleeping rough
- you are at fleeing or are at risk of violence and abuse
- your home is not safe to live in
- your home is overcrowded
- you are living with friends or family with no home of your own
- you are living in a home that is not suitable because of illness or disability
- you have rent or mortgage arrears
- you are leaving prison
- you are leaving local authority care
Get homeless support
Support is available throughout the region. We can assist you with immediate, short term and long-term support by:
- arranging emergency accommodation if you have nowhere to stay
- providing you with a support worker who can help organise temporary and permanent accommodation referrals
- help you manage a tenancy
- provide debt advice
- provide benefit advice
- provide links to education training and employment opportunities
- provide you with links to other agencies such as domestic abuse and drug or alcohol misuse
- assist you with any welfare support
- assist you to settle in to your new home
To arrange support you can call your nearest Homeless office between 9am to 5pm on weekdays at:
- Annan - 01461 207019
- Dumfries - 01387 260783
- Kirkcudbright - 01557 332234
- Stranraer - 01776 888312
You will be offered an appointment and seen the same day if you are homeless tonight.
Homelessness Section 11 Notice
If you are a landlord (either a private landlord or a registered social landlord) or creditor (mortgage holder) you are legally required to tell us when you start taking court action that could result in making someone homeless. By giving us this early warning, you can help us to take action to prevent homelessness.
Section 11 of the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force on 1 April 2009. This legislation aims to make sure we know in advance when a household is at risk of being evicted or having their home repossessed. Giving us this notification is a helpful trigger, allowing us to intervene at an early stage and hopefully prevent homelessness occurring. Where it is not possible for us to prevent homelessness, we can still minimise the stress and trauma of losing a home and help the household to find alternative accommodation as quickly as possible.
This legislation applies to you if you are raising court proceedings to either lawfully evict a tenant or to repossess a property. If this court action could result in making someone homeless you are must send us specific information in a specific format detailing the action you are taking.
The information we need depends on whether you are a landlord or a creditor. These documents detail exactly the information you need to send us:
You can email us your notification at: HomelessPrevention@dumgal.gov.uk
Emergency help
Call free on 0303 333 3001 or email socialworkoutofhours@dumgal.gov.uk outside of office hours if you need urgent help to find somewhere to stay tonight.
What happens next
We'll interview you to assess your circumstances and options. We try to arrange interviews as soon as possible, especially if you already have nowhere to stay.
It's easier for us to deal with your application if you can supply evidence, such as:
- proof of your identity
- information on your personal circumstances
- details of your income from working, benefits and pensions
- information on your children (or proof you are pregnant)
- documents showing why you're homeless or are at risk
We'll decide if you qualify for accommodation within 28 days, but this may be delayed if we don't have all the information we need. Temporary accommodation is provided in urgent cases.
We'll refer you to Homes4D&G and Loreburn Housing Association if we decide you're unintentionally homeless and they'll try to find accommodation for you. You'll be offered temporary accommodation until somewhere more permanent is found.
Other support
Depending on your situation you may also find help and support from other services. You can find out who might help you locally by using find my nearest and choosing 'Housing Support Outreach Services'.
Further Information
- Download Dumfries and Galloway Council's
to the Scottish Housing Regulator. We have been working closely with the Regulator to improve service areas highlighted in the Local Area Network Local Scrutiny Plan 16/17. The Council agreed a 5 year Homeless Strategy in June 2018 (below) which incorporates actions to address areas of performance and drive improvements. - Dumfries and Galloway Council's sets our priorities for tackling homelessness in Dumfries and Galloway.