Housing information and advice
This information will help you with finding the
correct landlord or housing service, reporting housing
issues and getting advice about housing issues.
Obtaining Housing Help on behalf of your service user
London Borough of Tower Hamlets has a Housing Helpline for
professionals working in the Borough.
If you work in the health and social services (including
educational health and social services), or third sector agencies,
and your work involves vulnerable, elderly or disabled people,
there is now a dedicated resource to help you access housing
information.
This email service will only accept enquiries from work
emails of known agencies.
However, the information below may be enough to help you with
your work. If not email the housing support service with
your query: supportingpeople@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
Anti-social behaviour
You can report anti-social behaviour directly to the council on
0800 917 5918.
Information on anti-social
behaviour
Area housing offices
Area housing offices provide estate based housing management and
mediation services. It is important they are made aware of any
tenancy changes, including long stays in hospital.
Contact your local housing
office.
Benefits
The benefits section deals with benefit claims and offers
general advice about claiming benefits, clothing grants, free
school meals, housing benefits and council tax benefits. The
service is provided on an area basis.
Information on benefits.
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Energy efficiency
Our energy efficiency service provides advice on energy
conservation and grants.
Information on energy
efficiency
Environmental protection
To contact the following teams call 020 7364 5008.
Health and Housing Team
Deal with health and safety in private rented housing, including
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and HMO Licensing
There is also a pest control team and
health and environment team (air
pollution issues etc.) and North and South teams (noise and
nuisance complaints).
Hate crime reporting
This service allows users to report hate
crime in confidence to organisations other than the police.
- Hate crime 24 hour reporting line: 0800 138 0521
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Homeless and housing advice service
The homeless and housing advice service consists of several
teams:
- rents team
- re-housing team
- reception
- homeless independent living team (HILT)
- accommodation team
- visiting team
- housing advisory
- assessments
The Homeless and Housing Advice Service can be contacted
on 0207 364 3558 and housing.advice@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
Homeless independent living team (HILT)
HILT assists homeless service users to achieve and maintain an
optimum level of independence, and to sustain tenancies in a safe
and accessible environment. They aim to prevent the revolving door
of homelessness, support disabled and vulnerable homeless
applicants, and assist with finding housing.
Occupational therapists carry out housing needs assessments,
rehab and support needs. Specialist tenancy sustainment officers
are also in post.
HILT can be contacted on 020 7364 7302.
Download the HILT
leaflet (PDF, 809k)
Private housing improvement team
The private housing improvement team is able to help
elderly, disabled or low-income homeowners apply for grants. These
grants are for improving and repairing their home or carrying out
adaptations to meet the needs of a disabled person.
For general enquiries call 020 7364 2531.
See more information about private housing
improvement.
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Housing development team (Affordable Housing Team)
The Housing Development Team aims to develop
partnership working with Registered Social Landlords, government
agencies and private developers.
Low
cost home ownership schemes
For other information on affordable housing
contact 020 7364 2528.
Housing occupational therapy team
The housing occupational therapy (OT) team deal solely with
people applying to be re-housed. They conduct assessments to
determine what adaptations can be made to a person’s home to
improve their activities of daily living.
The Development and Renewal directorate funds
adaptations to Council properties and Registered Social Landlords
(RSLs). Adaptations to privately owned properties may be
facilitated by the Private housing improvement team (see
above).
The housing OT team do not take direct referrals. Cases are
referred to them from the lettings’ health advisor. For enquiries
contact Roz Stern on 020 7364 3601, Monday to Wednesday.
If your client does not meet the criteria for housing OT, please
contact the social services community OT service on 020 7364
5948 / 5945 (Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm).
Lettings
The Tower Hamlets lettings system is open to people on the
common housing list. It can help people on the list find a new
home under the bidding system. Bids can be entered at the
Tower Hamlets Homes website. In order
to bid, people must first be registered on the common housing
list.
Management of Council owned housing
Since July 2008, all the Council’s housing has
been managed by Tower Hamlets Homes, which is an ALMO (arms length
management organisation). Click here for more information
about Tower Hamlets Homes.
Local Housing Offices
Tower Hamlets Homes’ Local Housing
Offices provide estate based housing management and mediation
services. It is important that local housing offices are made aware
of any tenancy changes, including long stays in hospital.
Rents
If a service user falls into rent arrears, it is better for us
to be aware of it sooner than later so that we can find a way to
help them manage their rent account better.
Advice on coping with rent
enquiries
Repairs help centre
For all issues relating to council housing repairs, including
emergency call-outs, the housing repairs call centre can be
contacted on 0800 376 1637.
The Sylheti Help-Line is 0800 376 1638.
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Supporting people
Supporting People is a national programme aimed at promoting
independence and quality of life for vulnerable people. By
providing housing-related support services that enable people to
live successfully in their accommodation, Supporting People is an
opportunity to bring about a comprehensive change in the way the
needs of vulnerable people are met.
The programme has a very wide scope, reaching out to many
vulnerable members of society, including:
- people who have been homeless or sleeping rough
- people with drug or alcohol needs
- older people with support needs, mental health problems and
dementia
- people with mental health needs and mentally disordered
offenders
- women fleeing domestic violence
- people with a physical or sensory disability
- people with a learning disability
- people with HIV and AIDS
- offenders, and people at risk of offending
- refugees
- young people leaving care or at risk
- homeless families
- teenage parents
- travellers
Examples of services funded by Supporting People include:
- sheltered housing services for older people
- support workers who visit a wide range of people in their own
homes
- specific housing-related support in a range of accommodation,
including hostels and homes for residents who have specific short
or long term needs
Visit the
Supporting People website.
How to contact us
Contact Tower Hamlets’ Supporting People admin
officer on:
Tel: 020 7364 7021
Email: supportingpeople@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Tenancy support team
The tenancy support team provides a case-based, optional and
flexible support service for council tenants.
You can contact the team on 020 7364 5544 or contact an
local housing
office.
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