Cornwall Homechoice

Jon Warner – Homechoice Manager

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.

Contact Details

• Jon Warner – Homechoice Manager, West/Central

jon.warner@cornwallhousing.org.uk Tel: 07528 983436