We provide a Housing Support Service to customers in Greyfriars House, people that are at risk of homelessness and our housing tenants across Perth and Kinross. We have around 20 Support Officers who provide support to these groups of customers.
Our Housing Support Service works with people to help them avoid becoming homeless and to prepare them for moving into a permanent home.
Aims of the service
- To prevent homelessness through the provision of person-centred housing support.
- To support households in temporary accommodation.
- To assist and support households to settle into permanent accommodation and minimise repeat homelessness.
If you are a housing applicant, or a not a tenant of Perth & Kinross Council, you can access the service by speaking to our Housing Options Team on 01738 476000 or by emailing housingoptions@pkc.gov.uk.
If you are an existing Perth and Kinross Council tenant we have Support Officers working in our Locality Housing Teams who provide support with your tenancy. If you are a tenant who needs support to keep your tenancy please speak to your Locality Housing staff.
You can watch this short video to find out what help our Housing Support Service can provide:
Areas of advice
Accommodation
- Resettlement and tenancy support to help you maintain your tenancy
- Advice about rent arrears
- Advice on household maintenance
- Advice on maintaining a property in good repair
Health
- Finding and registering with a GP
- Accessing other services and agencies for the benefit of your health and wellbeing
- A listening ear and support through a crisis
- Clients are encouraged to address the underlying issues that have led to their homelessness to prevent it happening again
- Access to specialist agencies who provide particular types of support, e.g. Women's Aid, The Scottish Association for Mental Health, Citizens Advice Bureau.
Safety and security
- Advice on reporting repairs
- Advice on fuel poverty (PDF, 968 KB)
- Support for those affected by domestic violence
Social, Economic and Wellbeing
Support to claim areas of Housing Benefit.
- Help filling in forms
- Help with Welfare Rights services to maximise your income
- Support when dealing with the Department for Work and Pensions
- Assistance and support with Council Tax and energy/phone bills
- Advice on fuel poverty
- Support to address underlying issues that may be affecting your personal confidence or behaviour
- General advice on cooking and nutrition
Employment and voluntary work
- Support to access a range of activities such as voluntary work
- Work with careers services to provide advice and access to training and employment
If there are any areas of support that you feel you may benefit from, get in touch and if we can't help we will try to put you in touch with someone who can.
Rights and responsibilities
You have the right:
- to be treated politely and with respect at all times;
- to make decisions about the support you want;
- to have your privacy and confidentiality respected and maintained;
- to have your cultural, racial and spiritual needs valued and respected;
You have a responsibility:
- to meet with your Support Officer at the time appointments are made;
- to refrain from the misuse of substances before pre-arranged meetings with Support staff;
- to treat Support staff with respect;
- to work in partnership with your Homeless Support Officer to achieve a successful outcome.