Students Presenting as Homeless Guidance

Guidance for staff when students present as homeless, or are about to have to leave their accommodation suddenly

Due to a number of factors, Universities across the UK are seeing more students becoming homeless or having accommodation issues during the course of their studies. Please read on to find out what you can do when a student comes to you for support.

Is this an immediate problem, i.e. the student has nowhere to live tonight? 

  • Who else has the student told?  If other University staff/Residence Life/The Advice Place/Edinburgh Cares: decide on who is coordinating actions 

  • Do trusted contacts/family/friends/supporters know? 
  • What is the concern? (Dispute with flatmates, uninhabitable accommodation, Domestic violence, GBV, family problems or unsafe situation) 

  • Refer to ACE/ResLife for short term 72-hour accommodation. Please note at certain times of year (September & October), UoE accommodation is in short supply

  • ACE can potentially provide a longer term lease depending on occupancy rates.  Discuss with the student if this is something they would like to consider

  • Once emergency accommodation secured, work with student to signpost to The Advice Place, ACE/Residence Life if space & they would like to sign a lease for longer term  

  • Is the student over 25?   Help if you are homeless – The City of Edinburgh Council  Get help - Simon Community Scotland (simonscotland.org). Please note: See below for further council advice.

  • Does the student have financial issues? Yes- please contact The Advice Place and/or Student Hardship 

 

Is this the end of the working day/week? 

  • Refer student to Security on 0131 650 2257 who will contact Community Security Support Team & Residence Life to offer student short term accommodation for 72 hours  

  • What is the concern? (Dispute with flatmates, uninhabitable accommodation, Domestic violence, GBV, family problems or unsafe situation)- organise student meeting for next working day to discuss & signpost

  • Additional out of hours support for the student can be accessed through The Listening Service, available 24/7

 

Is this a non-emergency i.e. the student is looking for a place to live but currently has somewhere safe?

  • Who else has the student told? 

  • If other University staff/Residence Life/The Advice Place/Edinburgh Cares: decide on who is coordinating actions 

  • Do trusted contacts/family/friends/supporters know? 

  • If Advice Place not yet involved, refer student there with idea of budget, accessibility, landlord issues etc. 

  • Is the student over 25?  

Help if you are homeless – The City of Edinburgh Council 

Please note: A person who is about to become homeless normally has to attend a council office in person. We recommend doing this first thing in the morning as often spaces get taken up very quickly. Students should bring any documents pertaining to additional support needs, etc., as CEC has to provide suitable accommodation that meets their needs as they can otherwise be placed anywhere. The number one recommendation and often the difference maker in whether a person will be given anything decent would be to have a third sector organisation alongside them. In Edinburgh, Right There and Four Square are probably the quickest routes to support once they are aware of the situation. It is particularly important to have support if students are not from the UK as they might not have recourse to public funds. Crisis and Shelter can advise here.

Waiting times for permanent housing offers are long so please make sure the student is aware of this.

Get help - Simon Community Scotland (simonscotland.org) 

  • Does the student have financial issues? Yes- please contact The Advice Place and/or Student Hardship 

Note: If a student needs bedding, small spare stocks are kept by Edinburgh Cares and ACE

List of resources 

The Advice Place 

Accommodation Allocations 

Residence Life 

Security 

Student Funding & Hardship

The Rock Trust 

Edinburgh City Council 

Homeless or at risk – The City of Edinburgh Council 

The Access Place – The City of Edinburgh Council 

Homeless, sofa surfing, or nowhere safe to stay - Shelter Scotland 

Get help - Simon Community Scotland (simonscotland.org) 

 Street Support Edinburgh - Working together to tackle homelessness in Edinburgh

 Homeless Charity in Scotland | Cyrenians

 Bethany Christian Trust – Ending homelessness in Scotland… one person at a time

Immigration exemptions: homeless help from the council - Shelter Scotland

 

Students may need food banks, clothing banks, and emergency cash, and once they have a property they should contact Fresh Start for a Starter Pack of basic goods.

Clothesbank+ : Edinburgh City Mission

Starter Packs - Fresh Start (freshstartweb.org.uk)

Key Services responsibilities 

What can Residence Life do to help? 

  • ensure the student is safe and offer temporary Emergency accommodation when required 

  • risk assess the needs of the individual alongside the possible impact to the community when considering longer term accommodation needs 

  • be available to speak with the student regarding their housing situation and provide wellbeing support 

  • inform relevant departments to the outcome 

What can Edinburgh Cares do to help?  We work with UoE applicants and students who are care-experienced, estranged from their families or who have caring responsibilities. We provide information, advice, and guidance to applicants and students (and their supporters). We signpost to / refer on students to relevant internal and external services where appropriate. We also arrange activities and events for applicants and students as well as training for staff. Students can make 1-2-1 appointments with us using this link edin.ac/37oxDrJ . We can be contacted at edinburghcares@ed.ac.uk  

 

With thanks to Kirstin Henry, Cheryl Hutton, Abi Page, Alison Ramsay and Coleman Kerr for providing information.