In many areas of Scotland local authorities are still
the largest source of rented housing. In some areas you will apply
directly to the local authority to be considered for one of their
houses. You may also be able to apply for a house under a local
authority's Common Housing Register (CHR). A CHR is where a group
of landlords devise a single application form by which anyone
seeking housing in their area can register their need and specify
their housing preferences. Participating landlords then prioritise
and select applicants from the single pool of applicants according
to their own allocations policy. It is a tool which aims to make
accessing housing simpler and fairer for you.
Different local authorities and housing providers
will choose tenants in different ways. Individual authorities will
prioritise applications based on criteria which address local
housing market conditions. Disabled people whose current
accommodation is unsuitable for their needs will usually be given a
degree of priority.
Local authorities have a duty under the Social Work
(Scotland) Act 1968 to assess a person's community care needs and
decide in light of that assessment whether to arrange any services
and if so which services. Any provision of assistance should be
based on a detailed assessment of the individual's care needs and
should take account of their preferences. This includes an
assessment of your housing needs. You may need to move to a new
home because your present one cannot be adapted to meet your needs.
If you have a housing need, social work services should work with
the local authority housing department or Registered Social
Landlords in your area to try to arrange to meet your housing
needs.
If you are in hospital then your health board and
social work services should work together to help ensure that you
are not discharged from a hospital into unsuitable accommodation. A
community care assessment must be carried out and if that
assessment states that appropriate accommodation is required, it
should be arranged before discharge. Your health board may have a
delayed discharge programme to help patients whose current
accommodation is unsuitable find housing which meets their needs.
In certain circumstances your assessment may indicate that your
accommodation and care needs require a nursing home or care home
placement. In this situation you should be fully involved in
deciding if this is appropriate and which home you wish to go to.
Remember, if you decide you do not want to go to a nursing or care
home you should seek independent advice from a law centre or
citizens advice bureau as quickly as possible (please see the
useful contacts section for more information).
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