MALVERN Hills, Worcester and Wychavon District Councils have joined forces to launch a new scheme to allocate social housing across the three districts.
‘Housing for You’ replaces Home Choice Plus, the current allocation system
The move will affect more than 9,000 people in South Worcestershire who are currently on the Housing Register.
The new policy for the allocation of social housing has been drawn up following extensive consultation with people on the register and local social housing providers, including Rooftop Housing Group and Platform Housing Group.
“Housing For You will give residents a single point of access to apply for affordable housing across Worcester, Malvern Hills and Wychavon – and means they will have access to a much wider choice of properties across the whole of South Worcestershire,” said Coun Lynn Denham, vice chair of Worcester City Council’s Communities Committee.
Stephen Gabriel, Director of Housing and Communities for Malvern Hills District and Wychavon District Councils, added: “This new system will allow us to prioritise those most in need and make it easier for us to work with households to prevent homelessness.
Under the new scheme households which are threatened with homelessness will be eligible for the highest banding if they are willing to work with a Housing Officer. Under the former Home Choice Plus system, the highest banding was only allocated once a household has actually become homeless.
Applicants will now be able to bid for any number of suitable available properties, whilst they were previously restricted to three bids per week.
Priority will be given to social housing tenants who wish to move and who don’t need all of the bedrooms in their current property – freeing up family homes which have high great demand.
Applicants in the highest three bands who refuse a suitable offer of accommodation will see their priority banding reduced.
