Housing and homelessness

If you are currently homeless, or about to be made homeless, contact Rochford District Council.

• Complete a Housing Assessment form online (this is the quickest way to get support)

• Visit the council in person: 

Rochford Library, 8 Roche Close, Rochford SS4 1PX 

9am to 4.30pm (closed between 12pm and 1pm) 

 

Local Connection Guidelines: 

In order to be eligible for Social Housing you will need to be able to provide evidence of your local connection to the Rochford District.

 

The Council will assess you as having a connection to the District providing you can evidence of at least one of the following:  

• You have lived in Rochford District for at least six months during the last 12 months. 

• You have lived in Rochford for at least three years, during the last five years. 

• You have a close relative who lives in the District, and has done so for at least the last five years (relative must be either Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, or adult child). 

• You have a permanent job in the District. 

• You have a local connection to the area for another special reason. 

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Support in Southend

If you are currently homeless, or about to be made homeless, contact Southend City Council.

• Complete a Housing Advice and Homeless Enquiry form online 

• Telephone the Housing Solutions team on 01702 215002 

 

Local Connection Guidelines 

You will only be considered for Social Housing in the Southend area if you have both a housing need and a connection to the city. To be considered as having a local connection, you must meet one of the following criteria: 

• You have lived in the city continuously for 3, or 3 out of the last 5 years 

• You work in the city for 16 hours or more per week and have done so for the last 3 out of the past 5 years prior to the application 

• You have immediate family members who have been resident in the borough for the last 5 years (Immediate family members are defined as parents, adult children or brothers or sisters) 

• Those with certain links to the armed forces 

• If the Council has accepted a full housing duty under part VII of the Housing Act 1996 

• Engagement with services 

• Those who have a history of rough sleeping may struggle to demonstrate that their residency within the borough has been settled. Where this is the case, the Council will accept written confirmation from Council commissioned providers that an individual has been engaging with them/living within their supported housing for at least 6 months 

• Those needing to move to escape domestic abuse in their own local area will be treated as though they have a local connection to the borough 

• There are exceptional circumstances which the Council considers give rise to a local connection.

 

Applications will be considered on an individual basis.