Homelessness law for Manchester based case workers and advisors

According to recent reports in the Manchester Evening News, Manchester is the destitution capital of the north – with one in every 154 Mancunians now homeless and rough sleeping having risen more than ten-fold since 2010. Commenting on the rise in rough sleepers, Mayor Andy Burnham said: “The safety net that used to be there beneath all people and all communities now has large holes in it and more and more people are falling through and ending up huddled in our doorways.”

To make some of those “large holes” a little smaller, this free seminar – which is only open to the case workers and advisors of charitable organisations working with homeless people in Manchester – will explain the main legal duties and powers owed to homeless people by Manchester City Council. In particular:

• You will be provided with a short, interactive and practical introduction to the law on homelessness accommodation and assistance under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996;
• You will be given an overview of the stages of a homelessness application under the Part VII process;
• There will be a primary focus on the key legal issues of whether your client is homeless, in priority need and not intentionally homeless. Given the time constraints, there will be some consideration of the issue of local connection and eligibility for assistance;
• We will focus on the practicalities of identifying where your clients are up to in the Part VII process and how you can support them in the process;
• We will highlight the key duties which might be owed to your clients by the Council. We will also look at the powers which the Council might exercise in your client’s favour; and
• We will introduce you to the range of decisions which the Council makes as part of the Part VII process and importantly how those decisions can be challenged and how your clients’ rights can be enforced.

The speakers are Gary Willock (a barrister at Garden Court North Chambers) and Helen Jackson (a solicitor at Shelter Manchester).

The seminar will take place in Chambers and lunch will be provided.

When: 13 Dec 2017
Start time: 10:30
End time: 15:30

Book online

To book your place on this seminar, please use the booking form below. If you have any queries please email Alex Blair, Communications Manager, at ablair@gcnchambers.co.uk.