Letter template: make a complaint about your homeless application

Subject: Homeless application complaint about <name of the council>

To the homeless team

I am writing to complain about how your team handled my homeless application.

I applied to the council as homeless on <the date or month that you applied>.

<Include the section below if the council did not take a homeless application>
When I first told the council I was homeless and in need of assistance, the homeless team did not take an application. This was in breach of section 28 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.

<Include the section below if the council did not give you temporary accommodation - delete anything that does not apply to you>
When I told the homeless team I needed temporary accommodation, I was told that:
- there was no accommodation available
- I should stay with friends until they had accommodation for me
- the accommodation was very expensive, and I could not afford it

This was in breach of section 29 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.

<Include the section below if you were supported by an agency or organisation, such as Shelter Scotland>
When the homeless team did take a homeless application and give me temporary accommodation, they only did this after intervention by <name of the organisation>.

<Delete anything that does not apply to you>
This meant I was forced to:
- sleep rough
- stay with friends or family
- stay in accommodation that was not safe for me
- pay for a hotel or B&B that I could not afford

This had an adverse effect on my <what impact this had on your health or personal circumstances>.

The person I spoke to was called <name of the person at the council and their job title if you know it>.

To resolve my complaint, I am asking you to <example: take a homeless application, apologise, retrain staff>.

Please confirm that you have received this complaint, and respond within 5 working days.

If I am unhappy with your response, I will consider making a stage 2 complaint and escalation to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

<your name>
<your email or postal address>