98.4 RBKC Official finding a new home AW WEB.PDF.pdf

Helping you find a new home
Information for residents from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk
Overview
The Government and Royal Borough of Kensington
A quick guide to getting started
and Chelsea have made a commitment to find you a
More detailed instructions are on page 3.
permanent home within 12 months. Our complete focus
The website will open for residents to use from
is on finding you a home that you are happy with. We will
Monday 21 August.
provide advice and support to help you throughout the
process. For more information on the help that is available,
To register your interest:
please see the box below.
1.   Go  to  www.homeconnections.org.uk and
select the Kensington & Chelsea option.
2.  Log in using your User ID and PIN number.
How do I see which homes are available?
3.   Click ‘see all properties’ to view all of the homes
We want to give you as much choice as possible. To do
that might be suitable for you.
this we will be using the website Home Connections
(www.homeconnections.org.uk). We have created an
4.   View the details of homes and tell us if you like
area of the website that is only for former residents of
somewhere by clicking ‘express your interest’.
Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk.
5.   You can express your interest in as many
You may have used this website before and be familiar with
homes as you like, or change your mind by
the system. However, to find you a home that you are happy
clicking ‘withdraw’.
with as quickly as we can we have made some changes to
6.   You can access the system and your choices as
the way this works. There will be no limit to the number of
many times as you like, and make as many
suitable homes you can express your interest in.
changes as you need.
The website uses a system called choice-based lettings
7.   We will start contacting people to arrange viewings.
(CBL). This gives you the opportunity to see details all of the
homes available and decide whether you think they might
8.   New properties will be available on the
be suitable for you.
website regularly.
You now have your own User ID and PIN that you should
use to access Home Connections.
If you are having difficulty using the online system, have lost your User ID, or do not have internet access please ask
your Housing Allocations Officer or your Key Worker and we will make sure you get the help you need.
A message from your Housing Allocations Officer
Making sure this process works for you is my top priority. I want to provide you with the right support you need to
make a decision about your new home. I can do this in a number of ways, including but not limited to the below.
•   I have already been in touch with you to make sure
•   You will have my direct contact number and can call
you get the information you need delivered to you in
me at any time from 9am to 5pm. I will either answer
the way you like.
your questions over the phone or will meet with you
•   I will work with you to find times that suit you to
as many times as you would like to help you through
discuss the process, help you log in to the website
the process.
and answer any questions you may have.
•   If you feel comfortable using the system and you
•   Please don’t worry if you don’t feel comfortable using
don’t want to meet with me I completely understand
computers or don’t have access to the internet. We
but I will always be available to you should you need
will work together to make sure your interest is
my help.
registered in the homes you like.
If you need assistance or would like to speak to someone, please call me directly or ring the Housing Allocations Office
on 0207 361 3985 and I or another member of the team will get in touch to help.

How do I tell you I am
What happens next?
interested in a home?
Home Connections will show us everyone who is interested
If you see a home you like on Home Connections you can
in each home. We will review this list for each property and
use the online system to tell us that you are interested. As
invite the household with the highest priority to a viewing.
new homes become available, they will be added on
There is more information about the priority bands below,
Monday mornings and will remain online until the Sunday
and how we will make a decision if two or more households
night of that same week. To allow everyone to get used to
are in the same band.
the system, the first wave of homes will be available to view
A member of the Housing Allocations Team and a
for longer – from Monday 21 August until Friday 1 September.
representative of the landlord will be at each viewing to help
If you see a home you are interested in, please use the
answer any questions you have.
website to tell us. There is no priority given to residents who
If you are invited to attend a viewing but have changed your
express their interest early in the week.
mind about the home, please let us know. It means we can
When you use the website to tell us that you are interested
then offer your place to another household who is
in a home, we will make sure you are considered for it. The
interested. Contact details for your Housing Allocations
Grenfell Rehousing Policy will be used to prioritise everyone
Officer are in the letter that accompanies this information.
who is interested. You can read this below.
Each home will only be viewed and offered to one
There is no restriction on the number of homes you can
household at a time. If you view a property you will be the
register your interest in. If you like a home, please tell us.
only tenant to see the home at that time and will be the only
one receiving an offer. You will then have the time to
consider if it is right for you.
What information will
there be about the homes?
Priority bands
Home Connections will tell you each home’s location, floor
All former residents of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell
level, the number of bedrooms and who the landlord is.
Walk have endured and continue to endure enormous
There will also be information about whether it is accessible
suffering. After very careful consideration, the Council
for people with mobility issues. (See page 4 for more
has decided to use four ‘priority bands’ to ensure the
information on accessibility.)
most vulnerable households are given the opportunity
to be rehoused first. In summary, the four bands are:
•
First band priority will be given to anyone who
What size home will I be offered?
has been bereaved as a result of the fire.
This information has been sent to you by letter along with
•
Second band priority will be given to a
your Log In details for Home Connections.
household that has a member or members:
In most cases, the homes we show you will have the same
  – with a serious physical or mental disability
number of bedrooms as your home in Grenfell Tower or
Grenfell Walk. However, if you were overcrowded in this
  – with a serious learning disability
home, you will be able to view properties that are big
  –  who has needs for care and support or carer’s
enough to meet your needs.
needs for support
When we consider every household’s needs, we use the
•
Third band priority will be given to any
established national guidelines. This means that children of
household which includes dependent children.
the same sex will be expected to share until the eldest
reaches 16, and boys and girls will be expected to share
•
Fourth band priority will be given to all
until the eldest reaches 10.
other former residents of Grenfell Tower and
Grenfell Walk.
If two or more households have the same priority for
rehousing (for example, because they both have a
household member who is physically disabled and
have dependent children) preference for an available
property will be given to the household that has lived
in Grenfell Tower or Grenfell Walk the longest.
This means, as social housing is made available, it will
be offered first to residents who have been bereaved
as a result of the fire. Available housing will then be
offered to other interested residents who lost their
home. These residents will be prioritised by those
with health problems and / or care needs, and then to
households with dependent children. Social housing
that has not been accepted by the above groups of
residents will be offered to all other former residents
of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk.
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How to tell us which homes you like: a step by step guide
If need assistance or would prefer your Key Worker or Housing Allocations Officer to talk you through how this works,
please let them know.
Homes will be available to view from Monday 21 August. This first wave of available properties will be on the system for
two weeks, until Friday 1 September, to allow everyone to get used to the system. Following this, as new homes become
available, they will be added on Monday mornings and will remain online until the Sunday night of that same week.
1.   Go  to  www.homeconnections.org.uk and select
8.   If you have changed your mind about a home and are
the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
no longer interested, let us know by clicking on the
2.   Click ‘login’ on the left hand menu. Enter the details
‘withdraw’ option in the list of your properties, and
included in your letter and click ‘enter’.
then select ‘withdraw your interest’ on the individual
listing, above the photograph on the top left. This
3.   Your personal homepage will appear. This has key
home will then be added to your list of withdrawn
details about what you need from a home, including
properties. You can add and remove homes as many
number of bedrooms and accessibility information.
times as you like.
4.   Click on ‘see all properties’ in the top left hand
9.   Please make sure you have selected all of the homes
corner. This will automatically show you all of the
you like by midnight each Sunday. At this point, you
homes available that are suitable for you.
will not be able to express an interest in any more
5.   To look at the details of a home, click ‘full property
homes from that week, and the information on who is
info’. This will show you the full information you need
interested in which property will be sent to us so we
to see if it might be right for you.
can begin to contact people to arrange viewings.
6.   If you want to tell us that you are interested in a
10. If you receive an offer of a viewing, your Housing
home, click on the ‘express an interest’ button which
Allocations Officer will contact you directly.
is above the photograph on the left. The home will
11. New available homes will be added to the system
then automatically be added to the ‘my current
every Monday morning for you to view and express
properties’ list on your homepage.
an interest in. You can look at these homes and tell
7.   You can express an interest in as many suitable
us which ones you are interested in while you are
homes as you like. They will all be added to the list of
waiting to hear from your Housing Allocations Officer
your properties on your homepage.
about properties from the previous week.
12. If you are using a public or shared computer, please
log out when you have finished using the option on
the left hand side menu.
Please ring 0207 361 3985 if you need help at any point during the process.
What happens after the viewing?
Please let your Housing Allocations Officer know if you are still
It would be helpful to know your thoughts within three days
interested. You are under no pressure to accept the home
if possible. Your Housing Allocations Officer will be on hand
that has been offered, and you may want time to think.
throughout this time to discuss the offer and answer any
We understand that this is a big decision for you to make
further questions you might have.
after the trauma you have experienced, and we will provide
If what we have offered is not right for you then please tell
as much help and support as you may need.
your Housing Allocations Officer the reasons why. We want
If you would like to move into this home, you will receive a
to make sure that everyone has a home that is right for
letter formally offering it to you. Your Housing Allocations
them, and knowing your thoughts will help us find you a
Officer or Key Worker will be able to give you more
more suitable option as quickly as we can.
information about accepting the offer and the support
Rehousing families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire
available to help your move go as smoothly as possible.
remains our priority. Rejecting an offer will not affect your
If you are not interested in this home then please let us
urgent eligibility for permanent housing, and you will not be
know as soon as you can so we can show it to another
made homeless at any point. We will continue to work with
household that might be interested.
you to offer homes for as long as it is reasonable and
practicable to do so.
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Accessible housing
For those who require accessible housing such as step-free access or a level access shower there will be support to help
you find a home which meets your needs. The most accessible homes will be prioritised for the households who need them.
If you have very specific needs, we may make you direct offers of accessible housing. A direct offer is when we call someone
with details of a home that we think would be suitable for them, rather than waiting for them to register their interest. They
can view the home and decide if they would like to move there or not. You will be able to discuss your preferences with your
Housing Allocations Officer who can assist you throughout this process.
If you are given a direct offer you do not have to accept it. Direct offers are used to help residents find suitable homes that
will meet their specific access needs. Kensington and Chelsea is a small borough and there is a limited amount of homes
that are suitable for, or have been adapted for, households with these needs.
A Council Housing Occupational Therapist (OT) will attend viewings for residents with specific needs. For elderly and
disabled residents, we can also offer extra help with the viewing such as accessible transport to and from the property.
If you would like to discuss your specific needs, please contact your Housing Allocations Officer.
Property accessibility categories
Helpful things to know:
Properties are categorised into one of the following groups:
•
Priority: All residents from Grenfell Tower and
Walk have been given the highest priority on the
•   Wheelchair accessible: Property may be in a building
Council’s housing register which will be noted on
with lifts and not be located on the ground floor.
your profile. Please refer to the priority bands on
•   Step-free with wider doorways and corridors: Property
page 2 for more information.
may be in a building with lifts and not be located on the
•
‘Bedrooms’ tells you how many bedrooms
ground floor.
a home has, while ‘bedspace’ is the size of
•   Step-free accommodation: Property may be in a building
these bedrooms. For example, somewhere with
with lifts and not be located on the ground floor.
bedrooms/bedspace 2/3 will be a two bedroom
property with one single and one double room.
•   Minimal steps: Property has a limited number of steps to
access (up to six).
•
‘Area’ refers to the area within the borough
of Kensington and Chelsea. More location
•   General needs: Properties with at least one flight of stairs.
information, including maps, is provided in
the individual property listings.
•   Our  full commitment to looking after you in
More information and support
your new home is spelled out in The Housing
Commitment to Residents document. If you
If you do not have access to a smartphone, computer or
need another copy of this, please ask your
tablet to use the website you should talk to your Key Worker
Housing Allocations Officer.
or Housing Allocations Officer. They will be able to help you
access the Home Connections service. If you are having
trouble using the system or do not want to use the website
at all, they will be able to help you or, if you request it,
register your interest in suitable homes on your behalf.
You should have received a copy of the Council’s Housing
Commitment to Residents. If you do not have a copy, it is
available on the Council’s website or you can ask your Key
Worker and/or Housing Allocations Officer for a printed copy.
This document is available in both Farsi and Arabic. If you need this information in another
language, or have other access requirements, please ask your Key Worker or Housing
Allocations Officer.
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