Homesearch

The existing One Stop Shop at the Hollies, Midsomer Norton (MSN) will close at 1pm on Wednesday 14th February 2018 and from Thursday 15th February most services will be delivered from the MSN library. Therefore the last normal service day will be Tues 13th February 2018.

The Housing Options & Advice service on Tuesdays will still be available from the Hollies however customers will need to contact a Housing officer using the telephone in the upper ground floor entrance lobby where they will be greeted and shown to a room. There will be no Thursday Housing service during the interim period however access to the Homesearch register and properties will still be available from the library.

The new fully integrated space will be opening in early June 2018 where a full Housing service will resume.

The first new social rented homes built by Curo in Mulberry Park are ready for occupation.  A total of 14 new social rented homes have now been allocated to existing tenants who are affected by the Foxhill Regeneration. Further properties will be advertised on Homesearch in the next few Weeks.  The first tenants moved in before Christmas and we expect more properties to be occupied by the end of March 2018.

Social housing tenants living in the Foxhill Regeneration area will be given priority through Homesearch for new housing on Mulberry Park. For further advice on this, contact James Lewis at Curo on 01225 366 474 or the Council’s Homesearch Team on 01225 393 098.

To allow tenants moving to Mulberry Park to choose from a range of kitchens, bathroom finishes and flooring, new properties will be advertised on Homesearch well before construction is complete. Look out for information on future viewing opportunities which will appear on the Homesearch website.

Have social services assessed you as needing 24 hour care? Do you require large essential medical equipment that can’t be stored elsewhere in your property? Are you adopting or fostering a child? Do you have a child with additional needs that requires a safe space/private bedroom?

If so you could qualify for an extra bedroom.

Extra bedrooms are agreed in exceptional circumstances by the Senior Housing Practitioner. For an assessment to take place confirmation will be required from a suitable professional such as a GP or occupational therapist. A personal health and care plan can be provided for children. Letters from DWP or Universal credit that confirm your care requirements are also acceptable.

You will need to be able to evidence that you can afford the extra bedroom if it is awarded.

Do you or a member of your household have any medical needs that make life difficult in your current property? If so contact us now to request a medical assessment form on 01225 396118.

When returning a medical assessment form please ensure you provide adequate supporting evidence from a qualified medical practitioner: GP, Nurse, Specialist, Health Visitor, Paediatrician etc.

Medical priority to move will only be given in cases where a move to alternative accommodation would significantly improve or alleviate the problems the relevant applicant is experiencing.

In our rural communities applicants with a connection to the parish will be given greater priority for properties, this is called a “rural connection”. This means that if you have a connection you could be rehoused quicker in these areas.

For a rural connection you must meet one of the following criteria:

-Live in the parish & have done so for at least the last 12 months.

-Work in the parish in permanent paid employment.

-Have an immediate relative in the parish with which there is ongoing positive contact. Mother, father adult sibling or adult child (over 18yrs).

-Or have lived in the parish for three of the last five years.

Review your application now. An inaccurate rural connection can affect your queue position.