Citizens Advice
have a guide on what benefits people with disabilities may be entitled to. You can contact your local Citizens Advice for help with applying. Disability benefits are slightly different for those who are experiencing homelessness.
Young LGBTQ+ people who are homeless are often faced with many challenges in securing housing or accommodation which meets their needs.
We work with many young people who have disabilities, and we aim to provide support and advice to those young people in searching for and securing housing which is safe and accessible.
disability and the equality act
At akt we recognise that disability is defined in lots of different ways by different people. Here we have included the legal definition of disability, under Section 6 of the Equality Act 2010, which is important for understanding your rights as a person with a disability.
(1) ‘A person has a disability if—
(a) They have a physical or mental impairment, and
(b) the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’
This is a broad definition, so it is always best to check even if you don’t think you have a disability.
Citizens Advice has further useful information to guide you through what counts as a disability.
housing
If you make a homelessness application in England and you are vulnerable due to a physical or learning disability or mental illness, then you should be assessed as having priority need. Shelter have information on priority need of people with disabilities.
In Scotland you do not have to prove you are in priority need to make a homeless application and any local authority accommodation provided must meet any special needs the applicant has and be reasonable for them to occupy. Shelter Scotland have information on housing options for people with disabilities.
If you live in England and you rent your home, or you are looking to rent, then you might have the right to ask for changes to be made to the property to allow you to live there with your disability.
Section 33 of the Equality Act states that you can take action against individuals or companies who discriminate against you when they sell or rent a property to you or manage a home you live in. Scope have a guide on how to challenge discrimination experienced based on disability in the housing sector.
