Introduction to Housing and Homelessness Advice
Understand housing rights, eviction notices, homelessness duties and when specialist advice is needed.
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Training from Accommodation Concern
Practical learning from people who work with housing, homelessness and financial hardship every day.
Practical workforce development
Clear, useful training for teams who support people in crisis.
Accommodation Concern provides accessible, practical training for charities, councils, housing providers, health services and other organisations supporting people experiencing housing difficulty, financial hardship or homelessness.
Our training is grounded in frontline experience. We focus on what staff and managers need to recognise, what they need to ask, and what they can do next.
Sessions can be delivered as introductory briefings, focused workshops or more detailed training packages. We can tailor the content to your organisation, the experience of your team and the people you support.
Who it is for
- Frontline staff
- Managers and team leaders
- Trustees and senior leaders
- Housing and support workers
- Advice and community organisations
- Health and social care teams
- Local authority staff
- Supported accommodation providers
- Volunteers working with people in crisis
Core courses
Training shaped around real-world decisions.
Introduction to Benefits
An accessible introduction to entitlement, common claim problems, reconsiderations, appeals and referrals.
Course detailsIntroduction to Debt Advice and Financial Resilience
Help staff respond safely to financial difficulty without crossing into inappropriate debt advice.
Course detailsSupported Exempt Accommodation and Housing Benefit
For providers, landlords, local authorities and organisations working with supported accommodation models.
Course detailsSHROA Readiness
Prepare boards, managers and operational teams for supported housing regulation and licensing changes.
Course detailsAI Safety in Charities
Use AI responsibly while protecting confidentiality, data, accuracy, safeguarding and decision-making.
Course detailsNot theory in a vacuum
Training built from the questions people actually ask.
You do not need to be a housing or welfare rights specialist. Our introductory courses explain complex subjects clearly and help participants understand when further specialist advice is needed.
Housing and homelessness
Introduction to Housing and Homelessness Advice
Housing law can feel complicated, particularly when someone is facing eviction, has nowhere safe to stay or is being passed between different organisations. This course gives participants a practical introduction to housing rights and homelessness duties in England.
Topics can include
- Tenancies, licences and occupation arrangements
- Eviction notices and the possession process
- Illegal eviction and harassment
- Homelessness and threatened homelessness
- Local authority homelessness duties
- Priority need, intentional homelessness and local connection
- Emergency and temporary accommodation
- Evidence that can help a homelessness application
Participants will leave able to
- Recognise common housing and homelessness issues
- Understand the basic legal process when someone is asked to leave
- Gather useful information before making a referral
- Avoid giving incorrect or unsafe housing advice
Benefits
Introduction to Benefits
The benefits system can be difficult to navigate, especially for people dealing with poor health, disability, unemployment, caring responsibilities or sudden changes in income.
Topics can include
- Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction
- PIP, ESA and health-related benefits
- Benefits for carers and families
- Sanctions, deductions and overpayments
- Changes of circumstances
- Mandatory reconsiderations and appeals
- Benefit checks and specialist referral points
Participants will leave able to
- Understand the broad structure of the benefits system
- Recognise potential entitlement
- Spot warning signs when a claim may be wrong
- Help people prepare for a benefits appointment
Debt and resilience
Introduction to Debt Advice and Financial Resilience
Debt problems are rarely just about money. They can affect someone's housing, health, relationships, employment and ability to manage everyday life.
Topics can include
- Priority and non-priority debts
- Rent, mortgage, Council Tax and energy arrears
- Court fines and enforcement action
- Bailiffs and enforcement agents
- Budgeting and financial statements
- Breathing Space
- Debt Relief Orders and other debt solutions
- The limits of unregulated debt advice
Participants will leave able to
- Identify debts that need urgent attention
- Understand information, guidance and regulated advice
- Recognise immediate risk
- Collect useful information for a debt referral
Specialist training
For supported housing, governance and digital risk.
Supported Exempt Accommodation and Housing Benefit
For supported housing providers, landlords, registered providers, local authorities and organisations considering entering the supported accommodation sector.
- Exempt accommodation categories
- Care, support and supervision requirements
- Eligible and ineligible service charges
- Rent setting and reasonableness
- Housing Benefit evidence and review preparation
- Compliance and financial risk
SHROA Readiness
The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act is changing the way supported housing will be regulated in England. Providers should begin preparing now.
- Supported housing licensing direction
- National standards and local authority oversight
- Property standards and support quality
- Governance, safeguarding and risk management
- Records, evidence and resident involvement
- Practical readiness planning
AI Safety in Charities
AI can improve efficiency and accessibility, but it also creates risks around confidentiality, accuracy, bias, data protection and decision-making.
- Appropriate and inappropriate AI use
- Confidential and personal information
- UK GDPR and safeguarding information
- Hallucinations, bias and human oversight
- Staff use of public AI tools
- Policies, risk assessments and supplier assurance
Do not wait for licensing to begin.Organisations that review governance, property management, support delivery and evidence now will be better placed when the new supported housing system is introduced.
Bespoke training
Every organisation is different.
We can adapt training around your service model, the experience of your team, the needs of the people you support, local challenges, current policies, commissioner expectations and specific cases or risks you are encountering.
We can also combine subjects into a tailored package. For example, a supported housing organisation may want a programme covering Housing Benefit, SHROA readiness, housing law and AI safety.
Training can include
- Practical exercises
- Case studies
- Group discussion
- Question-and-answer sessions
- Management briefings
- Trustee development
- Policy review
- Follow-up resources
Why train with AC?
Four decades of practical support, turned into useful learning.
Accommodation Concern has been supporting people affected by homelessness, financial hardship and housing insecurity for four decades.
Our team delivers housing, benefits and debt advice alongside supported accommodation, employability and financial resilience services. That means our training is informed by real cases, operational challenges and direct experience of working with clients, landlords, councils, health services, commissioners and partner organisations.
Frontline reality
We teach from live operational experience, not abstract theory.
Practical judgement
Participants learn what to ask, what to record and when to refer.
Quality and safety
We are clear about the boundary between useful support and specialist advice.
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