Housing Help Essentials

Housing Help Essentials – Preventing Housing Crisis.

Housing Help Essentials is a practical, frontline-focused training session delivered by Citizens Advice Essex, designed to help staff and volunteers spot housing risks early and respond with confidence.

Housing problems rarely start with an eviction notice. They often begin with rent arrears, benefit issues, disrepair, relationship breakdown, or a change in circumstances. This session equips frontline workers with the knowledge and tools to recognise early warning signs, ask the right questions, and take safe, effective action before a housing issue becomes a crisis.

The training provides a clear, accessible overview of how housing problems develop and how different types of housing, tenures, and legal processes affect a person’s rights and options. It focuses on prevention, early intervention, and appropriate referral, rather than legal detail.

What the session covers

Participants will explore:

• The different types of housing tenure and why they matter
• Rent arrears: how they arise, how action escalates, and how this differs between private and social landlords
• Housing notices and eviction processes, including Section 21, Section 8 and Notices to Quit
• How to spot invalid notices, illegal eviction and harassment
• Disrepair, damp, mould, overcrowding and suitability issues
• Protections for vulnerable tenants, including domestic abuse survivors and people facing discrimination
• How multi-agency working can prevent homelessness
• What frontline workers can safely advise on – and when to refer for specialist help

What participants will gain

By the end of the session, attendees will:

• Feel more confident handling housing queries at first contact
• Understand what questions to ask to assess risk and urgency
• Be able to recognise when a housing issue is escalating
• Know when and how to refer for specialist housing advice
• Have access to practical checklists, flowcharts and handouts to support their role

Who is this training for?

This session is aimed at frontline workers and volunteers across the eastern region, including:

• Advice and support staff
• Community workers
• Health, social care and voluntary sector professionals
• Anyone who supports people affected by housing problems

No prior housing knowledge is required.