Homeless or at Risk of Homelessness
If you carefully follow our advice, hopefully you won't experience any problems that can't be easily resolved.
If you feel you are under serious threat or harrassment from your current landlord and they are attempting to illegally evict you, make sure you know your rights to protect yourself. Get in touch with the Environmental Health Dept in your Local Council.
From time to time, students can experience temporary homelessness. If you find yourself in this situation, you can contact us for advice on studentadvice@qub.ac.uk, or our Student Officer for Welfare on su.welfare@qub.ac.uk.
If it’s outside office hours and you can't safely spend the night with a family member or friend, or arrange for temporary accommodation in a local hostel or B&B* until something more permanent can be organised. This link provides details of hostel, B&B and hotel accommodation so you can search for something within your budget.
Remember to check its location is within easy travel distance of the University - just enter the postcode of the University (BT7 1NF) into Google maps with the postcode of the accommodation and it will give you an indication of how long it takes to get to campus on foot and by car. Never take the risk of sleeping on the street or in your car.
Queen’s accommodation can sometimes help students with emergency accommodation, however this is entirely dependent on their vacancies. Phone their Office as soon as possible on 028 9097 4525 and explain your situation to a member of staff.
The Regional Emergency Social Work Service provides an emergency out of hours service for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, 028 9004 9999. When you phone, your call will be answered by a Switchboard Operator who will take a few details like your contact info and the nature of your call. They will then pass your details on to one of the Social Workers who will ring you back.
You can also contact the Simon Community’s 24 hour helpline on 0800 171 2222, or download their new 'Support My Own Neighbourhood' app on iPhone or Android. The app is for people who unexpectedly become homeless and it can help you find a hostel or food bank.
If you’ve been threatened or lost your accommodation because of an emergency situation (like a fire or intimidation), you should contact the PSNI immediately on 999 who can provide further assistance.
Please note - the legislation around statutory homelessness can be complex and not everyone has the statutory right to emergency accommodation. Please read Homelessness Explained.
* This is provided for your assistance and Queen’s Students’ Union does not in any way endorse or recommend any of the accommodation listed.