Southwark Law Centre provides specialist housing and welfare benefits advice to Lewisham residents through a number of different services.
Please choose the referral route that best matches your client’s circumstances.
Lewisham Families
We are able to provide specialist housing advice and specialist welfare benefits advice to Lewisham families. A “family” is defined as:
- households with dependent children
- households (including single people) with adults aged 25 years and under who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
- households (including single people) with adults aged 25 years and under who are care leavers who require specialist housing advice.
Families – Welfare Benefits Advice
This referral route is for families who require specialist welfare benefits advice.
A referral may be appropriate where a service user:
- Has received an unfavourable Mandatory Reconsideration decision
- Feels a decision does not reflect their circumstances
- Has no right of appeal but the decision appears wrong
- Is experiencing delay, inaction, or incorrect action by DWP or the local authority
- Has had benefits stopped or reduced
- Has been affected across multiple benefits
- Has lost housing, income, or essential support as a result
- Has made complaints with no meaningful response
- Has been told by a general advice agency that no further help is available
- Has a case involving legal complexity (e.g. discrimination, human rights issues)
- Appears to require legal intervention or court action
If a situation feels complex, unresolved or unfair, it is often worth referring.
Families Welfare Benefits Referral Form
Families – Housing Advice
This referral route is for families who require specialist housing advice.
Families Housing Referral Form
General Housing Referrals
For Lewisham residents who do not meet the definition of a “family” defined above, and who require specialist housing advice or representation.
We can advise on issues including:
- Homelessness and threatened homelessness
- Eviction and possession proceedings
- Housing conditions and disrepair (serious risk of harm to health only)
We are only able to represent individuals who qualify for funding from the Legal Aid Agency.
Which Form Should I Use?
- Use the General Housing Referral Form for housing referrals that do not fall within the Families service.
- Use the Families Housing Referral Form if you are referring a family for housing advice.
- Use the Families Welfare Benefits Referral Form if you are referring a family for welfare benefits advice.
- If a family needs help with both housing and welfare benefits, please complete both referral forms so that the referral can be directed to the appropriate specialist teams.
Submitting a referral does not mean that Southwark Law Centre has accepted the case. We will review the information provided and contact you to confirm whether we are able to assist.