Should we record people who are at risk of becoming homeless as homeless in the field ‘Multiple need – homelessness’?

Individuals at risk of losing their accommodation should not normally be classified as homeless although we acknowledge that each situation will be slightly different and some discretion will be required. If you consider that you can justify classifying someone as homeless under the ‘hidden homeless’ aspect of the definition provided then it is fine to do so. The accommodation fields on the service user record should be updated by projects as beneficiaries’ circumstances change so we will be able to identify people who do not have an accommodation need at the start of their engagement but become homeless throughout the period of their involvement.