Things may change with your current living situation which may make you feel as though you can't stay there anymore. This could be for your own safety and wellbeing, for circumstances outside your control, or if you feel you have been given no choice but to leave.
Whatever the reason, you may find the thought of leaving to be overwhelming, so our student support services offer advice and guidance to all students to help secure both short and long-term housing solutions.
This includes assistance to explore accommodation options, process applications, liaison with university halls teams and where necessary, referral to other university and external support services.
There are also some self-help steps that you can take to research what the options are available, manage your expectations and ensure that that leaving your current accommodation is as safe as possible for you:
University halls of residence
You can find information about university allocated halls of residence via our accommodation services webpages. This includes how to apply for rooms and answers to some frequently asked questions.
Private sector shared student housing
If the halls of residence are not suitable, we also work in partnership with Sheffield City Council and have compiled an accredited directory of private shared student accommodation in Sheffield. The scheme is called Snug.
Snug is a scheme of registering, inspecting and advertising student properties in Sheffield to ensure students have access to good-quality, safe accommodation in the private sector.
You can find more information on our Sheffield Hallam Student Pad website.
Non-student housing
If student halls or shared student housing is not suitable, for example if you have a partner or family, we can also provide information about local housing letting and management agents. You can contact the university Accommodation Services team for more info.
They can also advise if you need help to find a replacement to take over your tenancy and where you can advertise your current accommodation.
If something happens at home and you don't feel safe, you have the right to call 999 in an emergency. You can also call 101 if it’s less urgent.
Don't stay in a situation if it makes you feel unsafe.
External support
If you need to speak to someone urgently about the issues you are facing, there are lots of specialist support organisations you can contact even out of usual office hours – Visit report and support for more information.
Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity can also offer support and information about many housing issues and emergency – you can find more information on their website: Housing advice from Shelter - Shelter England
SHU Students Union
If you are facing less urgent housing issues, the information on our Student's Union Advice Centre pages may help.
Residential crisis
There are steps that you can take if you are in a residential crisis
- Find out if there are any friends or family members you can stay with.
- Reach out to Shelter or the Council for advice and support
- Consider staying in a hostel, night shelter, refuge or bed and breakfast if you have nowhere to stay tonight.
- Check into a hotel at a discounted rate
Next steps
- Contact the Report and Support services at the university.
- Speak to your Student Support Adviser or the Residential Support Co-ordinator at the university.
- You can arrange an appointment with them in any of the following ways:
- Call Hallam Help on 0114 225 2222 to book an SSA appointment.
- Self-book an SSA appointment and look for an appointment with your named Student Support Adviser.
- Register for wellbeing support at the university.
- If you need to talk to someone or want help to work out the right support for you, you can register and book an appointment with a Wellbeing Practitioner.
What to expect when you notify the university that you have a housing crisis
• To be signposted to external emergency support
• To receive support from a Student Support Adviser (SSA)
• To be asked a series of questions to determine the nature of your situation and be advised of an action plan to meet your needs
• Depending on your circumstances you may be referred to other support teams for specialist help such as Wellbeing or Funding
• The university has a package of support that will be tailored to meet your individual needs
• Any financial support provided for accommodation will not be provided for any longer than your next payment of student loan
• Financial support is only provided where you continue to engage in your studies and with all actions given to you by your SSA
What the university expects of you when receiving support
• To understand that the University is not an emergency service. We will do our best to support you to be able to continue with your studies, but you may require external support from the Council or organisations such as Shelter.
• To proactively try to resolve the situation by using the information and guidance on MyHallam https://www.shu.ac.uk/myhallam
• To contact Hallam Help or your SSA as soon as you become aware that there may be a problem
• To book an appointment with your SSA if there is no immediate emergency
• If you receive an action plan from an SSA, proactively undertake any tasks you are given or provide any requested information as soon as possible
• Stay in touch and engage with your SSA through to the resolution of your residential crisis
• Expect any financial or pastoral support to be removed if you do not engage with your SSA or action plan
• Expect to be referred to other support processes if your situation needs it such as 'Break in Study', 'Withdrawal' or 'Capacity to Study’