By Stephen Farrell But in reality that's far from the truth, and these days it isn't just down to your local authority.
Housing Associations such as the William Sutton Group and Brighter Futures (formerly Potteries Housing) can provide housing to those in need locally.
Not only that, they can give free and helpful advice on benefits and also have groups for children and adults alike to mix and do what interests them.
If you are in need of a home, it can be a minefield. So I decided to ask Angela Garrard from William Sutton and Gill Brown from Brighter Futures how their systems work.
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