Medway Council (20 004 585)

Report Upheld Homelessness 23-Feb-2021

Summary: Ms E complained about the way the Council dealt with her homelessness.

London Borough of Redbridge (18 000 313)

Report Upheld Homelessness 02-Dec-2020

Summary: Ms X complains via a representative that the Council wrongly left her family in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than a year and wrongly blamed her for failing to co-operate in resolving her situation. The Council failed to refer the matter to its homelessness team, and it did not assess Ms X, or provide her with suitable accommodation while this should have been happening, nor give her a written decision and opportunity to appeal. We find it more likely than not, given the Council had sought to persuade the borough from which Ms X had moved that she was not intentionally homeless, it would have reached the same view if it had acted properly. This caused injustice to Ms X and her children in having to live in unsuitable accommodation for more than a year. However, had Ms X been intentionally homeless, the Council might have been able without fault to place the family in the same bed and breakfast accommodation under the terms of the Children Act 1989, subject only to regular review of the children’s needs. This Act does not have the same focus regarding accommodation as housing legislation. We have therefore issued this report because of the potential for conflict between housing and social care duties, which may lead to perverse outcomes for children in need in other cases.

London Borough of Wandsworth (19 006 011)

Report Upheld Homelessness 18-Nov-2020

Summary: Ms X complains the Council had not dealt with her homeless application, helped her as a victim of domestic violence or registered her on its allocation scheme.

London Borough of Merton (18 019 031)

Report Upheld Homelessness 07-Aug-2020

Summary: Mr X complains the Council placed him in temporary accommodation outside its area when he became homeless. Mr X says this meant he had to give up one of  his jobs as he was unable to travel back to the area for work.

London Borough of Haringey (19 014 008)

Report Upheld Homelessness 25-Jun-2020

Summary: Ms B complains about the way the Council responded to her request for housing.