Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about refuge accommodation because it was not arranged by this Council. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council’s decision to end its duty to provide interim accommodation to justify further investigation.

The complaint

1. Ms X complained about refuge accommodation, in which she said she felt bullied, her medical needs were not met in the allocated room and which she was later forced to leave without good cause.
2. Ms X also complained to the Council about interim accommodation offered to her, which she refused because she said they did not meet her medical needs. She said the Council did not take her medical condition seriously when ending its duty to provide interim accommodation.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Ms X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

Refuge accommodation

6. Ms X complained about refuge accommodation she moved to in May 2024. She said the refuge refused to allocate a larger room that would be safer for her, given an unpredictable medical condition she has. She also said she felt bullied and that the refuge wrongly forced her to leave.
7. The Council confirmed it had not arranged the refuge accommodation. Therefore, we cannot hold it responsible for any difficulties Ms X encountered when she was living there.

Homelessness application

8. The refuge made a referral to the Council in June 2024. It said Ms X needed to leave the refuge because she was isolated and did not feel safe there. In August 2024, the refuge gave Ms X notice to leave.
9. The Council offered Ms X interim accommodation in September 2024. Ms X refused the offer, so the Council ended its duty to provide accommodation whilst considering her homelessness application. In response to her complaint, the Council addressed her concerns about the property offered and explained why it considered it was suitable. It said its medical assessment showed she needed a shower, not a bath, and a shower was provided at the property.
10. Despite ending its duty to provide interim accommodation, the Council did make a further offer in October 2023, which Ms X refused. She said the bathroom layout was unsafe because the sink was opposite the shower. This meant she could hit her head on it if she fell out of the shower, something that had happened to her before. She also said she was unhappy with the location and that she did not want accommodation managed by people of a particular ethnicity.
11. The Council considered Ms X’s reasons for refusing and explained why it considered the property offered was suitable. It again ended its duty to provide accommodation whilst it considered her homelessness application.
12. It is not our role to say whether the Council’s decisions were correct. Unless there was fault in the decision-making process, we cannot comment on the decisions reached. On both occasions, the Council considered Ms X’s concerns about the property offered and her medical conditions, before deciding the property offered was suitable. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the decision-making to justify further investigation.

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Final decision

13. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because the Council did not arrange the refuge accommodation. There is insufficient evidence of fault in its decision-making in relation to the suitability of interim accommodation to justify our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman