Homelessness

Leicester City Council (18 012 241)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 16-Apr-2019

Summary: Mr X complained about how the Council dealt with his homelessness and housing register applications. The Council was at fault as it did not issue all necessary notices to Mr X about homelessness duties it owed to him, and it did not manage Mr X's expectations for contact in light of his mental health needs. Fault by the Council led to Mr X experiencing distress, and feeling ignored and uninformed. The Council should apologise for this and issue a staff reminder about notifications to applicants when duties begin and end. The Council was not at fault in how it otherwise dealt with Mr X's homelessness application, and how it processed his housing register application.

Cornwall Council (17 017 692)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 16-Apr-2019

Summary: There is no evidence of fault in the way a Council billed a tenant for repairs required to temporary housing provided under its homelessness duties.

London Borough of Hounslow (18 007 317)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 15-Apr-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council failed to deal with his homelessness application properly. He says this led to distress and affected his mental health. The Ombudsman considers there was delay by the Council but this did not cause injustice to Mr X.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets (18 012 827)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 15-Apr-2019

Summary: The complainant says the Council delayed its decision on her homeless application leading her to remain in more expensive property. The Council accepts it took too long but says it put the complainant in interim and temporary accommodation and correctly awarded her application Priority Band 2. The Ombudsman finds the Council acted with fault in its delay but without fault in its award of Priority Band 2.

London Borough of Lewisham (18 008 944)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 11-Apr-2019

Summary: Miss B complained about the actions the Council had taken to find her permanent accommodation since she was made homeless in 2017. She said she had been moved too many times to unsuitable properties and the Council had failed to deal with the disrepair issues. We found the Council had taken too long to repair the problems in one property but had taken adequate action to put the problems right. We did not find fault with its action in respect of the second property and there is an ongoing review in respect of the third.

Durham County Council (18 010 027)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 10-Apr-2019

Summary: The Council delayed moving a homeless family from bed and breakfast (B&B). The family stayed in B&B for 16 weeks, 10 weeks longer than the maximum allowed. The Council also delayed in giving its homeless decision and so denied the family the opportunity to ask for a review of the suitability of the accommodation. The Council also delayed in arranging school transport for a child in the family with special educational needs, meaning he missed 6 weeks of school. To put matters right the Council will apologise and pay the family £1,550.

St Edmundsbury Borough Council (18 009 596)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 09-Apr-2019

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council failed to assist her when she made a homelessness application in August 2018. She says the Council wrongly ended its interim duty to accommodate her and wrongly decided she could not join the housing register. As a consequence, she and her family have had to live with extended family on over-crowded conditions. Based on the information considered so far, the Council is not at fault.

London Borough of Wandsworth (18 002 503)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 09-Apr-2019

Summary: The Council accepted a full housing duty to Ms X as a vulnerable homeless person in priority need. There was no delay in that decision. But there was avoidable Council delay in offering Ms X suitable sheltered accommodation, causing Ms X an injustice. The Ombudsman cannot find fault in the information gave Ms X about another sheltered property which she viewed. It was not fault by the Council to not review the housing offer after Ms X declined the property.

London Borough of Bromley (17 013 738)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 04-Apr-2019

Summary: The Council failed to provide a vulnerable homeless man with interim accommodation; he had no settled accommodation and became street homeless and slept in the park. He re-approached the Council; it then housed him. The Council did not provide him with the support of a support and resettlement officer, which could have helped him resolve issues of disrepair and a lack of facilities at the property. The ceilings collapsed damaging his goods, and affecting his sleep. He slept on the floor for six weeks as he had no bed. The Council will apologise and pay Mr B £1000.

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (18 007 625)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 02-Apr-2019

Summary: Mrs B complains the Council delayed in making its decision on her homelessness application. The Ombudsman finds there were several faults by the Council. As well as a long delay in making a decision on the homelessness application, there was delay in offering temporary accommodation once the Council accepted it owed Mrs B the main homelessness duty. These delays were fault. There was also fault in the Council's record keeping and in its handling of a reported rodent infestation in interim accommodation. These faults led to injustice for Mrs B and her two young children, which the Council has agreed to remedy.