You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Care ombudsman finds London council did not do enough to help family facing homelessness
The London borough of Tower Hamlets did not do enough to help a family about to be evicted by their landlord, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
The family contacted the council for help in November 2021 after their landlord served them with an eviction notice. However, the council failed to take appropriate action.
As the family had nowhere else to go, they remained in the property. The father was disabled, and the extended family struggled to find another suitable home.
The ombudsman’s investigation said the council did not meet its duties when the family first reached out for help.
READ MORE
Tower Hamlets should have had reason to believe the family was eligible for housing assistance and provided them with interim accommodation, but it did not do so.
As a result, the family spent many months not knowing how or when the council would help them. They were eventually evicted by bailiffs, had to ask friends and family to look after their belongings, and spent several months in bed and breakfast accommodation away from their support networks and health services.
The family eventually moved to self-contained accommodation.
Amerdeep Somal, the local government and social care ombudsman, said: “This case clearly demonstrates how vital it is for councils to follow the correct process at the earliest opportunity to achieve the best possible outcome for vulnerable families at risk of losing their homes.
“Instead, Tower Hamlets relied on gatekeeping their services – and not acting until the family’s situation was desperate.
“As a result, the family tell me they had to face the humiliation and indignity of being evicted by bailiffs from their home, and the embarrassment of having to ask friends and family to look after their belongings until they were properly housed.”
In this case, the council has apologised to the family and will pay out £1,355 for the uncertainty, worry and avoidable costs incurred.
Tower Hamlets will also decide whether it owes the family a main housing duty and review their priority on the housing register. It will back-date any additional priority to October 2022, when it should have made a main housing duty decision.
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: “We fully accept the report and its findings, and we apologise to Mr X for the uncertainty and upset we caused him and his family.
“These findings came at a time when we were facing unprecedented demand for housing and homelessness services.
“Our team is working hard to improve and already acting on the report’s recommendations.”
Tower Hamlets announced it would bring its housing management arm back under direct control in early 2023.
Sign up for our care and support newsletter
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
