WIREDGOV

London Borough of Hounslow delayed in assisting a homeless man with mental health issues finds Local Government Ombudsman, Dr Jane Martin.

In her report she says the Council did not take a homelessness application from him as it should have done because it considered he was not ‘in priority need’. But she points out that “this was irrelevant: the issue was whether it had reason to believe he was homeless or threatened with homelessness”.

A man had to leave his father’s home where he was living because of domestic violence. He approached the Council to say he was homeless, that he suffered from depression and had a history of self harming. But the Council did not take a homelessness application from him.

After the man applied a second time to the Council, it took a homelessness application. It took nine months to decide this, which was almost a year after he had first applied. The Ombudsman said: “I appreciate this was a complicated case, but this delay is unreasonable.”

The Council provided bed and breakfast accommodation, but the complainant raised concerns about this, saying he was not sleeping because of loud music and shouting from his neighbours. The Council did not do enough to respond to these concerns. Later, after it conducted an assessment, the Council’s Home Treatment Team found that the accommodation was adversely affecting the man’s mental health. He says that the overdose he took at that time resulted from frustration with his housing.

When the complainant had been in the B&B for six months, the Council failed to review whether this remained appropriate. It also failed to keep him updated with the progress of his application.

The Ombudsman finds maladministration causing injustice. In particular the Council:

• failed to take a homelessness application when the complainant first approached it, and did not do so for a further two months
• once it had taken an application, delayed reaching a decision on it for approximately three months
• did not properly respond to the complainant’s concerns about his temporary accommodation, and
• failed to keep him properly updated about the progress of his application.

The complainant remained in bed and breakfast accommodation for around five months longer than would otherwise have been the case. To address the injustice, the Council has agreed to the Ombudsman’s recommendations to:

• pay the complainant £500, plus a further £250 to recognise his uncertainty and his unnecessary time and trouble, and
• review its procedures (the Council has undertaken a review and implemented a pilot merger of its Homeless Prevention and Homelessness Assessment Teams, which the Ombudsman understands has reduced delays).

The Ombudsman welcomes the Council’s response to her findings and recommendations.

Downloads