Preventing homelessness - mediation
Mediation services provide a way for people to manage their differences without one party being forced to leave their home.
If you are staying with friends or relatives and have been asked to leave, or if you have been asked to leave by your partner, mediation may help you resolve the problem, or at least help prevent your immediate homelessness while alternative arrangements are made.
So that we can help you to find an appropriate solution to your housing problem, when you seek housing assistance from Hammersmith and Fulham Council we may ask a mediation service to mediate between you and the person asking you to leave.
Who is eligible?
Mediation services are available to anyone living in the borough, where a household dispute may result in one party becoming homeless. This includes:
- People who present as homeless and who can be referred to mediation
- Parents, relatives, or friends who wish a person to leave from their habitual place of residence
- Landlords/tenants where there are disputes in the private rented sector
What assistance may be provided?
The mediator will assist parties in reaching a mutually acceptable agreement. Mediators will assist all parties to identify the issues, reduce misunderstandings, clarify priorities, explore areas of compromise and find points of agreement. Mediation will also help identify priority and secondary issues (including debt) and agree an action plan with the client.
Where appropriate, our mediation service will assist you to access other appropriate support agencies such as organisations for young people and homelessness support groups.
In some circumstances mediation can lead to longer-term counseling and assistance in developing life skills.
What costs are involved and who pays for these?
Our mediation service is provided free of charge to eligible households.
Other organisations
There are a number of organisations that offer mediation as well as counseling for you to tackle relationship difficulties between you and your host or with people you are living with
They include:
- British association for counseling and psychotherapy - www.bacp.co.uk (opens new window)
- Directory of counseling organisations - www.counselling-directory.org.uk (opens new window)
- Information and advice for young people - www.connexions-direct.com (opens new window)
- Adult relationship advice and counseling - www.relatelondonw.org.uk (opens new window)
What happens next?
Once you have contacted us you may you will be asked about your housing circumstances and the nature of your dispute.
If we identify mediation as a suitable option, a mediation interview is then held between yourself and the service.
Following the interview the mediation service will make contact with the person asking or causing you to be evicted to arrange a mediation interview.
They will then arrange for yourself and the evictor to be seen jointly for mediation, using the material gained from the individual interview sessions.
The outcome of mediation is then reported back to us, the referring officer or options adviser, who will discuss this with you prior to any action taken by the council.
What can I expect from mediation?
Your first meeting with the mediator will allow you to find out about mediation and help you decide whether or not this is the way for you to resolve the practical difficulties between you and the other householder. Normally you would come to this appointment on your own.
Following this, an appointment will normally be made with both you and the other householder. If you have any concerns about being in such a meeting, please bring these up with the mediator at your first appointment. We will be happy to arrange separate waiting rooms and leaving times.
