Apology for housing mistake

Tuesday January 26, 2010

The Local Government Ombudsman has found that H&F Council failed to deal properly with a pregnant homeless woman.

According to a report, issued by ombudsman Tony Redmond last week, the woman 'suffered some injustice because she was not provided with the level of support and assistance she could reasonably expect as a person who was homeless and in priority need'.

She was not placed in temporary accommodation while the council investigated the circumstances that led to her homelessness.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, complained that the council failed to give her adequate advice and assistance when she became homeless after she left her private rented accommodation following an incident of domestic violence.

She was eight months pregnant at this time. Housing officers had encouraged her to find accommodation in the private rented sector through the council's direct lettings scheme, and they did not explain that she could also make a homelessness application.

She was not provided with emergency accommodation when she became homeless, but was subsequently provided with emergency accommodation by the council's out-of-hours service.

Ultimately, the woman was re-housed by the council from September last year. A council spokesman said: "We apologise unreservedly that our housing options team failed to meet its usually high standards of service on this occasion and did not respond well to the changing complexities of this case.

"We have acted immediately on all the ombudsman's recommendations and have sent a full apology and compensation to the lady we let down."

In August 2008, the council was named by the Government as a housing options 'trailblazer', and is one of just 12 local authorities in Britain that is considered to be at the forefront of modernising housing services.

"Although we are absolutely clear that the lessons of this case are learned for the future, these cases are very rare in H&F with the last maladministration ruling against us occurring in 2005," added the council's spokesman.

The ombudsman ruled maladministration causing injustice.