A Parcel of Rogues
10 years ago
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Frustration with the Emperors New Clothes
As a homelessness officer I'm fed up up of hearing all the priority being put on prevention. I find some of the tactics used to make people move into privately rented property dubious to say the least, even illegal at times. Senior management and central government are only worried about figures and don't consider the service users at all. I know of clients that have attended our office requesting to make a homelessness application but they have been fobbed off for months and months whilst privately rented accommodation is sought for them, then the case is passed over once the clients legal representatives start acting for them
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3 comments:
Greetings Smoking Gun! It is great to have someone who works for a local authority blogging on homelessness.
I am also angry about the way in which counicl's have interpreted their obligations to prevent homelessness as meaning that they should prevent people from making homelessness applications. All manner of tricks seem to be employed with the blessing of or presumably on the instruction of senior management who pretend to be shocked that "mistakes" could been made when they receive complaints from me.
I would like to try and do something about this. The trouble is that the councils seem to be able to get away with it by treating cases where complaints are made as being isolated incidents which are quickly rectified. There must be so many cases where the applicants don't get solicitors and so are messed around. Do you have any ideas about what can be done about this problem?
I worked in a 'progressive' northern authority for years and then moved over to housing law shortly before the whole prevention agenda kicked in.
I then went to observe how someone at the HPU worked on the counter.
Having heard lots of horror stories I actually shadowed someone pretty decent.
A couple came in and asked to make a homeless application - he checked their current circumstances -
- Renting AST
- Not received notice
- No disrepair
- No harrassment or violence
- property affordable
- no overcrowding
Finally, he advised them that they were not homeless (but they could join the housing register).
(and he confirmed they simply wanted council housing)
I couldn't fault him - until I saw him tick 'prevented homelessness'
I asked him how he had prevented homelessness - he said (shamefacedly)
'Well they *thought* they were homeless but I was able to advise them so they better understood blah blah'
Oh my goodness!!
I am so glad I came across this blog, it's a breath of fresh air. For months I have been thinking it's me who's crazy not the system and that I was seeing conspiracy everywhere I turned
Thanks to you, now I know I was right all along... and you've inspired me to do something about it and use my own situation of being made homeless when it could have been prevented easily no thanks to ****** COUNCIL....
Spending time trying to fight my corner and get my rights acknowledged I have encountered numerous people in the same position who have been tricked, fobbed off and scared off from getting the help and support they deserve, many of these are very young and vulnerable people who are told to "BID" for a property they have no chance of ever "winning" and at the same time denied basic information on their rights and where to get further support.
I have been going to their offices armed with a video camera hidden and have some revealing footage.
Watch this space folks, my forthcoming blog EXPOSING the truth and dirty malpractice, tricks, lies and deception and corruption behind a certain major Local Authority in the North West of England is about to be let out of the bag....
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