I came across this story online today. A family have been offered temporary accommodation by the London Borough of Barnet, which is a flat on the 9th floor of a tower block. The applicant, Mrs Poojara, has stated that the offer is unsuitable as her children are scared of heights following a friend of theirs who died after falling from a tall building. The council has said the offer is suitable having considered the information available to them.
The part of the story that caught my attention was that the family GP had written in support of the family. I appreciate that GP's try to help their patients but unless there is a medical condition then it is merely their opinion. I have lost count of the times that suddenly an applicant states that they suffer from vertigo when they have been offered high rise accommodation.
A Parcel of Rogues
10 years ago
7 comments:
I do not want to sound anti local authority or like someone who believes that all objections to offers of accommodation are justified or even made in good faith. However I think that you may be too harsh on applicants when you suggest that they suddenly state that they suffer from vertigo after receiving an offer of high rise accommodation. The implication here is presumably that they did not see fit to mention the vertigo before they received the offer so it was unlikely to have been a serious problem for them.
Isn’t it the case that it is only when they receive the offer of high rise accommodation that the vertigo becomes an issue? Most people don’t tell you that they can’t swim until they are expected to swim.
Its undoubtedly true that people won't necessarily think to raise an issue unless they have a reason to. In such circumstances it can be unfair to draw an adverse inference.
I work for a large local authority with a number of tower blocks. Frankly, I am amazed at the number of persons to whom the main homeless duty has been accepted that raise vertigo or a phobia or 'fear' of heights once they are offered a flat in a high rise. It seems out of all proportion to the proportion of the general population who presumably are likely to suffer from such conditions/fears which are of a seriousness and to an extent that it would be unreasonable for them to live in a high rise flat.
The authority I work for ensures a discussion is had about the types of accommodation that might typically been offered (including high rise accommodation) at the initial interview. Appliants are also shown pictures of the different types of accommodation typically offered to homeless persons.
Interestingly, there are many applicants that still raise vertigo or a phobia or fear of heights for the first time when refusing the accommodation, despite them having an opportunity to do so earlier.
All cases must of course be judged on their particular facts. But I can very much understand a homeless officer being somewhat jaded about the issue. Many applicants I speak to after they've raised the issue for the first time post-final offer make the erroneous assumption that vertigo (a medical condition which does not necessarily relate to heights) is the same thing as a fear of heights. Alternatively, it is asserted they have a 'phobia' but have never been treated or diagnosed as having a phobia. And, of course, a 'fear of heights' (in the sense that one would not go up a ladder or choose to do other activities as a height) would not ordinarily preclude someone from reasonably living in accommodation in a high rise.
The reality is that many homeless applicants (perhaps understandably) want to exercise a preference about not living in a high rise block for a variety of reasons. Its undoubtedly an issue for many local authorities that many 'homeless' persons won't accept a high rise flat. In this context a hard line being taken in many cases is perhaps understandable.
Whilst I appreciate that some people will not mention medical conditions, in my Authority we do ask at the initial interview if the applicant or any member of the family has any medical condition that could affect the type of accommodation they could accept. If they report any medical condition we seek medical informationon their condition
Hi
Thank you for your question. We asked the same question at the time and were told it was to allow smoothly running of the system as they don't have a great amount of house stock in the area.
So, once you are in the Shelter you technically have a roof over your head and therefore you can wait 3 months before going into band 1.
Regards
Tracy
Well my LA has housed us in a B&B until temp acc becomes availble but having waited 2 months already I can't seem to understand why is it taking so long.
We were asked about our preferred areas but not about the accomodation type, so if there is a high availbility of high rise stock how come we have not been offered it ??
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