Councils failing single homeless people
7 July 2009
A undercover investigation shows councils turning away single homeless people needing help - if these had been real cases, many would have ended up on the streets.
Councils are consistently failing to help single homeless people and provide them with the advice and assistance to which they are legally entitled, an undercover investigation initiated by Crisis has found.
Crisis ‘mystery shoppers' made 45 visits to councils (1) and found the level of help so poor that if they had been real cases, many of them could have ended up on the streets.
According to the law and Government guidance, everyone who is officially recognised as homeless is entitled, at a minimum, to advice and assistance from their local council to prevent and resolve their homelessness. Some people who meet ‘priority need' criteria are, in addition, entitled to accommodation (2).
The Government has emphasised that work to prevent homelessness "should not be targeted exclusively towards households judged likely to meet the ‘priority need' test" (3). But our research reveals that this is widespread practice, with councils using the test as an excuse not to give single homeless people the minimum levels of advice and assistance to which they are entitled. Some of the main problems identified include:
- Gatekeeping: In at least 13 instances the mystery shopper did not even get to talk to a housing officer, being turned away by a receptionist, told that they were ‘not a priority'. None of our mystery shoppers, or homeless people in similar circumstances, would appear in the official headline homelessness figures (5).
- Lack of resolutions to homelessness: Even if they did get as far as seeing a housing officer they were often given unhelpful, incorrect or misleading advice, and the mystery shoppers left demoralised and with no solution. For instance, some were given a list of hostels in completely different areas. A 17-year-old was told to return to her family home although she said feared sexual assault there.
- Homelessness applications discouraged: Of the 45 visits, in only nine were the shoppers given the opportunity to make a homelessness application or did it appear that they eventually might have been (5).
- Priority need overlooked: At least two of our nine mystery shoppers did clearly fit the ‘priority need' criteria to receive emergency accommodation; one woman was pregnant, another was under 18 and had left the family home due to sexual harassment. Neither received accommodation.
- Suspicion: Unreasonable levels of proof of circumstances were requested, the purpose seemingly to ‘catch out' the mystery shopper or establish that they did not fit the ‘priority need' criteria. One mystery shopper who said he was sleeping rough was told to come back with six months' pay slips and bank statements.
- Lack of empathy and poor service: While some advisors made real efforts to assist, in the main, mystery shoppers felt they were treated like ‘second class citizens'. They were asked to explain their stories again and again, often in very public settings, with little empathy shown.
Crisis comment
Chief Executive of Crisis, Leslie Morphy, said: "When we embarked on this research we never imagined we would uncover such consistently poor responses and such disregard for homeless people's situation.
"Crisis welcomes the increase in homebuilding recently announced by the Government. But all these new homes will not help single homeless people a jot if they are simply turned away as soon as they ask for help.
"We need urgent action to ensure that all homeless people - not just those who meet the limited ‘priority need' criteria - receive the advice and assistance they need to prevent and resolve their homelessness. Councils should be proactive, particularly in this time of recession, in helping those who approach them, not hide behind legal distinctions."
Crisis recommendations
Treat all homeless people according to the law All homeless people who approach their local authority should have the opportunity to see a housing officer, have the process clearly explained, make a homelessness application and receive advice to resolve their circumstances. We need a culture change to ensure homeless people are treated with respect and empathy.
A proactive approach to preventing and resolving homelessness, which does not simply focus on all those who fit the ‘priority need' criteria, is essential for the Government and Mayor of London to meet their targets of ending rough sleeping by 2012 (6). However, the evidence from our research suggests this proactive approach is not being taken. Furthermore there are indications that rough sleeping may be increasing (7).
Provide proper resources Crisis understands the housing pressures and funding constraints local authorities face and the temptation to alleviate these by focusing only on those deemed in ‘priority need'. We would therefore like to see an increase in the homelessness prevention funding available for local authorities and action taken to ensure prevention funding is used to help all homeless people whether or not they are in ‘priority need'.
Reform the law and expand the safety net Even if the law were always correctly applied, many single homeless people would still not get the help they need, so Crisis welcomed the Government pledge last year to review the criteria for what help is given to people when they become homeless.
The Government should introduce a new duty on local authorities to prevent the homelessness of all who approach them and to offer emergency accommodation to those who need it whilst providing meaningful advice and assistance to address their housing need.. For some this might mean social housing, but in many instances the best solution might be mediation or relationship support, assistance accessing the private rented sector, a hostel place or supported accommodation. Such solutions need not be expensive but can be vital for ensuring a person does not end up experiencing the horror of homelessness.
Notes to Editors
(1) Crisis worked with a respected peer research organisation to send nine ‘mystery shoppers' to five different local authorities in London - two inner and three outer boroughs - during a three-week period in April 2009. In all 45 visits were made, nine to each council. Each mystery shopper had experienced homelessness in the past and was involved in developing the background stories presented, which reflected real life experiences. Their scenarios included a 17-year-old girl who left her mother's home after unwanted sexual attention from her mother's partner and was no longer able to stay on her friend's sofa and has no income; a man in his 40s, homeless due to an illegal eviction after the death of his mother, with mental health problems; a man in his 30s who had recently made redundant and is rough sleeping.
(2) In England and Wales, all households which are officially recognised as homeless are legally entitled to advice and assistance from their local authority. (See DCLG (2006) Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities. Part 7 of The Housing Act 1996. The Homelessness Act 2002 ) However, a household is only entitled to accommodation if they are classified as ‘unintentionally homeless', in ‘priority need', and with a ‘local connection'. Households are classified as in ‘priority need' either if they have dependent children or if they meet certain classifications of ‘vulnerable'. The regulations also state that all applicants should be properly assessed to establish whether or not they are in ‘priority need'. If they are not, they should still however receive wide-ranging and effective advice and support to prevent their homelessness, address the reasons for them becoming homeless or to help them find accommodation for themselves.
(3)CLG (2006) Homelessness Prevention - a guide to good practice http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/150973.pdf
(4) Headline homelessness figures are published quarterly by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The most recent were published in June 2009 (http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessq12009)
(5) To receive or apply for emergency accommodation from a local council, a homeless person must complete a homelessness application. The council has to accept a homelessness application from any person who is legally in the UK except for people whose age, learning disability or illness means they cannot understand the application process. It is up to the council to decide whether a person is able to understand the application process. Crisis has given the councils the benefit of the doubt when assessing whether the mystery shopper would eventually have been allowed to make a homelessness application. Where a shopper was encouraged to return in a reasonable timespan and positive indications were given that an application could then be made, we have counted this in the council's favour.
(6) The Government's 2012 target is included in CLG (2008) No One Left Out - Communities ending rough sleeping http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/roughsleepingstrategy. The Mayor's 2012 target is included in the London Housing Strategy published in May 2009 http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/housing/strategy/docs/london-housing-strategy09.pdf
(7) Statistics from homelessness charity Broadway show the numbers of rough sleepers in London between April 2008 and March 2009 to be 3,472, a rise of 455 or 15% compared with the previous 12 months. http://www.broadwaylondon.org/ResearchInformation/RoughSleepingReports