Hounslow Council found guilty of injustice in case of pregnant homeless woman
Miss X has been awarded £3,750 in compensation and will be offered a two-bedroom property
Hounslow Council has been found guilty of maladministration and injustice in its handling of a pregnant homeless woman’s application for social housing which took 77 weeks too long.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found significant faults in the council handling of the case of the woman, described as Miss X, and recommended that it compensate her and offer her a two-bedroom property.
The council has apologised the Miss X, paid compensation and will offer her accommodation following a review of the case on Friday.
Miss X told housing officers in May 2022 that following a breakdown in relations with her family, she was homeless. She was incorrectly advised not to make an application as a homeless person as this would affect her chances of receiving a permanent offer of social housing. As a result, Miss X moved out of the borough which made her ineligible for social housing in Hounslow and the borough where she was “sofa surfing.”
In addition to giving Miss X bad advice, the Ombudsman found that the council failed to properly address her complaints delaying a resolution and prolonging her stay in unsuitable accommodation.
The Ombudsman said the council tried to discourage Miss X from applying for accommodation as a homeless person to avoid its legal duties to the woman as a homeless person. The investigation also found the council took 77 weeks too long to assess the woman’s housing application. If it had considered her application in time, she would have been able to join the housing register.
The Ombudsman did not recommend that Hounslow take further action as it had made significant changes to its housing department since 2023 and reduced the housing register application to eight weeks.
Hounslow’s decision to offer Miss X social housing comes after it was initially resistant to the Ombudsman’s criticism.
In April, Sue Sampson, Hounslow Council’s cabinet member for housing management and homelessness told Housing Today: “We maintain that at all times in this case we acted legally and in line with housing policy. During the period in question Miss X secured her own accommodation outside the borough. Our priority and responsibility around housing need is for people residing in Hounslow who cannot house themselves.
“We cannot accept all the Ombudsman’s recommendations in this case. The council does not accept that there is evidence that a homelessness application would have been successful, even had one been made. Homelessness applications are subject to rigorous assessment to ensure limited resources are allocated to those most in need.”
In the documents that will be discussed on Friday, the council has reconsidered its resistance. The council notes: “The Chief Housing Officer (Director of Housing) is permitted to exercise discretion in certain circumstances for example in the council’s financial or strategic interest. The Chief Housing Officer is satisfied that this condition has been met therefore an offer of accommodation will be made to Miss X in line with the allocations policy as soon as the member decision accepting the recommendation had been made.”
The Ombudsman was scathing of Hounslow’s refusal to respond fully to its recommendations. Amerdeep Somal, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “Hounslow council has left a vulnerable mother and her child without the security of knowing where she would call home at a particularly desperate time of her life. As a young pregnant person she has been forced to sofa surf despite clear evidence the council owed her a duty.
“All this has had a significant effect on her. She moved into one-bedroom shared accommodation shortly before she gave birth, and remains there to this day. All the evidence shows that if Hounslow had acted correctly, the woman would have had the safety of a social tenancy when her child was born.”