Increased training and advice to reduce errors in homeless applications in England

Last week, Inside Housing reported that officials in England are trying to reduce the number of incorrect decisions made by local authority housing and homelessness staff.   Officials are seeking an organisation that can provide advice, support and training to housing and homelessness staff. 

Incorrect decisions being made by local authority staff

The announcement of this contract appears to have been triggered by the number of high profile successful challenges to homelessness decisions in England. The bidding prospectus for the contract acknowledged that incorrect housing decisions have been made by local authority staff and that these decisions can lead to expensive legal challenges.

The English system is similar to that introduced by the Housing Amendment Act (NI) 2010, which gave people in Northern Ireland a legal right to request that certain decisions made by the Housing Executive be reviewed.

Importance of requesting a review

Almost every day a client will come to Housing Rights Service with a letter explaining that they have failed one of the four homeless hurdles.  These letters will often lead to a person losing his or her temporary accommodation and facing the prospect of street homelessness.  Our advisers can help people request a review.  They can submit representation to the Housing Executive to clearly illustrate how their clients pass each of the 4 tests for homelessness.

How to do a homelessness review

Unfortunately, Housing Rights Service can’t assist everyone in this way, so it’s essential that our expert knowledge of case law surrounding homelessness is shared with the wider advice and legal community in Northern Ireland. 

We’re holding our first ever “How to” training session on 17 June.  This session will focus on “How to do a homelessness review” and will be a crucial course for anyone who works with people who are homeless or living in unsustainable housing conditions.