Dumped in Emergency Accommodation to Rot
Campaigners in Brighton and Hove were recently contacted by a vulnerable Brighton man who claims to have been left to “rot” and feels he has been forgotten after living in the same short term emergency accommodation property for six years . The Individual who wishes to remain anonymous has decided to speak out in the hope others in a similar position come forward and for the council to resolve his homelessness nightmare and hold Baron Homes to account.
“Speaking out is the only option now”
The client is currently living in Private Sector Emergency Accommodation leased by Baron Homes on a nightly licence basis, this is a popular type of tenancy for landlords however many decent housing organisations representing tenants have called for licence agreements to either be reformed or scrapped due to the lack of rights for the Tennant Occupying.
Last week our client submitted a question to the Housing Committee at Brighton and Hove City Council. The question was very much on topic however the Officers at the Council had decided to reject our clients question, citing “its an individual question”. This has been contested as the client is clear he is just providing “his side of a larger story”. Our client is dyslexic!
Last week the Argus newspaper reported on another death at Kendal Court Newhaven, which is another emergency accommodation property popular with the council, who often place vulnerable people into this out of area privately owned property.
Last year the Housing Coalition published a damming healthwatch report, which looked into the lack of support in these popular homeless accommodations.
The issues the client wants to raise:
- Length of Time in Emergency Accommodation
- Disrepair Issues
- Safety Concerns
- Lack of Support by Brighton and Hove City Council
- How the Placement is Affecting our clients Health and Wellbeing
- Baron Homes Corporation Limited
Full Client Profile
We met the client last week a conducted a client fact find, this is to gain as much information as possible, these are private, however the interviewer has previous lived experience being homeless, which enables and helps clients relax and open up more. He feels like he is not being listened to, he feels as if he has nowhere else to turn he said he is in a really bad place.
Thankfully he left in an entirely different mood, one of hope!
Clients Housing Journey So Far:
Prior to living in his current accommodation our client was living independently his landlord were called KLM Properties.
“I found his case quite heartbreaking to listen to if I am frank, over a few hours we discussed most of his issues, I found them to be very close to home. He is clearly having his health affected by living where he does. This person has the capability of taking control of his own care plan, which sadly he admits is five years out of date and is being controlled elsewhere. He deserves a home of his own. A place he can fully recover and build on the steps he has already taken to get well again, to live a more independent life.
Note From Client Interviewer:
The interesting part of this case is how this person became homeless and living in emergency accommodation in the first place, this was through no fault of his own. He was a tenant of the now ‘disgraced’ fraudulent property provider; KLM Properties. This was before contracts with the council were cancelled, leaving the client homeless. He was initially placed in Long Term Temporary Accommodation, but during this time the buildings disrepair and pest issues were so bad they had to reclassify the building as short term emergency accommodation instead. This treatment is a disgrace.”
What Brighton and Hove City Council can do to resolve the issues this client raises
- Prioritise placement into self contained permanent affordable accommodation
- Investigate and mandate Baron Homes to deal with the pre-existing pest control issues. At the Housing Coalition we first heard about these pest control issues from another resident over four years ago. Why have they been sorted?
- Investigate and mandate Baron Homes to deal with the pre-existing Building and Room Disrepair issues. We have been told some rooms have been extensively renovated whereas other rooms haven’t. The Baron Homes Policy as we know it is wait for a tenant to leave before dealing with the disrepair issue and room renovation.
- Register this person on the Housing Register. Deal with the Housing Duty Dispute.