A vulnerable young woman and her baby were left waiting months for accommodation by Liverpool Council who failed to address her needs.
The Local Government Ombudsman found how despite multiple attempts to secure support, the woman - who was pregnant with her second child - was repeatedly ignored by the local authority in her attempts to gain secure housing. As a result, Liverpool Council has been ordered to award thousands of pounds in compensation.
A letter of apology has also been sent to the woman, identified as Ms X.
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The ombudsman report said in early 2021, Ms X approached Liverpool Council about her situation and said she had been left to sofa surf. She was also separated from her 10-month-old daughter, who had to stay with her former partner, which added to her distress.
According to Liverpool Council records, Ms X was told to apply to join the housing register to secure a property and the local authority encouraged her to be “proactive” in making her application and exploring private rents. Ms X contacted the council on three occasions in March 2021 but “did not receive a substantive response.”
Four months later, Ms X said she had paid off existing arrears with a previous landlord and needed help and advice, as she was continuing to sofa surf with her daughter, and could not register for choice-based letting as she did not have a fixed address. She still did not receive a response.
A further eight enquiries were made by the now pregnant woman to the council by email and phone, who outlined her distress and how she was “struggling to cope.” This still did not illicit a response from Liverpool Council.
It wasn’t until October 2021 that the city council secured temporary accommodation when Ms X was about to find herself sleeping rough. According to the Ombudsman, Liverpool Council said it assessed her needs at this point.
After her former landlord claimed they were still owed money, progress on Ms X’s case stalled, prompting her to seek assistance from her MP. On December 21, nine months after originally raising her case, Liverpool Council acknowledged in a letter Ms X was homeless and eligible for support.
A complaint was lodged on Ms X’s behalf by Vauxhall Law Centre about how Liverpool Council had handled the case, with an offer of permanent accommodation made in February 2022. However, a further delay was ahead with Ms X being told despite an initial three week wait, the property earmarked for her was not ready and she may need to be referred back to the housing panel.
It was in April 2022, when Ms X was about to go into labour with her son, that she received the keys to her new home. Liverpool Council responded to the complaint on March 3 last year, accepting delays and a failure to progress the initial approach for help.
The council’s records confirm it formally discharged its housing duty towards Ms X in April 2022, on the basis she had been rehoused. In July, the complaint was referred to the Ombudsman having not received a response to the initial complaint.
The local authority provided its stage two complaint response in December 2022. It said it had decided Ms X did not meet eligibility criteria to be considered homeless when she first approached, but accepted it had not explained this or carried out a homelessness assessment. It said it should have completed an assessment and worked with Ms X to prevent any risk of homelessness.
A letter of apology to Ms X - from Anne Marie Lubanski, director of adult services, was issued in April this year. It said: “I acknowledge that this caused you distress at what was already a stressful time and I am sorry for the impact this had on you.”
In its response, the Ombudsman said Liverpool Council had “multiple opportunities” to respond to Ms X’s requests for assistance and had failed to do so. In addition, it was deemed unclear how Liverpool Council could have concluded Ms X was not homeless, “given it acknowledged it did not assess her circumstances.”
In making the recommendations that the council pay Ms X a total of £2,000 compensation, the Ombudsman said: “I have considered Ms X suffered avoidable distress and frustration during a time when she was particularly vulnerable. I have also considered there would have been an impact on her young child.”
A spokesperson for Liverpool Council said: “We accept that our handling of this case fell below an acceptable standard. Unfortunately the delay in responding to the complaint further exacerbated the issue in helping Ms X to find suitable accommodation, and for this we have sincerely apologised.
“We acknowledge and accept the findings of the Ombudsman and are using this case to develop the service and make the necessary improvements required.”
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