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A mother and teenager were forced to live in a tent for nearly two months after being made homeless by their local authority.
Medway Council in Kent missed five opportunities to house the teenager and his mother during the summer of 2020, according to findings from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
The council initially decided that it had no duty to house the woman and her 16-year-old son under homelessness obligations but it did eventually house the pair in temporary accommodation because of child protection duties.
By July 2020, though, the council’s children’s services department asked them to leave the temporary accommodation. In doing so, it failed to adhere to government guidance asking landlords to work with renters experiencing hardship during the pandemic.
After leaving temporary accommodation, with nowhere else to go, the mother and teenager began sleeping in a tent.
Despite the mother contacting the council throughout July 2020 and filing a change of circumstances since becoming homeless, there is no record of the council taking any action.
In September 2020 the mother contacted the council, with the help of Shelter. The council told her that it would not provide her with temporary accommodation and that she should find her own private rented accommodation.
The mother then contacted the ombudsman, which asked the council to make an urgent review of the case, and the council consequently moved the mother and teenager to a bed and breakfast.
Michael King, local government and social care ombudsman, said: “Despite these challenging circumstances, the council in this case failed in its duties to a vulnerable teenager who was sleeping rough, and it missed numerous opportunities to ensure he was safe.
“From what we’ve seen so far, the issues in this case are not indicative of how councils generally responded to public concerns during COVID-19. But we decided this case contained sufficient learning that others could take on board. Some of the problems in the case mirror issues we were seeing before the pandemic, but which have been amplified by the impact of COVID-19.”
The council has agreed to decide whether the teenager is owed any duty or service under the Children Act. Medway will also decide if the mother is owed the full housing duty and issue her with a written decision on her homelessness application. Medway said staff in its housing allocations and options team will also be given refresher training.
A Medway Council spokesperson said: “We fully accept the recommendations made by the Local Government Ombudsman and we have apologised to the individuals involved, as well as made recompense.
“During the pandemic we have provided temporary accommodation to hundreds of households of individuals who have needed additional support.
“Supporting our most vulnerable residents remains our top priority and we will continue to do all we can to prevent homelessness, including providing advice on the issues which can cause someone to become at risk of losing their home. We will also continue to work with partner agencies to continue offering specialist support to those who find themselves in need of accommodation.”
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