Power to house at Hedley Lodge
Case reference FOI2023/00343
Published 18 April 2023
Request
Can you tell me what "Power" has been used to house people at Hedley Lodge?
Can you tell me how long the power will last?
Can you tell me if Hedley Lodge is being used to house people in Priority Need of accommodation?
Can you tell me if someone can still access Herefordshire Council Homelessness Services' if they have been asked to leave Hedley Lodge?
Can you please provide me with copies of the policy and procedure for invoking a Serious Case Review when someone street homeless and known to your service dies on the streets?
Can you provide me with copies of your Domestic violence pathway and explain how you quickly identify a perpetrator from a victim and vice a versa?
Can you please confirm if suspected perpetrators of Domestic Violence are being denied access to Homelessness Services?
Can you please confirm if a "Friend" can make a Homelessness application on behalf of someone who did not understand how to do it?
Can you confirm the policy and procedure that enables Housing Solutions to refuse to talk to someone lawfully appointed under the GDPR and who are helping their "Friends" with their homelessness, where lack of understand is an issue.
Response
Can you tell me what "Power" has been used to house people at Hedley Lodge?
Section 205(3) of the 1996 Housing Act enables housing authorities to discharge the section 189B(2) relief and/or section 195(2) prevention duties by securing accommodation for an applicant, where it decides to do so. The power to secure accommodation to applicants to prevent or relieve homelessness, regardless of priority need status, provides more flexibility to pursue appropriate housing options for applicants.
Can you tell me how long the power will last?
This power is at the discretion of the local authority. Housing authorities might use the section 205(3) power to deliver accommodation services for groups that are at higher risk of homelessness, for example young people with low incomes. The power might also be used to provide additional help to those least able to secure accommodation directly from a private landlord, such as people with an offending history or people with a mental health problem. Housing authorities will wish to consider local priorities, needs and resources when considering how the power might best be utilised in their district.
Can you tell me if Hedley Lodge is being used to house people in Priority Need of accommodation?
Hedley Lodge is being used to house people in priority need of accommodation.
Can you tell me if someone can still access Herefordshire Council Homelessness Services' if they have been asked to leave Hedley Lodge?
Yes, someone can still access Herefordshire Council homelessness services if they have been asked to leave Hedley Lodge.
Can you please provide me with copies of the policy and procedure for invoking a Serious Case Review when someone street homeless and known to your service dies on the streets?
All documents relating to Safeguarding Adults Reviews are available here. This includes the Care Act criteria, a helpful flow chart and the referral form as well as previously published SARs
The governments previous rough sleeping strategy 2018 (now withdrawn) encouraged safeguarding boards to conduct SARs where a person who died was rough sleeping. In doing so the strategy made reference to the Care Act. It was identified to central government that this strategy was problematic in that not all cases of those who die when rough sleeping would meet the criteria for a SAR.
The revised 2022 rough sleeping strategy has removed reference to SAR's, recognising that local safeguarding adult boards fully understand their obligation regarding decision making and commissioning of SAR's.
Can you provide me with copies of your Domestic violence pathway and explain how you quickly identify a perpetrator from a victim and vice a versa?
Please see attached Domestic Abuse Pathway and Triage Pathway.
In addition to the Domestic Abuse Pathway, all applications are put through a Triage Pathway if at risk of immediate homelessness or threatened with homelessness in the next 56 days.
Calls to the Triage Team are made by the applicant (self-referral) or are advised to contact the Triage Team by WMWA and/or the Police (Domestic Risk Team). We have close working relationships with various professional bodies so can identify a victim/perpetrator by making enquires to the Police, looking at referrals to MARAC, WMWA and other professionals who are working with the family or individual and make referrals to support agencies such as CCP.
Can you please confirm if suspected perpetrators of Domestic Violence are being denied access to Homelessness Services?
Suspected perpetrators are not denied access to homelessness services.
Can you please confirm if a "Friend" can make a Homelessness application on behalf of someone who did not understand how to do it?
Applications can be made by the person who is homeless or threatened with homelessness, or by someone on their behalf. This could be someone acting in a professional capacity, for example a solicitor, adviser or social worker. It could also be made by a friend or relative, however it is important to note that this only applies if the applicant is unable to make an application for themselves. In all homelessness cases, an individual must be deemed to have capacity to make a homeless application.
Can you confirm the policy and procedure that enables Housing Solutions to refuse to talk to someone lawfully appointed under the GDPR and who are helping their "Friends" with their homelessness, where lack of understand is an issue.
Herefordshire Council complies with Data Protection law, which covers individuals acting on behalf of another and the authorisation required to do so.
The Council's data protection policy is available on our website via the below link.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.