A Green councillor is calling for an audit of housing and homeless services including a review of communications for “intimidating” and “stigmatising” practices.
Councillor Bruno De Oliviera plans to ask for the audit in a motion which is due to be debated at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting on Thursday (1 October).
His call for an audit follows a change in the law requiring housing officials to run safe, high-quality and tenant-focused services.
Should the motion win support, the findings and an action plan would be presented to the council’s cabinet within 12 months.
The Greens want the council to promise a “tell us once” approach to reduce the number of times that the council asks people for the same information.
They also want to tenants, people with lived experience, community organisations, frontline staff and trade unions to shape the proposed audit.
The audit would cover homelessness, temporary accommodation, allocations, repairs, rent arrears, complaints and tenancy support.
Councillor De Oliviera’s motion said: “People seeking housing support may be experiencing risk of homelessness, domestic abuse, poverty, discrimination, disability, mental distress or trauma.
“Even well-intentioned systems can deepen distress through repeated assessments, complex processes, insensitive communication, unsuitable accommodation or repeated disclosure of traumatic experiences.
“(The) council recognises that front-line housing staff face severe pressure from rising homelessness, shortages of genuinely affordable homes and long-term underfunding of local government.
“(The) council believes residents should be treated as people, not case numbers, and services should promote safety, trust, accessibility, choice and respectful communication.
“Trauma-informed practice must not individualise structural problems. Better processes cannot substitute for social housing, affordable rents and properly funded public services.”
The motion is due to be discussed at a meeting of the full council at Hove Town Hall at 4.30pm on Thursday 1 October. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
And who’s to pay for this? Presumably the Housing Account on top of replacing tower blocks and rehousing tenants. Waste of money.