Mrs A

Mrs A attended Shelter NHAS after she submitted a Homeless Person's application to Nottingham Housing Aid and she had received a section 184 decision letter finding her intentionally homeless as she had voluntarily given up the tenancy on her Housing Association accommodation with her husband and eight children.

They fled the property when they were attacked at knifepoint by men disguised as workmen looking to rob the safe left in the property by the previous tenant. As they no longer felt safe to live in the property they handed the keys back to the Housing Association, and then made a homeless persons application.

Mrs A subsequently received a letter from the council stating that they had found her intentionally homeless as she had voluntarily given up her previous accommodation.

We established that the family had suffered

severe anxiety and distress both at the time of the incident and since, and that the whole family were receiving counselling to try to come to terms with their ordeal.

We helped Mrs A submit a written statement to Housing Aid to request a review of its decision and obtained letters of support from Nottinghamshire Police and the family's doctor to support their request to be re-housed.

Housing Aid subsequently overturned its original intentionally homeless decision and agreed to re-house the family.

Mr  D

Mr. D visited Shelter Nottinghamshire Housing Advice Service as he had received a Notice seeking Possession from his housing association landlord.  Mr D had been struggling to pay his full rent since his illness in 2005 when he was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder.  He had arrears amounting to over 7 months payments and the grounds being used for Possession were ground 8, which is mandatory and, if over 2 months arrears outstanding on day of Court Hearing, the Court would have to give Possession.

We assessed Mr D’s ability to pay the rent, he had recently been awarded Disability Living Allowance and could afford to pay the rent but only offer a small amount towards repaying the arrears. We helped Mr D prepare a Financial Statement which included details of his income and expenditure and other creditors and debts he had outstanding.

We assessed how Mr D had a housing benefit shortfall which had contributed to the arrears and gave him budgeting advice on how to ensure the rental shortfall was paid.

We helped the client negotiate with the Housing Association; we wrote to them enclosing a copy of Mr D’s Financial Statement and offer of repayment and explained how the arrears had arisen. We also informed them of Mr M’s frail health, his recent regular hospitalisation and need for support, we also advised them how Mr M needed to remain in the accommodation as this was essential respite for him and it was unlikely he would find alternative accommodation to a similar standard if he were evicted. 

Shelter successfully negotiated payment towards the rent and arrears and the Housing Association agreed not to proceed with the Possession whilst the arrangement is maintained.