Homeless kept out of stock transfer homes

Homeless people in a number of English regions are being denied permanent accommodation by stock transfer housing associations, Housing Today has found.

The revelation coincides with today’s launch of an investigation by homelessness charity Shelter into how many people in North-east England are “unfairly” excluded from waiting lists for council and association housing.

Our own investigations into the position of the homeless in stock transfer areas have revealed that many applicants have found it more difficult to access permanent accommodation since the transfer.

Denise Rooney, coordinator of the Housing Advice Resource Project, which operates in Yorkshire & Humber, said there was growing anecdotal evidence from clients of a problem.

She said: “If they have had problems in the past, that can affect their rehousing on a housing association’s waiting list.”

The latest figures show that 20.1% of allocations by large-scale voluntary transfer housing associations are to homeless families. This compares favourably to housing associations not involved in stock transfer (9.4%), but it is less than the 34% by local authorities.

LSVT housing associations that have taken over responsibility for delivering homeless services from the local authority fare better, with 22.4% of all allocations going to homeless families.

Michael Horton, 44, lost his accommodation after splitting up with his partner. An arm’s-length management organisation refused him access to a waiting list for homes because of rent arrears incurred 17 years earlier.

Rachel Newton, regional campaign officer for Shelter in North-west England, said: “It is definitely a problem in the North-west. We have found that local authorities are often unable to find permanent housing for homeless households because they are excluded by housing associations, for example because of small amounts of rent arrears from a previous tenancy.”

Josh Sutton, chair of the National Transfer Homelessness Group, representing transfer landlords that provide homelessness services for councils, said there were often initial problems when LSVTs were first formed – but that these were normally swiftly ironed out.

“In forming the company, homelessness is often bolted on at the end. We would clearly like to see homelessness contracted in the central aims and objectives.”

A spokesman for the National Housing Federation said: “The crucial issue here is the nomination rights that the local authority has to the transfer organisation. With most organisations, as far as I understand, the nomination rights are normally very high – 80-100% will normally be retained.

“If any groups fall through the net, it is for the local authority to get together with the association and take it forward.”

The ODPM is also set to examine whether “greater cooperation” can be achieved between local authorities and housing associations to reduce homelessness, as outlined in its recent homelessness strategy, Sustainable Communities: Settled Homes, Changing Lives.