Disabled man slept on concrete floor of garage for several nights after council failed to consider his homelessness application properly: Ombudsman

The Ombudsman's investigation into the man’s complaint found the council did not properly assess him for interim accommodation after he approached it as homeless, which ended up causing him “significant and avoidable distress”.

The man behind the complaint had applied to the council as homeless in July 2024 after receiving a formal eviction notice.

Over the following months, he submitted multiple forms of medical evidence, including letters from his GP and hospital outlining significant physical health conditions, including an upcoming surgery, as well as evidence of his disability benefit award.

However, despite this, the council failed to properly consider whether he may be entitled to support until days before bailiffs arrived, the Ombudsman found.

When the man was eventually evicted at the beginning of December 2024, he had an anxiety attack and sought emergency medical treatment.

The Ombudsman said: “With no accommodation arranged, he slept on the concrete floor of a garage that the council had organised for him to store his belongings. He stayed there for four nights.”

On the fifth day of being street homeless, the man was admitted to hospital.

Following investigation, the Ombudsman found that had the council acted correctly, it would have offered the man interim accommodation as early as October 2024 - two months before his eviction - and he would have avoided both the legal costs of the bailiff proceedings and the period of “severe distress” that followed.

To remedy the injustice caused, the council was recommended to:

• apologise to the man and pay him a symbolic £1,250 to acknowledge the injustice he was caused;
• pay the court and bailiff costs incurred by the man;
• ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities to act early for people facing eviction and offer interim accommodation as soon as there is a reason to think someone might need it;
• ensure interim accommodation is suitable before offering it.

According to the Ombudsman, the council has agreed to the recommendations.

Julie Odams, Chief Executive at the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: "Despite repeatedly chasing the council for help, this Disabled man was left to sleep on a cold concrete floor with his mental health deteriorating all while the council failed to properly consider the significant evidence in front of it. No Disabled person should ever be left to face that situation.

"Norwich City Council has accepted what has gone wrong in this case and I welcome its acceptance of our recommendations to put things right. The steps it has agreed to take, including retraining staff and giving them clearer guidance about their responsibilities to people facing homelessness, should help ensure this does not happen to anyone else.

“Councils have a legal duty to act promptly when someone may be homeless and in priority need, and I would urge all councils to review their own practices in light of this case."

A spokesperson for Norwich City Council said, "We have been in touch directly with the individual and offered our sincere apologies. We have provided compensation and as per the recommendation of the Ombudsman we have taken all steps possible to safeguard this from happening again."

Lottie Winson