Council compensates homeless man for housing delay

Bristol City Council accepted the watchdog's findings, apologised to the homeless man and paid him £250 in compensation

A watchdog ordered a council to pay a homeless man compensation for taking too long to find him emergency accommodation.

An investigation found Bristol City Council knew he was at risk of self harm yet took five weeks to find him a place.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report said the delay was "excessive".

The council has apologised and paid the man £250 for the distress he suffered.

'Felt unsafe'

It first offered to find to find him housing in October 2018 as he was homeless, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In December, the authority learned the man's mental health had deteriorated and he had been hospitalised but it was another three weeks before his GP was contacted for more information.

After receiving it, there was another delay and he was offered emergency accommodation in January 2019.

In the meantime, the man had been living with a friend, who he had said he felt unsafe with.

The council had persuaded the friend to let him stay for longer.

Local authorities have a legal duty to find short-term accommodation otherwise known as "interim" or emergency accommodation for a person they believe is homeless, eligible and in priority need.

The ombudsman ruled Bristol City Council should have made the offer in December, but used "too high" a threshold to decide whether he was in "priority need".

A spokesperson for the council said it had "progressed" the recommended actions from the investigation.