Shropshire Council ordered to pay homeless man who lived in car

Shropshire Council was ordered to pay the man a total of £4,000 by the ombudsman

A council has been ordered following an ombudsman inquiry to pay £4,000 to a homeless man who lived in his car and a garage during winter.

The man asked Shropshire Council for help when he became homeless in 2021 and was given temporary accommodation.

But he moved out complaining that ceilings too low for him to stand had left him in pain, and the inquiry found no alternative home was offered.

The council said it would review its process.

After moving out to live in his car, the local authority later told the man that an offer of alternative accommodation would have been made had he asked for it, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said.

The body investigated the case after the man relayed his experience via the council's complaints procedure.

It said the council did not review how suitable the provisional accommodation was when its tenant complained, meaning an alternative offer did not emerge.

The ombudsman also found the man was homeless for much longer than he would have been if the council acted properly.

'Lack of understanding'

The case highlighted a "concerning lack of understanding" by the council of its legal duties to homeless people, said Michael King from the watchdog.

It ordered the council to pay the man £500 for his distress and £3,500 for the period during which it had failed to provide suitable accommodation, between October 2021 and July of this year.

The council has also been urged to provide more guidance to its housing team.

A spokesperson for Shropshire Council said the authority accepted the report's findings and would "abide by the actions requested".

"We are disappointed that despite trying to work with the individual to address their concerns we were unable to come to a resolution," the council added.

It has pledged to ensure staff undertake refresher training.