So you think you've seen some bad parenting?

[DanaC]

Stupid fucking names *shakes head*

It's really not as simple as people having kids to get a council house. For a start that's not how it works now. Or rather it does and it doesn't *smiles* The people controlling the housing stock are not the same as the people dealing with child welfare.

In theory all councils bear 'corporate parenthood' towards all children within their boundaries. This means offering support to families and in the event of family breakdown, where necessary stepping into the breach. The councils are legally obliged to ensure the safety and security of children. That means ensuring they have a roof over their head. In theory, the presence of a young child in a homeless family should be enough to gurantee housing, but in reality that's not quite how it works.

Lots of families who are technically 'homeless' are actually living in guest houses and hostels, and that includes families with youngsters. Housing advice centres and housing charities are overwhelmed by need and facing sharp cuts to budgets. Council/social housing is entirely inadequate to current levels of need. My own council has a housing shortage of somewhere in the region of 4000 homes.

Like many councils we don;t own the housing stock, it is owned and managed by an arms length not for profit company (not for profit but expanding to encompass whole regions of previously council owned housing stock), who supposedly work in partnership with the council to deliver local agendas.

Rather than the old system whereby when you got to the head o fthe list you were contacted and offered a couple of housing options, now you have to bid for houses on the housing system. Each bidder is assigned a priority band, with each priority made up of a points scale. If you're bidding with a bronze priority you might be bidding for years and not get anything. If you're bidding with a gold priority then you'll probably find something in a few weeks or months. Some housing is specifically open to only one or two bands, other stuff can be bid on by anybody.

The points system takes account of a number of factors including health issues or the presence of young children in a homeless family, or levels of overcrowding in a family already living in one of the association houses.

There's not an automatic guarantee that someone who's had another child will then get a bigger house, nor that a young single mum won't get stuck in some entirely innappropriate bed and breakfast hotel.

It varies from council to council. But I doubt there are many who can guarantee a council house to a girl just because she has a bairn.

There have always been a handful of girls who took that attitude. Somehow most of them seem to end up in the Sun or the Daily Mail to bolster the latest economic assault on lone parents. The vast majority of young single mums, in my experience as a councillor, working with this particular demographic as part of the Children and Young People's services directorate, are either flailing about in panic and need help and direction, or even more likely are single-mindedly focused on building a life for their little one.

This kind of shite really muddies the water. This becomes the picture most people have of young single mums and it's really, really, not representative.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by DanaC

The points system takes account of a number of factors including health issues or the presence of young children in a homeless family, or levels of overcrowding in a family already living in one of the association houses.

Who authenticates this data to ensure that it is accurate and people are not lying on their applications? How is it updated accurately as their situation changes to ensure that they are not getting something they really don't need?

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Who authenticates this data to ensure that it is accurate and people are not lying on their applications? How is it updated accurately as their situation changes to ensure that they are not getting something they really don't need?

They go through various assessment processes. And there are housing officers who oversee everything. Way too boring to go into in any detail here.

It really isn't easy to scam the housing system. There may be odd examples, but they are a small minority. There are far more families and individuals deserving of more help than they are getting, than are getting help they don't deserve. The trouble is a family not getting as much help as they need and deserve doesn't make as good a headline as the family that is living it up on the public purse or the single mum who just pops out a sprog (hate that phrase) as a housing solution.