Southwark Council has been ordered to pay compensation to an abuse survivor after placing him in two separate squalid homes used for drug dealing.
The unnamed man – known as Mr B – was attacked by “the resident drug dealer” in the first private rented house that Southwark found for him in 2018. He had fled his previous home because of domestic abuse, and was homeless, according to the council’s own records.
Mr B tried to complain to the council, but was referred back to his landlord, according to the local government and social care ombudsman, which investigated his case. But the landlord’s agent told him to go to the council with complaints instead.
After he became suicidal, Southwark accepted he was vulnerable and moved him onto a new home – also used for drug dealing. The new home was also close to Mr B’s former abuser.
Nearly three times as many empty council homes in Southwark now than ten years ago
The council’s own reports about the new home found that there were “holes in the wall, stained carpets, open waste in the kitchen, and electrical sockets off the walls” – a way of hiding drugs – as well as regular drug dealing by the other tenants. His door had no lock or handle and could not be closed.
Southwark eventually gave Mr B a council flat in September 2020, nearly two and a half years after he was first placed in temporary accommodation.
The ombudsman said the council had admitted that it could have supported Mr B better when he raised issues about the accommodation. But it added that that Mr B did not raised these issues at first and he accepted the property.
Mr B said that he did not know how to complain. He tried to ask for help using the contact details in the communal area of his home, but he did not know that these were out of date and his emails were not being read.
The inspector said in their report: “While I am pleased the Council has acknowledged that its service should have been better, overall it has not recognised the impact its shortcomings, lack of clarity and lack of support, had on Mr B and his wellbeing. It left Mr B uncertain as to whether the Council would help him, and caused frustration and distress to him, despite knowing that he was vulnerable due to his mental health.”
The report added that Southwark had offered the man £250 in compensation, but told them to give him £500 instead. The inspector added that the council should apologise to Mr B, train up one of its officers better and make sure staff know about housing requirements.
The News has contacted Southwark Council for comment.