Housing case studies
Read the stories of residents who have used housing-related support services in North East Lincolnshire:
Louise
Hear about Louise’s journey as she was supported by Women’s Aid and the council to move home and away from an unsafe space.
Dave and Sarah
Read about Dave and Sarah’s experience as their landlord sold the house they were renting.
Jeff and Danny
See how Jeff and Danny dealt with issues with the landlord and paying their bills as they began renting for the first time.
Jenny
Hear about Jenny’s experience with reporting a rough sleeper using the StreetLink app.
Louise
Louise has lived in Grimsby her entire life and has recently split up with her husband after 20 years, due to emotional abuse and his controlling behaviour.
Louise had tried to leave before, but never found the strength to stay away. This time with the help of Women’s Aid, she has left her husband for good and moved into the Women’s Refuge. Louise has been staying at the refuge for the last couple of months and receiving their support, but now feels ready to move into a home of her own.
She contacted the North East Lincolnshire Homelessness Prevention Service to see what her options were to gain help moving out of the refuge. Her housing case officer agreed a personalised housing plan with Louise. She managed her home well for over 20 years, she just needs help to find somewhere to live and continued support from Women’s Aid to rebuild her confidence and move on with life.
The housing case officer put Louise in touch with a private landlord who had a two- bedroom house suitable for Louise and her son Matthew and she was able to move in quickly with financial aid from the Homelessness Prevention Service. Louise and Matthew are now happy and settled in their new home, Matthew is able to see his dad through a contact centre where he is safe, and Louise does not have to see her ex-husband.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, please contact 999 if you are in immediate danger, or Women’s Aid for support on 01472 575757.
Dave and Sarah
Dave and Sarah, along with their two children, recently found themselves facing homelessness when their landlord decided to sell the house they had been renting.
Dave and Sarah weren’t sure what to do when the landlord gave them the Section 21 Notice. They looked for other properties to move into but couldn’t find anywhere, and they got to the point of the notice expiring and having nowhere to stay that night before.
Unfortunately, because they had left it so late, the council were unable to find them a house or flat on an emergency basis so they had to go into a guesthouse. This was not ideal due to the lack of cooking or laundry facilities, but the arrangement meant they were only their for three weeks. They then moved to another temporary home that the service offered them until they successfully secured a property through the housing register, Home Choice Lincs. Whilst the property was not in the area they used to live in, it was suitable and secure and the family moved in six months after first becoming homeless.
If Dave and Sarah had contacted the council as soon as they were given the notice, they may not have had to go into temporary accommodation at all; they could have been bidding on the housing register system sooner and the Council could have assisted them to secure a property with financial assistance in the area where they lived and had schools, family and GP in place.
Jeff and Danny
Jeff and his boyfriend Danny have recently started renting a house together, and this is the first time either of them have moved out of their family home.
When they moved in, they soon realised that they had no idea how to pay their bills and set them up as direct debits. They were struggling to make sure all their bills were paid on time and this meant they found themselves in some debt. Their landlord wasn’t happy with how long it took her to get the rent payments every month (if she got them at all), and had no option but to issue them with a Section 21 notice.
Jeff’s mum suggested that he should contact the council straight away, so they rang the Homelessness Prevention Service. The housing case officer spoke to Jeff and Danny and informed them they would benefit from taking part in the Housing Related Support scheme, referring them to the team and informing the landlord of the result. Because of this, Jeff and Danny’s landlord agreed to let them stay in their new home.
The housing related support provider took Danny and Jeff’s HRS case on and talked to them to see how they would be best supported.
The housing support provider spent a year with Jeff and Danny, helping them set up direct debits and supporting them in managing their tenancy. They also learnt how to look after the house they are living in and built links with community support sessions, including money management courses and cooking classes.
Now, they still live in their original home, and the landlord is very happy with how well Jeff and Danny have settled in and learnt to manage.
Jenny
Jenny was out walking her dog when she came across a person sleeping in the field by her house. Jenny thought he looked like he was sleeping on the streets, but did not feel comfortable approaching him on her own, but she still wanted to help.
Jenny visited North East Lincolnshire Council’s website, which advised that she make an alert on the StreetLink website. After downloading the app, she filled in basic details including where she saw him and what he looked like. It was a really simple form, and only took her a few minutes.
Once completed, the form goes through to NELC’s Rough Sleeper Coordinator, who will then go out with the outreach team and find the person, check on them and make sure they are safe. The outreach team will offer relevant advice and support, to work with the person rough sleeping to improve their situation.
When she completed the form, Jenny requested that she received feedback about what happened to the man in the field. Shortly after the alert was received, Jenny was informed the man had been found and received support and advice from the outreach team.