Bosses probe claim ‘vulnerable’ tenants are ‘living in fear’
SUPPORTED housing chiefs say they are investigating claims that “vulnerable” tenants’ complaints and fears are being ignored.
Local county and borough councillors David Stansfield and Val Roberts raised the alarm after Helmcroft Court residents shared a variety of ongoing concerns over allegations of ‘anti-social behaviour’ and the upkeep of communal areas.
Two emails sent by the councillors to landlords Together Housing - and seen by the Free Press - call for comprehensive CCTV and claiming some tenants are ‘living in fear’ as a result of anti-social behaviour.
Together Housing say they cannot go into specific details, but are ‘working closely’ with residents to respond to matters raised. They also advise they will be replacing curtains - removed from windows in corridors and communal areas for ‘fire safety’ reasons - in the next two weeks.
In a February 5 letter, Coun Roberts said: “Your organisation, as I have said before, have a duty of care to these residents. They are supposed to be safe and happy but instead they live in fear.
“We have been meeting since November and the only change is that the carpets have been cleaned - the blinds are apparently waiting to be fitted (when, no-one knows) and the residents are still experiencing [anti-social behaviour].”
One resident told the Free Press they were unhappy with late night noise nuisance, and other alleged rule breaches, as well as maintenance and upkeep issues. He claimed: “We’ve got some very vulnerable people here. Together Housing say that because government funding stopped they can no longer keep it as sheltered housing.”
Back in January 2018, one family member shared concerns over “threadbare carpets, broken floor tiles and unvarnished handrails” after it took eight days to repair the building’s main security lock.
The resident added: “Basically we have had to complain about everything to get anything done. We had to complain and it took months for the communal carpets to get cleaned. We have got no curtains in the communal areas because they were taken away.
“They’ve still done nothing with the windows of the general areas - either curtains or blinds. They were taken down about 18 months ago. They said they were a fire hazard; apparently you could get a spark from anything. It’s ridiculous, Together Housing have lots of places and they all have curtains. It’s as if they’ve just stripped everything down and said this is how you can live.”
Together Housing said there is no longer a daily visiting Support Officer on the scheme, as this service ended in 2017 following Lancashire County Council funding cuts. However, they say residents are still able to access a 24/7 alarm service should they wish to, and the scheme is closely managed by a Supported Housing Officer who visits regularly to meet residents.
Sue Lewis, head of Supported Housing, said: “We have very robust procedures in place that we follow when we receive any type of anti-social behaviour complaint. We cannot go in to the specific details of this case other than to give assurances that we are working closely with our residents to investigate and respond to all matters that have been raised.”