Preventing evictions and abandonment

Preventing evictions and abandonment from hostels and other supported accommodation is critical to avoid people returning to rough sleeping. By viewing challenging behaviour through a trauma-informed lens, services can consider the appropriate ways to respond, rather than using purely punitive measures and evicting vulnerable individuals. Creating a safe and supportive environment, where strengths-based practice is adopted, can help to prevent abandonments, as individuals will feel physically and emotionally safe in their home.

Good practice for reducing evictions and abandonment

• Early intervention - People often abandon in the first few weeks of moving in because they cannot adjust to their new accommodation. Ideally, conversations about the environment and potential triggers should happen prior to people moving in to prepare them for any difficult experiences. Staff could also ask how individuals would like staff to respond to them when they are distressed, or their behaviour is challenging. These conversations could be used to complete a formalised safety plan once the individual is settled into the accommodation.
• Enhanced support – Extra support sessions in the first few weeks is key to ensuring clients are feeling safe in their new home. You should also build in more informal interactions with staff (as this helps to build trusting relationships), buddying schemes, and group social activities/trips. Additionally, you could negotiate some transitional support from someone they already know e.g. an outreach worker or referrer for a short time.
• Adopt a whole team approach - The key to preventing abandonment is to establish a strong positive relationship with clients as quickly as possible after they move in. This involves all staff proactively making the client feel welcome, helping them become accustomed to their new surroundings, and ensuring they are aware of support on offer.
• Be transparent – Clear information should be provided to clients about their responsibilities and licence/tenancy agreement, as well as the types of behaviours that may put their housing at risk. Information should be provided about warnings procedures. It is key to understand the individual’s learning style here and not assume that lots of written information is the best way of communicating responsibilities – be creative.
• Link engagement with rewards - Instead of putting pressure on clients to engage with support, link engagement to rewards processes instead. Establish systems that reward positive behaviour, rather than sanction negative e.g., giving extra privileges/choice.
• Ensure all communication about arrears is supportive - Anxiety over the amount of arrears they are in is a common cause of abandonment. Don’t send letters unless necessary and ensure all discussion about arrears includes what support can be offered.
• Make it a place they want to stay - Clients can abandon/put their tenancy at risk if they feel staff are ‘dismissive’ of them, or if they find the service uncomfortable or feel unsafe. Make sure you regularly ask clients for their ideas and suggestions to improve the service. Use satisfaction surveys to formally engage clients in this, as well as complaints and residents meetings.
• Consider language – For example, have a ‘Support Intervention Process’ instead of a ‘Warnings Procedure, have ‘rights and responsibilities’ instead of ‘rules’, refer to ‘move-on’ instead of ‘eviction’

Warnings

When are warnings appropriate?

• A warning should only ever be used when you are informing someone that their licence or tenancy is at risk.
• For behaviour that requires a consequence, but it wouldn’t lead to an eviction, consider using alternative responses (see below).
• Warnings are an opportunity to change behaviour – if warnings are issued to reassert authority, or without discussion prior, they are being used solely as a punishment, rather than an opportunity.
• Good practice is to deal with the incident, then decide on whether a warning is appropriate or not once the member of staff has reflected, and the incident has been dealt with. Using debriefs or reflective practice can be a great way of deciding next steps in a calm, rather than reactive way.

Good practice when issuing warnings

• Warnings need to be clear about what the person has done to necessitate a warning – they should be used as an opportunity to change so should include steps needed from the client, but also staff members: both parties should have some actions.
• Asking the client to sign the warning promotes ownership and understanding.
• Include a review point in the warning. This gives you a chance to formally recognise clients’ progress, discuss how this was achieved, and plan how it can be maintained.
• Clients should be entitled to appeal any warning. The appeal should involve someone different to the person issuing warning.

Using alternatives to warnings

Alternative approaches should be used where behaviour needs a consequence or response but doesn’t meet criteria for a warning.

Types of alternative approaches and when to use them:

• Support only: Where the behaviour can be resolved through discussion or is primarily a support need
• Multi-agency work/case review meeting: Where a multi-agency support approach could help the client to maintain his/her current accommodation
• Withdrawal of privileges e.g., visitor bans: Where the behaviour needs a sanction response but does not meet eviction criteria
• Criminal sanctions: Where the behaviour is a criminal activity
• Sideway moves: Where a planned move to alternative accommodation would be most appropriate for the client’s support needs.

When thinking about using an alternative sanction, it’s not as easy as saying a specific behaviour will result in a specific response – it works best where the response is tailored to the individual and the incident and deciding what might motivate that person to change. Any response to behaviour should always include an offer of support alongside any sanction. This is important to maintain the relationship with the client and capitalise on the response as an opportunity to change behaviour. When using a sanction, it’s about balance: managing the risk of everyone in the building/service, but also supporting the individual to change their behaviour.

Questions to consider when deciding on an appropriate response:

• Why is the behaviour unacceptable?
• Can discussion or support resolve the issue?
• Is the behaviour primarily a support need?
• What support can be offered?
• What existing support/safety plan is in place and how does this relate to the incident?
• Would we evict for this behaviour if repeated?
• What other motivation could work for this client? E.g., move on, activities
• Is this the client’s first infringement?
• Is there a continued threat?
• Can a combination of responses be used or an option put to the client?
• What are the risks of both issuing and not issuing a particular sanction (both to the individual and the service)?

Preventing and managing arrears

High arrears can often lead to eviction which could have been prevented. It is important to think about why people are not paying, as this will require different responses. E.g., is it that they can’t pay (housing benefit issues, debt) or that they won’t pay (want money for other things, think they shouldn’t have to).

Good practice for managing and preventing arrears

• Be assertive and consistent from the outset - discuss rent/service charge at booking in, and as soon as any payment is missed. Ensure the client understands – consider the diversity in how people take in information and don’t assume someone understands immediately.
• Be clear that clients are responsible for their rent - this includes the Housing Benefit (HB) element, but you are there to support them to pay.
• View managing finances as a support need – it does not conflict with support; it is part of it.
• Don’t penalise clients for HB mistakes.
• Use rent agreements to set manageable repayment plans and reward adhering to this, rather than focussing on amount.
• Set up reminders on pay day and support to attend appointments.

The importance of client involvement & feedback

• Complaints/suggestions - should be actively encouraged and used and you should always be seen to act on these. This doesn’t mean always doing what is suggested but should involve always clearly communicating any decisions and the reasons for these. You can get these through suggestion boxes, surveys, resident meetings and any informal engagement.
• Client involvement - Run residents’ meetings on their terms. Be engaging, offer food etc if your budget allows, to get people along. Have your residents involved in developing and reviewing things you are doing in the service, e.g. if you want to run an activity, get them involved; if you are thinking of reviewing a policy, make sure they have their say too. Consult with residents in developing your evictions and abandonment policy.