14 Simon Communities of Ireland Respondents highlighted a number of advantages This view was also reiterated in the discussions and disadvantages to accommodating people in with other service users, some of whom reported private renting as opposed to social housing. direct experiences of very poor conditions in Although social housing was highly prized as a some private lets, means of enabling someone to sustain a home - nevertheless noted that there were issues that I moved in the Spring and by summer“as damp.wecalpehT.uoyrofgnihtons’erehTsawti–yticracsstifoecneuqesnocayltra p could arise with this tenure. As one staff everything I had was green, towels, sheets, respondent commented, everything. The damp came out. All the walls were mouldy (Service user). “ andrse’s pomismedshibesoceianhoussiing. optiplns iAstanhersissentaleAortommodationin chemes wereemosStahtsawdeccpreuRectrufneooePgntuuoohthilweerwethawyvncatadeecnatlrpagpniuebeehrTa consideration of needs and it stores up coming to an end, with consequent insecurity for problems. When an offer does come up people tenants as they needed to move to alternative are afraid to turn it down, and they may go accommodation that was sometimes a somewhere that doesn’t suit them at all (Staff) considerable distance from networks that had been built up. One problem was that sometimes an allocation would be on estates with deep seated problems with anti-social behaviour. Developing new housing options In some instances respondents noted difficulties In the face of this limited supply, respondents with social renting due to the attitudes and letting highlighted a number of ways that Simon policies of social landlords, especially in relation Communities were attempting to develop their to people with convictions, for example. In one own stock as a response. Clearly, the number of area respondents noted that potential tenants units possible via these methods was tiny in were not allowed to view inside the allocated relation to the need. Nevertheless, one advantage property until they had accepted the tenancy – with acquiring or developing stock in-house was and had subsequently found out why on visiting that respondents could operate at lower their new home for the first time. However, the thresholds with regard to sustaining tenancies in standard of private rented accommodation on regard to risky behaviour in relation to drug and offer within rent caps was viewed as widely alcohol use than was often the case with housing problematic. A number of staff respondents options provided by other providers. reported that it was difficult to ‘sell’ the idea of a move into private accommodation as a positive, progressive step in someone’s life when it was often the case that the standard of accommodation service users were leaving was of a higher quality than the private let they were being offered. As one service user commented, “ accomimodamon. Iomms nrtynd, but I thoughtaiguawtCnoitiSnsawI ‘I’ve got to get out of here’. I looked at two apartments. I looked down name of road, and down name of road. They were terrible places. And I came back and said ‘Thanks, I’ll wait’. And he said ‘But you say you’re ready to go?’ And I said ‘Yes, but not into a shithole’ (Service user).
Which Way Home?
To see the actual publication please follow the link above