Lambeth council worker advised homeless woman to move back with parents that were ‘dangerous’

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A council employee told a homeless woman to move back in with her parents who wanted to send her to east Africa for conversion therapy.

The Lambeth council housing officer allegedly said her family’s actions were the sign of a supportive home.

When a support service asked the council to change the woman’s housing officer, Lambeth said the employee’s advice was appropriate.

The council said that while it acknowledged the advice to return was dangerous, the housing officer believed the woman’s parents were acting in her best interests.

Star Support – a support service for young LGBT people – recalled the incident in a report by legal charity the Public Interest Law Centre [PILC] into housing support for domestic abuse victims across London.

Star Support told the PILC: “We advocated for a change in housing officer but, although recognising that the advice to return was dangerous, the council maintained that the housing officer’s advice was appropriate as she believed that Harriet’s [the woman] parents were acting in her best interests and if Harriet complied with her parent’s wishes – not living as an LGBTQI+ person – then she would have a safe home to live in.”

In one incident, Lambeth council refused to provide a victim with emergency accommodation despite their ex-partner harassing them. The council only agreed to provide them with housing after a PILC solicitor intervened.

A Lambeth council spokeswoman said: “Improving the safety of women and girls in both public and private is a key priority for Lambeth council.

“We have protected support services in the borough from cuts and invested extra money over the last decade, despite significant reductions in its funding from government.

“In developing Lambeth’s updated strategy to tackle violence against women and girls we worked with those who have lived experience, as well as experts in the field. But we know there is still much to do, in particular with regard to the impacts of the borough’s housing shortage.”

Picture top: Lambeth Council town hall (Picture: Grainne Cuffe)