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No privacy at housing centre

April 09 2012
Homeless people have to discuss sensitive issues within earshot of other members of the public 

 

A council-run advice service in Burton-in-Trent has been criticised for denying privacy to vulnerable people seeking housing help.

East Staffordshire Borough Council’s Customer Service Centre in Marketplace, High Street provides homelessness information as well as acting as a tourist centre and a drop-in for residents enquiring about anything from council tax to bin collections. It can receive up to 1,000 visitors a week.

According to Councillor Alison Legg, homeless people visiting the Housing Options team are forced to discuss sensitive and often confidential issues within earshot of other members of the public. She said: “When you have a vulnerable person at the centre to speak to the homelessness department, they should be seen in private, not just behind a pane of glass so everybody else can hear what they are saying.”

The council denied claims that vulnerable people are not afforded privacy in the centre, stating that whenever possible sensitive matters are discussed behind closed doors. Council representative Sal Khan commented: “Our Housing Options staff utilise one and sometimes two meeting rooms within the Housing Options centre. Any sensitive homeless issues from members of the public are dealt with within these meeting rooms.”

East Staffordshire Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy for 2008 states that: “Every customer who approaches the Housing Options service with a concern about homelessness will be offered a one-to-one assessment of their housing needs and risk of homelessness; individual advice about how they can address their needs and relevant information.”

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