Helping Sandy

A referral was received from Burnley Downtown for Sandy*, who was distressed due to an upcoming move to a supported living home. Sandy came to our Advocate whilst they were on outreach- an informal drop in service provided at Burnley Down Town. This occurs monthly.

Sandy was under a Section 21 eviction notice, which is a no-fault eviction notice served by her landlord. Although she had kept up with rent payments, her relationship with her landlord had deteriorated significantly, causing stress and aggressive communication. Sandy was concerned about becoming homeless due to the eviction notice and was very concerned about possibly having to ‘give up’ her beloved pets if she was made homeless.

The staff member from Burnley Down Town had assisted Sandy already to bid and apply for social housing. A new home had been allocated to her, however it required vital repairs. At the time of meeting, Sandy was unsure how long these repairs would take and was finding communication and liaising with the new housing provider difficult due to the stress and worry that she was undergoing.

Our Advocate first contacted the social housing provider to get a timeline for the repair works. With Sandy’s consent, the Advocate negotiated with the landlord to halt the eviction until the new property was ready. The landlord agreed to revoke the eviction notice and requested weekly updates on the progress. The Advocate kept in regular contact with Sandy, the social housing provider, and the landlord, ensuring everyone was informed. After 3 weeks of coordination, the repairs were completed. Sandy successfully moved into her new home with her pets, avoiding eviction and homelessness.

The collaborative effort between Burnley Down Town and community Advocate resulted in Sandy being able to move into her new home without losing her pets or facing eviction. This case demonstrates the positive impact of effective partnership working in addressing housing and landlord repossession issues.

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the people we support