Page 90 - Solving Housing Disputes

3.62 Requiring people to use a digital portal to contact their local authority runs the
risk of turning away vulnerable and digitally excluded people in times of crisis
and should not be the only method by which people can seek assistance in times
of need. Local authorities should offer multiple methods for people to contact
them to seek assistance when facing homelessness. An array of methods should
include a face-to-face approach, over the phone, or digital, rather than being
gatekept by mandatory digital processes. We recommend the Homelessness
Code of Guidance be strengthened to require local authorities to offer
multiple channels for people to contact them to trigger the full legal inquiry
into a person’s homelessness’ status.

Digital portals

3.63 Though we have outlined the issues that arise when portals are the sole method
of contact, they have the potential to be an informative, convenient and easy-to-
use method to give an authority all relevant information about a person’s
circumstances to trigger homeless prevention or a full inquiry into a person’s
homelessness status. The starting point is that portals for homelessness
applications - like any online justice service - should be accessible and
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assistive. However, we have identified that many portals are clunky, have poor
design features, do not include up-to-date information for parties in need of
assistance, nor do they ask a sufficient array of questions to appraise the authority
of all relevant information about a person’s circumstances. This is an acute
problem where a local authority offers a portal as the only method of contact.

3.64 What local authorities offer on their website varies greatly. Some offer general
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information on homelessness, others offer a portal for people to make an
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application for assistance. For those seeking early advice and need of
information in times of crisis, a well-functioning portal would feature
comprehensive and clear information from an authority on their obligations, the

254 JUSTICE ibid para 3.36.

255 Newham Council offers general advice on homelessness, but also provides a portal for access to
homelessness prevention assistance, https://newham-
self.achieveservice.com/service/Homelessness_Self_Assessment

256 Three Rivers District Council offers a Housing Customer Portal through which people can apply for
homelessness assistance, https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/egcl-page/homelessness.

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