On 13 December Thea Grattidge, a solicitor in our housing team, attended a local school in Peckham to deliver a knowledge workshop for parents in temporary accommodation.

Thea was invited to deliver the workshop by Citizens UK Peckham, part of South London Citizens. South London Citizens is an alliance of 100+ organisations, including schools, universities, churches, mosques, synagogues, migrant groups, charities, GP surgeries, and other community organisations. The aim of the alliance is to create meaningful change in local communities and beyond.

The workshop aimed to empower local parents through education on their rights as occupants of  temporary accommodation. Often local authorities fail to clearly outline the duties owed to such occupants and fail to comply with statutory requirements to ensure their basic needs are met. It is therefore crucial that occupants of temporary accommodation are aware of how and when the local authority should act, especially when the welfare of children is at risk.

The workshop covered topics such as the homelessness process, housing duties, what may make accommodation unsuitable, and how to challenge unsuitable temporary accommodation. We hope that those who attended left with a better understanding of their housing rights.

If you are in temporary accommodation, and would like advice in relation to your rights, please contact the housing team via the enquiry form on our website.