Delving beneath the surface

Delving beneath the surface - A blog from our own Tenancy Service Officer, Tracey

Anti-social behaviour is rarely a problem that can be addressed and dealt with at the click of a finger. As well as patience, a good understanding of how people act when stressed out can make all the difference.

In this blog, we hear from our Tenancy Service Officer, Tracey, about how a recent ASB case led to supporting a customer experiencing abuse.

"I received an ASB complaint about noise coming from a property. It was shouting, arguing mostly. I visited the customer who was responsible for the noise, just to make sure everything was ok and discuss with them that their noise was disturbing others. But I realised whilst there that there was something else going on.

“It was abuse. But I couldn’t figure out there and then who was abusing who. Was it the mother abusing her grown up son or the other way round? I completed a safeguarding assessment. Social Services also raised concerns so I met them along with the police. We found that in fact, it was the mum being abused.

“We all agreed that a move for the mum was in her best interest, so I worked with our Allocations team to find somewhere to move to. It was at this point we realised that the customer couldn’t afford the two weeks rent required at sign up so we agreed to a payment plan of £10 per week. We also contacted Longleigh for funding for carpets and furniture. We’re continuing to work with both mum and son to offer them the best advice we can to ensure that their relationship improves and they can move on in a much less stressful environment.

“That initial noise complaint had alerted us to a real problem that otherwise could have gone unnoticed. We’re pleased that we received a complaint because we have been able to help our customers improve their lives."

Are you worried for a neighbour or friend? There are a number of organisations you can contact, including;

Call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger, or if the crime is in progress.

To find out more about Longleigh, visit https://www.longleighfoundation.org/