AIBU to not want to have homeless people with complex needs placed in the house next door to me?

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I live in a 2 storey terraced house in a small residential street in an area with lots of rows of similar small terraced houses. It’s not the smartest area of town and hasn’t had the best reputation, but it was affordable when we moved here over 15 years ago, and we have been happy here. I live with my dh, and my youngest ds 12.

The end terrace house next door to me was bought by a private investment company earlier this year, and I recently found out that this was part of an organisation which combines property investment with supported housing. Following a lot of enquiries on my part, I found out that they planned to use the house as a house share for 5 vulnerable adults with complex needs and a history of homelessness. Complex needs means at least 2 of the following issues: substance misuse; history of offending; history of anti-social behaviour; mental health problems.

Communications with the organisations who will be managing the property have been problematic. They were initially very evasive, but once I had more info, the housing manager agreed to come to a residents’ association meeting to discuss the plans for the property. It didn’t go very well. On the agenda at the same meeting were problems with an existing supported housing project in the neighbourhood, where due to staffing issues and some challenging clients, the police are being called out every night.

The housing manager later offered to come and speak with dh and myself but as we were away at the time, we said we would arrange a date when we got back. Unfortunately, while we were away a neighbour put up some very offensive signs around the property, including some in my garden and went to the local paper. (This may be the same neighbour who has also been cutting cctv cables at the property). Since we got back we have tried to get in touch but no response. There is a meeting set up with the neighbourhood policing team and others, but the housing managers are not available to attend that either.

Meanwhile I have heard from elsewhere that at least one tenant would be moving into the property in 2 weeks’ time. I think the company running the property are trying to get it as a done deal with people living there before talking to anyone.

I know people can change and this is hopefully a good opportunity for the people who will be placed next door, but I also know there is no magic wand for people who have struggled with multiple serious issues for several years, and there will be relapses. I am worried about the location and the suitability of the property for this use. Most people who have suffered high levels of trauma and are trying to move away from a chaotic lifestyle want their own place where they can control their surroundings, not a shared house. I am worried about 5 vulnerable adults being housed together in a small Victorian terraced house with poor sound proofing. Many houses around here are used for student housing and they live 5 to a house, but they are groups of friends who choose to live together, and they can usually escape to their parents’ homes for a break. I know from experience the level of disruption just one tenant in a shared house can cause if they kick off, mainly to the other tenants but also to the neighbours. I am worried about some of the visitors they will attract. I am worried about the possible high turnover of tenants. I am worried about the potential disturbance for ourselves and other neighbours. I know what the streets around other hostels are like, and I will not feel safe if my street becomes like that. I am worried about the failure of the people managing the property to communicate, which doesn’t bode well if problems do occur. I am stressed out and losing sleep worrying about it.

Yes, I know I am being the very definition of a NIMBY, but I am amazed that this sort of facility can be placed in a residential street without any consultation with neighbours, the local authorities, the police or any existing services in the area.

My concern would be if you need to sell it's going to knock your value down and if there's issues then you'll have to declare it. There must be some legal recourse for you.

Yanbu. Those who slate you as a nimby are those who don't understand the hell on earth caused by disruptive and unsupported residents with additional needs. I understand your worries but I'm unable to advise x

YANBU to be concerned. I would be. But it may not be as bad as you think, provided they are well supported. The biggest problem is likely to be just having a lot of people living there, creating more noise than a small family would.

With a few exceptions, you can't choose your neighbours, unfortunately.

Sorry, does empathy include having to listen to drum n bass at full volume for 12chours at a stretch. Or hearing people shouting and swearing, pissed out of their heads? Cunt this and cunt that at the top of their lungs.

My brother has MH issues and he behaves like this when he is unwell. He owns his own home, bought before his MH issues started, and there's nothing anyone can do about it, apart from MH professionals who section him every few years.

If he was in supported accommodation, deterioration in his condition would be spotted and addressed before it got so bad, so I'd say the OP was in a better position than someone living next to an owner-occupier who had the same issues.

It’d be so easy to virtue signal and say I wouldn’t be concerned but if I course I would and for that op YANBU.

Two doors up was a HA owned property which was used to house smack heads. It was gutted as a result of a fire caused by them fiddling the electric meter with an electric drill. When workers came to repair the damage they found the garden was littered with used syringes.

That's unlikely to happen in supported accommodation because it would be monitored by support staff who would ensure that everyone using had a sharps bin. Or should, maybe not all providers have the same high standards as the one I work for.

I am a support worker for such adults

And if I was really honest I feel for you op we’re I worked have one lady that screams all night and all day we have another who has been known to throw her feces over the fence

The issue is often people who are not suitable to the service are housed their

So our service is supposed to be for people with mild LD who need support hower we have a lot of people

Who are a combination of elderly have LD and have dementia

i love my clients but wouldn’t want to live next door to them

Actually the house two doors up from us used to house a drug dealer or two (MO) and they did something dodgy with the electrics. The house was an absolutel dump, (on a vair nice street) but I can’t say they were ever any problem. Lots of cars would come and go and occasionally police would be knocking on their door but in terms of impact on the street they were no different than the lovely family who have lived there since the house was redeveloped.

Honestly OP I would just wait and see who moves in. It’s not necessarily going to be a horror show.

There's a shared accommodation house in the road behind mine (so we share a back lane, if that makes sense) for adults with complex needs. They are not even close to being the most disruptive household in our neighbourhood, and the good thing about their set up is that if there ever is a concern, there are regularly visiting staff to flag issues with.

That said, I do get why you would be concerned. It's just that I don't think your wish not to live near people with problems trumps their need to have those problems addressed! Would I be pleased if when next door move out, their house is used in the way you describe? Not particularly, no. Would I think I should be able to block it? No. I can't block the private landlords letting to people whose lifestyles I don't much approve of. I can't stop owners selling to people who cause issues in the street. So why should I be able to block social landlords?

That's unlikely to happen in supported accommodation because it would be monitored by support staff who would ensure that everyone using had a sharps bin. Or should, maybe not all providers have the same high standards as the one I work for.

we no people don’t and as a fellow support worker you will know often people who get housedwho are not stutible for the service and I think it’s a bit neive to think their will be no issues when I worked at a hostel many moons ago the drug dealers used to wait across the road and their would be on occasion be a person shooting up at the bus stop

For all the people saying OP is being unfair or a snob - have you ever lived near one of these houses or worked with the homeless.

I think OP is being a bit unfair and the client group I work with includes complex needs and people moving on from supported accommodation to independent living. As part of that process, I will visit them in supported accommodation at least twice before accepting them onto our scheme. I've been in numerous supported accommodation residences, run by both third sector and private providers, and have 11 years experience of the needs and challenges of this group.

I still think it's unfair to pre-judge the residents. Or indeed anyone else.

we no people don’t and as a fellow support worker you will know often people who get housedwho are not stutible for the service and I think it’s a bit neive to think their will be no issues when I worked at a hostel many moons ago the drug dealers used to wait across the road and their would be on occasion be a person shooting up at the bus stop

So why didn't you call the police if drug dealing was going on opposite the premises Metoo? What action did you and your colleagues take?

This sounds like Oxford and it happens all the time. Homeless services in Oxon have essentially stopped as funding was cut so this is alternative. It’s frightening and dreadful. We live next to a primary school.

They left two kittens in the yard to starve. DH climbed over and got them and we kept them until our friends got back off holiday and they took them - they still have them 8 years later.

Bless You and your friends . How lovely.

This sounds like Oxford and it happens all the time. Homeless services in Oxon have essentially stopped as funding was cut so this is alternative.

It's happening everywhere Mimi. The funding for this sort of work was ring-fenced, then reallocated to the general Adult 'Social Care pot, and is now being cut to the bone to meet the funding gap in older people's care.

Still, that's what people voted for.

We had a charity rent the four flats in a Victorian convertion next door to us while their usual property in the very expensive nice area of out town was refurbished. They housed men with a history of homelessness and alcohol abuse. By far some of the most considerate neighbours we've had in our area. The our very well to do neighbours with a rude noisy teen was much worse and refused to stop him playing his drum kit at all hours. In fact when my ds was very poorly they were the neighbours who actually stopped to help when they saw me open the door ready for the paramedics one of them blocked a parking space for the abumlance while another waited to flag it down. They were also very conscious of how any noice they made might impact on us.

A friend in a very run down street lived next door to heroin uses who had been take off the street. They saved her life when they heard her toddler crying uncontrollably and couldn't hear her. Broke her kitchen door down and found her unconscious in the bathroom bleediny heavily having a miscarriage. The people on the other side, 'nice normal' home owners had ignored the unsual crying despite living next door for years. She would have bleed to death if it had been left to them to investigate.

We have lots of housing for vulnerable adults in our locality and almost all aread of our town. I don't know of many problems, even from the wet house on the road next to ours with around 20 residents.

The fact that this is supported accommodation makes it likely that such behaviour is more likely to be appropriately addressed before it gets out of hand.

If this sort of accommodation is well supported it might be OK, but the OP has said it's being remotely monitored which is concerning. You need someone on site 24 hours not 30 miles away in a control room probably manning a dozen more homes at the same time..

@dobbythedoggy omg!! Thank goodness for community

@bakingdemon Were you in Hackney by any chance? Your post is essentially my experience to the letter. Unclothed neighbor also urinated a lot in the garden. It would have bothered me if we'd had children.

My main issue was with sound, as one resident was left to scream all through the night (to the point where I moved to sleep in the living room for the best part of a year).

After logging noise disturbance through the proper channels for some months, we eventually had enough evidence to request additional soundproofing, but it didn't really help enough, and I ended up moving out.

OP, each residential home set up varies massively, so I think all you can do now is reserve judgement, wait and see if it affects you, and respond accordingly.

YABU. I'm all right, Jack.

You have either not read my posts or are totally buying on the fact the OP has now updated with more information.

Actually, OP clarified the specific list of complex needs as coming direct from the contract and not her, on her 3rd post at 00:56 last night, before your very first post. That’s why OP had to further clarify as a lot of your posts and some from others, were purely around berating her for a mis-definition, which detracts from your other valid points.

YANBU OP, I think you are absolutely not unreasonable to have concerns and people bashing the OP because they have personal experience of homelessness and/or mental health are being very unfair.

The value of her house WILL be affected and she will be living next to 5 adults with at least TWO of the following:

history of offending
history of anti-social behaviour
mental health problems

I think anyone would be concerned in similar circumstances if they're really honest with themselves, surely? It doesn't mean the OP has anything against such people personally, just that she has concerns how it will work. Her fears may be allayed and it may well to out well, but that will not stop it affecting the property value. So, would all the critical folk be happy to accept, say £30k less for the sale of their home? No!!

People with problems and who have been homeless should neither be seen nor heard. Anywhere so as long as it's not next to you, anywhere would be fine. It all sounds like a great idea and a wonderful, helpful project for these poor people... somewhere else. Otherwise, hell no!

YANBU

No, I’d be very unhappy with this too.

YANBU