Homelessness and suitability

This seminar will consider recent developments in the field of homelessness and suitability touching on the case of Patel v Hackney LBC [2021] EWCA Civ 89, on affordability and intentional homelessness, as well as practical issues in obtaining interim and final relief in the Administrative Court in suitability cases, following R (Elkundi) v Birmingham City Council [2021] EWHC 1024 (Admin) and related case law.
 

Recording

Speakers

Tessa Buchanan, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
Tessa is a social welfare law practitioner with particular expertise in the fields of community care, housing, homelessness, Gypsy and Traveller Law, and public law. Her practice is primarily publicly funded. She regularly represents clients in a wide range of hearings in the County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.  She is a co-author of Housing Allocation and Homelessness: Law and Practice (sixth edition, Lexis Nexis, 2021 (forthcoming)) and a contributing author to Gypsy and Traveller Law (third edition: Legal Action Group, 2019), the Housing Law Handbook (second edition: Law Society, 2020) and the Migrant Support Handbook (first edition: forthcoming). She is a member of the EHRC panel of preferred counsel and recently won Barrister of the Year at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2021 for her successful legal campaign against ‘No DSS’ landlords in conjunction with Shelter.

Connor Johnston, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Connor practises in housing, homelessness, asylum support and community care law. The majority of his work is focused on ensuring that his clients, many of whom are vulnerable or destitute, are able to access the accommodation and support that they need. He has a particular specialism in homelessness law and is a co-author of Housing Allocation and Homelessness: Law and Practice (sixth edition, Lexis Nexis, 2021 (forthcoming)) and has acted in a number of important homelessness cases including R (Ncube) v Brighton and Hove Council (local authority powers to accommodate rough sleepers during the pandemic) Al-Ahmed v Tower Hamlets LBC (late s204 appeals) and Samuels v Birmingham City Council (intentional homelessness and affordability). He is a member of the EHRC panel of preferred counsel.

Matthew Ahluwalia, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Matthew is a social welfare and public law barrister at Garden Court. He has particular interest and experience in housing, homelessness, public law, welfare benefits, and migrants’ rights which has developed during his previous roles including as employed barrister at the Public Law Project and also while working at the AIRE Centre and welfare rights charity Z2K. Matthew has worked on a number of high profile judicial review cases issued in the higher courts on behalf of Claimants and Interveners, as well as civil damages claims, and has been a volunteer advocate with Asylum Support Appeals Project since 2018. Matthew acted, alongside Edward Fitzpatrick, also of Garden Court Chambers, in Patel v Hackney LBC [2021] EWCA Civ 89.