Rose and her two young daughters, aged aged four and one, have been forced to share a single bed in cramped temporary accommodation for almost two years – and don’t even have their own toilet
A desperate 21-year-old mum has told of her struggles living in a single room with two young children and no toilet.
Rose and her daughters, aged aged four and one, have been stuck in cramped temporary housing provided by their local council in south London for a year and 10 months. The family live in one room, where they all share share a single bed. They do not even have their own toilet or kitchen, and have to share facilities with strangers.
They also have to deal with their neighbours openly taking drugs and playing loud music outside their window, causing them to lose sleep. Rose, who is studying to be an air controller, cannot afford the sky-high private rents in the capital – but has been left exhausted by how her family has been treated by the local authority.
Describing the conditions her family endure in the run down bed & breakfast, she told Sky News: "My firstborn still wears nappies because in the middle of the night she can't just get up and go to a shared toilet with all these people that she doesn't know. My baby – it took her time to walk because she didn't have enough room and she couldn't use the baby walker."
Rose also told the broadcaster of constant failings she says have occured in Croydon council's handling of the case, and says her family is constantly passed between different caseworkers without her being told. She also claims she is constantly having to contact caseworkers about her issues, only for them to tell her that she is no longer their responsibility. The council's new allocated caseworker then follows up with requests for information she has already provided, she said.
The Mirror has contacted Croydon council for comment. Local councils across the UK have spoken of rising difficulties in providing appropriate and affordable housing amid soaring demand, with many people kept in temporary accommodation for far longer than they are supposed to be. The problem is especially acute in London, with huge pressure placed on borough councils to cope with the numbers of applicants.
According to government data, 112,660 households were in temporary accommodation in England at the end of last year, up 3.4% from the previous quarter and up 12.1% from the same time last year. Under the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) Order 2003, families with dependent children should only be kept in temporary accommodation for a maximum of six weeks.
A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “We are doing what we can to help residents like Rose but the reality is there is an acute shortage of accommodation in London. Unfortunately, this means that there are not always permanent homes available for families as quickly as we would like. We have been working with our resident to find more suitable accommodation that meets the family’s needs and have identified a permanent home that we will offer them soon.
“We are transforming our housing service, with a focus on early intervention and prevention of homelessness, as well as examining how to manage our homes and resources, so we have homes for residents who need it most.
“We continue to reduce the number of homes that have been empty for some time – allowing us to provide more permanent homes to residents who have spent a long time in temporary accommodation. We have also made changes to bring empty homes back into use by introducing new, and increased existing, council tax for properties and second homes in Croydon that are empty. It is hoped this will help increase the availability of housing for our residents.”
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