A disabled mum-of-three who fled domestic violence says she is beyond breaking point after being placed in temporary housing in Chatham, some 45 miles away from her family in Thanet.
Mary* ( as a victim of domestic abuse we are not revealing her identity) has ADHD, Dyspraxia, connective tissue disorder, is autistic and almost seven months pregnant.
Her three children all have extra needs with the elder two diagnosed with autism and her youngest also suspected to be autistic. They all suffer ‘loose joints’ and are currently home-schooled because of the difficulties of accessing school placements.
Mary applied to Thanet council last September to be housed as someone fleeing domestic violence from another area. Her family live on the isle and she only lived out of area due to marriage.
The application was accepted but due to limited temporary accommodation resources in Thanet, Mary and her children were placed in a Paramount property in Chatham.
‘Vulnerabilities’
Mary says the property has had issues with mould, damp, rodents and is unsuitable for people with disabilities.
She said: “When I was originally accepted for interim housing pending investigations into my eligibility I was told on the phone that I would be placed in emergency housing for up to 8 weeks then moved into temporary housing until suitable housing became available and that this could take up to two years.
“I was told I may have to be housed out of area for a short period but that I would be a priority to be moved back in area due to my family’s vulnerabilities and our high need for a robust support network.
“I was not shown the property before I had to sign the acceptance form for the emergency accommodation.
“We have been placed in Chatham, roughly 45 miles from Thanet and all of my support network. Although I drive my children often need another adult in the back of the car as they will undo seatbelts and kick at windows whilst distressed, it is an hour’s drive one way. None of my family drive. They all work or have caring responsibilities within Thanet so them being able to make a two hour round trip on public transport is near impossible.
“Caring for three high needs children with my own disabilities was difficult but I managed in my original home with a great support network to lean on when i needed it and so my family were fully independent.
“Now I can’t get my children out on my own even to get essentials so I am often too scared to take them anywhere as without support it is too dangerous. My middle child often needs two adults to keep him safe. There have been many occasions where I have been trapped in shops, or car parks for hours where I am having to restrain one of them for their safety, or simply trying to get them back in the car and home safely. This is because their meltdowns are extremely volatile and I have no one to help me. We have currently been in our emergency housing for 6 months and are beyond breaking point.”
‘Desperate’
Mary says she cannot access the gas meter as it is down an extremely steep concrete staircase with no rail and when the boiler stops working her family has to wait days for it to be fixed despite all suffering from asthma. She says the conditions are making her family ill and her repeated efforts to get issues fixed such as damp and mould are fruitless. She also says she has complained about rodents and that there are also blue bottles which she thinks are due to dead rodents under the floorboards.
She added: “It has become so desperate I have been begging to be placed temporarily even in a 1 bed property as overcrowding would be preferable to complete isolation with dangerous housing conditions. Most of my emails go ignored.”
Mary says there are also problems with the front door, which she has been unable to deadlock, and her six-year-old son lets himself out and gets on to a busy A road.
She added: “My children have already faced a huge amount of trauma having to completely abandon our past life and I have been diagnosed with PTSD. I feel broken. I just want to protect my children and the situation I have been placed in makes it impossible.
“I feel like I am constantly failing them and am in constant fear that something catastrophic will happen. My mental health has taken a huge hit and I have been detained in a psychiatric holding unit for days whilst wanting to end my life where I can’t keep my children safe, family have had to temporarily care for my children during this time.
“I’ve lost all hope that anyone is going to be able to help us. I just want to start rebuilding a life and provide a safe future for my children.”
Mary is being supported by a new partner but they do not live in the same property. He has been trying to liaise with the various agencies on her behalf but says a number of incidents at the property lead him to believe it is now a safeguarding issue.
Paramount
A spokesperson for Paramount said: “Paramount can confirm that we provide various types of properties to local authorities across the South East. We are unable comment on a client’s housing application or where a client is housed, this is a Local Authority decision.
“The property had a minor damp issued caused by a blocked gutter which was unreported by (Mary*), but found to be the cause of the issue by a Paramount surveyor. This has now been resolved along with some remedial works.
“Having spoken to (her) partner he has confirmed this is no longer an issue. The utility meters for the property are located in the cellar which is common for this type of property, if the household are unable to top up their meters due to a physical disability/mobility issue Paramount are happy to discuss this further with them.
“At present we understand that (her) partner frequents the property often so we would suggest that it might be prudent for him to top the meters up in the interim, if the rest of the household are unable to.
“We can also confirm there are no signs of mould in the property as confirmed by (her) partner recently, there have been no recent sightings of rodents since a hole was blocked a few weeks ago, although (her) partner has said he believes he heard a mouse recently. A Paramount staff member is instructed to attend to the property to carry out a further investigation.”
Thanet council
A Thanet council spokesperson added: “All temporary accommodation provided is expected to meet a minimum standard of repair and comply with all necessary health and safety requirements. If there is an issue with temporary accommodation the tenant should contact the landlord or property manager. We work with a number of landlords who help us to provide temporary accommodation.
“When we have accepted a homeless application and have a duty to provide temporary accommodation, we make every effort to ensure that this is provided within Thanet. In cases where there is nothing available locally we work to arrange accommodation back in the district as soon as possible, as we understand how disruptive it can be to have to move away from the support of family, friends, schools and work.
“Temporary accommodation is provided until the household is either successful in bidding for a social rented tenancy on our housing register, or finds an alternative private sector home. We have a high demand for housing assistance and only a limited amount of temporary accommodation available to us.
“We cannot comment on individual circumstances, but will always support people who require assistance, and liaise with other services and agencies to ensure anyone who is vulnerable gets the help they need.”
Temporary accommodation
Thanet council provides in-house temporary accommodation at Foy House in Margate which provides eight self-contained 1 and 2 bedroom flats for individuals and families with urgent housing needs, who are being supported by the council.
Last year £2.2m was agreed for the council’s capital programme for a second temporary accommodation project following the success of Foy House. A proposal has been made by Thanet council to buy Glendevon House in Ramsgate to replicate the Foy House project although a planning application for change of use to a house of multiple occupation is currently withdrawn.
The council also bought the former Oasis refuge in Edgar Road, with the final tranche of funding from the Cliftonville intervention programme (Live Margate) with the intention of converting to a further 16 homes.
The property is being used by the RISE homelessness service for rough sleeping support, with combined services on site until March 2025 with the housing project planned to start on site for the conversion works in April 2025.
As of 25th January this year, there were 288 Thanet households in temporary accommodation. Of those, 171 households were placed outside of Thanet.
Get advice
https://www.porchlight.org.uk/
Thanet council Housing Team 01843 577277
