‘This is the happiest I have ever been’: Woman made homeless built shack in Brixton but council wants her out

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A woman living in a shack she built in the middle of the pavement on a street claims she’s happier than ever despite a council’s threat to remove it.

Anne-Marie Cover has been living in the structure built around a tree on Railton Road, Brixton, since she had to leave her former home in Clapham a few weeks ago.

Left with nowhere to go, the 50-year-old decided to build her own makeshift house out of wooden pallets, Astroturf, strips of vinyl flooring and plywood, among other materials.

But she now faces being made homeless again after Lambeth council ordered her to disassemble her pop-up home by September 15.

A council removal notice stuck to the shack last week says Ms Cover’s home is an “obstruction” and that it could be removed by the council if she doesn’t disassemble it by the middle of next month.

She said: “I’ve been in the country 20 years and this is the happiest I have ever been. I have somewhere to be.

“At first I was sleeping on the ramp on a nearby building but they said it was a disabled ramp and so I took a piece of cardboard and laid down my bed and reading glasses here. I just had to have somewhere.

“A lot of people were asking me if I knew what I was doing when they saw me building it, but there was one lady who helped me. She helped me from 11 at night until three in the morning. It’s built around a tree. It took a long time to build. It was not just overnight.”

Despite the basic set-up, Ms Cover said she has equipped the shack with most essentials, including a plastic box which uses to wash in, a paraffin heater to keep warm after dark, as well as several chairs and a place to sleep.

When she needs the loo, Ms Cover takes a five minute walk to Brixton centre and makes use of the toilets in local businesses. She has several containers for waste water, which she disposes at night down nearby drains.

Ms Cover added: “I don’t really cook. I’ve never cooked a meal in here. I eat readily available things. I bought some sardines yesterday and I have got some banana chips. I don’t really have much of a craving for cooked food. There’s quite a lot of water that runs off the side of the building opposite and I get water from that.”

Ms Cover’s housing problems began when she had to suddenly leave a property where she was staying in Herne Hill after the owner told her that she must leave. She then moved to Clapham for a short period but claims police boarded-up the place she was staying in.

As for what Brixton locals think about her arrival on the street, Ms Cover said most residents had been intrigued more than anything. But she added that there had been a couple incidents of holes being slit in the plastic covering around her makeshift home.

One passing Brixton resident said she didn’t think Ms Cover should have to budge from her spot.

Councillor Maria Kay, Lambeth’s cabinet member for reducing homelessness, said: “People’s individual circumstances can be complex, and we seek to work in a sensitive and supportive way. That is the case here where we are offering both medical and housing support.

“The structure itself has been put up without permission and the situation has resulted in disturbances for people living nearby. We are mindful of the welfare of a vulnerable person here, as well as the needs of local people.”

Pictured top: Anne-Marie Cover outside the self-built shack on Railton Road, Brixton (Picture: Robert Firth)