Disabled woman claims she has been asking council for ground floor flat for 22 years

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A disabled woman who claims she has been asking a council to give her a ground floor flat for 22 years fears she’ll be trapped if there’s a fire in her apartment block.

An arthritis sufferer, who wished to only be known as Michelle, says she struggles to get down the 30 steps from her second floor flat to the ground floor, leaving her feeling like a prisoner in her own home.

The 48-year-old, who also has chronic back pain and lupus, finds it difficult to stand or sit for long periods and as a result a doctor recommended she be given a property with a bath so she can wash comfortably in 2019.

But four years later, she remains stuck in her second floor flat. She claims, though, she first asked for a ground floor home due to her needs 18 years before the doctor’s recommendation, and has been struggling all that time.

She said: “I’m stuck in here and I feel like a prisoner. I can’t get down the stairs. This place is making me really sad. The lifts break down all the time. My biggest issue is that the property is not suitable for my medical needs and I couldn’t get off this estate if there was a fire because I can’t get down the 30 stairs.

“The way they [Southwark] have treated me is diabolical. They are just ignoring my doctors. They’ve done nothing to help me. They know I am a vulnerable tenant. I’ve given them enough opportunities to deal with the situation and they’ve not.”

The council has said it is assessing Michelle’s needs and this “can take time” as it’s a “complex” case.

Michelle moved to her current flat in 1997 in Southwark after she was attacked elsewhere in the borough two years earlier. She was advised to leave her former neighbourhood in case the same people targeted her again.

Despite this, Michelle claims the council has previously offered her flats near her previous home where she can’t return.

She also says the council has offered her one-bedroom flats, even though she has made it clear she needs a two-bed property so that her son, who acts as her carer, can stay over.

ACORN, a community union, held a protest outside Southwark council’s offices in Tooley Street on July 14, calling on the council to find her a suitable home as quickly as possible.

Michelle was unable to join herself because of her struggle walking but her son went in her place.

A spokesman for ACORN Southwark said: “Michelle has spent years in unsafe and unsuitable housing, fighting to be moved to a home where she can live comfortably and without fear. ACORN has sought to support Michelle.

“We have seen a huge amount of support for her, and we are determined that she should not be forced to live in unsuitable accommodation.”

Southwark councillor Stephanie Cryan said: “I understand her frustration that she has not found a property she wishes to move into yet.

“The council’s housing teams have been working together to carry out all the assessments required in order to make sure the home she can bid for will definitely be suitable for her needs and that her banding and criteria are correct.

“It’s important that we get it right, which can take time, so that she can find the right home for her permanently. I wish her all the best in finding a home she can be comfortable in.”

Pictured top: Michelle in the second floor flat she has been trying to move out of for 22 years (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)