Housing fears for mum – but council counters by saying offers of help have been consistently rebuffed

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A domestic abuse survivor has said she can’t eat or sleep after being served an eviction notice by her local authority.

But it says they have tried to do all it can to help her, only to have repeated offers rejected.

Hannah, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was told by Wandsworth council she had one month to leave the temporary home she has been living in with her nine-year-old son since 2017, on July 4.

The distraught mum said that she was being evicted after refusing the council’s offer of settled accommodation in Roehampton in December 2022.

She felt the property was not suitable due to the distance from her son’s school, lack of public transport and concerns about its safety. She claimed the council sent her a letter the following month saying she would be struck from its waiting list, but she was not aware she would be evicted and the notice this month came ‘out of the blue’.

Hannah is now concerned she and her son will be left homeless, with the notice telling her to leave the property on August 5. She said: “I’m drained and I’m so emotionally upset about everything. I’m very worried, I’m scared about my son… it’s affecting my mental state. I can’t even eat, I can’t sleep. I’m so worried.”

The council originally moved Hannah and her son into temporary accommodation in Wandsworth in 2017 due to domestic violence from her ex-partner.

She waited more than five years to receive an offer of settled accommodation, which she felt was not suitable. Then, in February this year, she claimed she was physically assaulted by a neighbour in front of her ‘terrified’ son at home.

The council offered her emergency accommodation in Croydon after she reported the alleged incident, but she again felt it was not suitable due to the distance from her son’s school and safety concerns. “I said no to it because it wasn’t safe for us,” she said. “It’s too far away, it’s a different borough entirely.”

She added: “I don’t want my son to encounter any more violent situations of neighbours shouting, screaming, people fighting, swearing, drugs and knives… I don’t want that, it wasn’t safe.”

Meanwhile, the council claimed that Hannah has refused or ignored its offers of support over the years – including the proposed settled and emergency accommodation, along with financial help to rent privately. It said it would offer her support with her next steps.

But Hannah said she feels she has been unfairly excluded from the council’s housing waiting list as she did not know she had the power to appeal against the properties offered.

She claimed the authority has not properly considered her safety or shown her compassion, and that she feels abandoned after living in temporary accommodation for so long.

A Wandsworth council spokesman said: “The council placed ‘Hannah’ in appropriate temporary accommodation in 2017. Our team then made an offer of a settled, two-bedroom property in Roehampton that was more suitable for her family needs.

“Despite following up multiple times, including with an invite to view the property in person, the council did not hear back. As Hannah failed to respond to any communication or attend the property viewing, the council was unable to progress this any further.

“Over several years the complainant has consistently refused or ignored the council’s offer of support and assistance, including emergency accommodation and financial support to move to the private sector.

“The council has fulfilled all its legal duties and provided options of permanent, long-term accommodation as well as emergency, temporary housing. We will continue to offer advice and support to help Hannah with her next steps.”

Pictured top: Domestic abuse victim ‘Hannah’ (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)