‘They moved me and left me’: Thousands of homeless families moved out of their borough by councils
Thousands of homeless families were moved out of their borough by councils in a six-month period, with some uprooted miles from their jobs, families and support networks.
Data released under freedom of information (FoI) revealed Southwark council moved 1,857 people outside the borough between January and June this year.
According to the data, Greenwich council placed 962 homeless applicants and their families in temporary accommodation outside the borough, with Lambeth and Lewisham moving 646 and 440 households respectively.
Tyler Lynn, 24, a single mother of a one-year-old boy, was moved into temporary accommodation in Brockley Rise, Lewisham, by Southwark council in February.
She said: “I was living at home with my mum in a four-bedroom in Kennington, there were nine of us and it got too much.
“But then I was moved away from my neighbourhood, everyone I knew and my job.”
Since moving, Ms Lynn said she had to give up her job working at Primark in Tottenham Court Road.
She said: “I finished my shift at 11pm and the commute was an hour from my new place.
“I couldn’t find any childcare that would take my son that late.
“In Kennington I knew everyone – my friends and family would always offer to look after him.
“I don’t know anyone here. I have anxiety and it’s been hard walking around by myself finding the playgroups and parks.”
The far-flung placements have been driven by a shortage of affordable housing alongside spiralling rents in the private sector, creating soaring demand for homelessness support from councils, with budgets decimated by temporary accommodation costs.
Southwark council has spent £7.2million putting up homeless families in emergency housing over the past five years, while Lewisham’s spending on emergency accommodation has doubled in the same time frame.
But Ms Lynn said she felt stranded and neglected by Southwark council after being moved.
She said: “There was mould and leaks in the property when I moved in.
“I called the council and they told me to leave the windows open and buy a humidifier.
“I’m worried about winter. Keeping the windows open will make it so cold and my son has already been getting ill.”
Ms Lynn said her one-year-old has developed a persistent cough since moving into their new home, which she believes is exacerbated by the mould spreading across their bedroom walls.
She said: “I feel like I’ve been ignored.
“Southwark has moved me and left me. It feels like they’re telling me to suck it up because I was lucky enough to get housed.
“But this is more stressful than staying at home.”
Southwark council said it would investigate Ms Lynn’s complaints to ensure the property “meets standards”.
Cllr Sarah King said: “Despite Southwark’s extensive council housing build programme, we know the number of homes people are waiting for far exceeds the number available.
“We increasingly have to turn to out-of-borough options for temporary accommodation as a last resort due to the critically short supply and high demand we face.
“I know this is not always practical for residents like Ms Lynn, and they have my utmost sympathy, but we are doing all that we can to improve what we can offer people.”
Pictured top: A family photograph on Tyler Lynn’s windowsill in her new home (Picture: Tyler Lynn)