‘We’re going to have to sleep in the car’: Disabled mum and daughter left without council accommodation

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter 

A disabled mum and her daughter face sleeping in their car after a town hall kicked them out of a house.

Pauline Roye, 62, and her daughter Nashstacia Gayle, 28, an NHS worker, have been sofa surfing since September 23 when Lewisham council cancelled their temporary accommodation in Catford. 

Ms Roye had asked the council to move her from the house because of mouldy bedrooms which caused her breathing problems and meant she had to sleep on a mattress in the kitchen.

Lewisham council subsequently gave her the option of moving into a temporary house in Ilford, east London – an hour away from the borough on public transport. 

But Ms Roye, who is awaiting a knee replacement and can’t walk without assistance, rejected the offer because she would struggle to reach hospital appointments from the house.

The council disagreed and said that as Ms Roye had refused “a reasonable offer of interim temporary accommodation” it no longer had a responsibility to house her.

Lewisham council is now reviewing into Ms Roye’s case and is looking to make her a new offer of temporary accommodation. But until it makes a decision, she and her daughter are left not knowing where they will be sleeping every night. 

Ms Roye, who has lived in Lewisham for over 20 years, said: “I don’t know where I am from one day to the next. It’s not a way to live. If we don’t find a place tonight then we’re going to have to sleep in the car in Lewisham Shopping Centre car park.”

Ms Roye and Nashstacia moved into the temporary house in Catford after their previous landlord evicted them.

When Lewisham council said they could move into the temporary house in Catford on September 14, they were thankful. But their relief soon turned to horror as they discovered the state of the property.

Ms Roye said: “There was mould everywhere. They had painted over it but we couldn’t breathe in the bedrooms. It was like being in a drain. I caught a cough.

“We ended up having to drag a mattress into the kitchen and sleep there because it was the only place we could breathe.”

Ms Roye turned to the council staff for help and they offered her the flat over an hour away in Ilford, which she explained wasn’t suitable. But council staff weren’t sympathetic. 

A Lewisham council spokesman said: “We have been reviewing Ms Roye’s case and will be looking to make her a new offer of temporary accommodation, in line with our Location Priority Policy.”

“We expect all members of staff to be polite and professional when supporting residents with their housing needs and are investigating the comments made towards Ms Roye.”

Pictured top: Lewisham council headquarters in Catford (Picture: Google Street View)