Caroline’s new home dream is a nightmare Heartache for disabled mum
A mum- of- three’s sheltered housing move was snatched away after bosses claim she was offered a home in “error”.
Disabled Caroline Buttar, 55, splashed out on a new cooker after she signed for the flat.
But Hanover Scotland called just weeks before moving day to tell her the property had been given away to someone else.
Caroline uses a walker and suffers from mobility issues and had dreamed of moving to a new home.
She said: “They told me there had been an emergency and I wouldn’t be moving.
“It wasn’t even that long until I was supposed to be going.
“I’d told my housing association I was handing back my old place.
“I’d signed loads of forms and was even given a moving date.
“I was so excited I even went out and started buying things.
“This was supposed to be my chance to start again.”
Caroline has sarcoidosis – an immune system disorder which affects just one in 10,000 people – which causes intense pain and trouble moving.
She had to pay a firm to uplift the cooker after she spent £ 200 to get the kitchen ready at the Newton Court complex in Paisley’s Maree Road.
Caroline told how she was phoned and told she would no longer be moving to a new home.
She added: “All they would say is that there had been an emergency.
“I broke down on the phone, I just couldn’t help it.
“I was absolutely devastated.
“I had signed everything they asked, I was ready to go.
“I use a walker and when it’s really bad, I’m sometimes in a wheelchair.
“This was going to change things for me.”
Caroline, of nearby Don Drive, was a checkout manager at B& Q before she had to medically retire when she was diagnosed 30 years ago.
She takes a cocktail of medication to manage her symptoms, but has trouble getting around.
Hanover Scotland offered her a home in June, before reneging on the deal.
Bosses say they may be able to find her another property after the Express took up her case.
Chris Milburn, director of customer services for Hanover Scotland, insists he is trying to find space.
He told the Paisley Daily Express: “I can confirm that Caroline was offered Hanover accommodation in error.
“We informed her of this error as soon as we were aware and also responded to a complaint she raised with us as she was understandable upset with the outcome.
“Due to a further vacancy arising at the development in recent days we are now in discussions with Ms Buttar about this new vacancy, which she is eligible for under the terms of our allocations process.
“We hope to reach a mutually positive outcome with Caroline regarding this property in the next few days.”
I was even given a moving date. This was supposed to be my chance to start again