GWEN’S 75, HOMELESS AND LIVING IN HER VAN
A75-YEAR-OLD lady ended up sleeping in her van after being made homeless. Gwen Rogers had lived at her one-bed flat on Worcester Street in Monmouth for 16 years, but after returning to her home and finding bailiffs there, she ended up sleeping in her van.
Gwen, who runs the flower stall in the Shire Hall, says there had been issues with her tenancy over the summer, and then in November a district judge gave a possession order for her property.
Soon after, a relative died and she was busy dealing with his estate and business affairs. “That was the priority,” she said. An eviction order was granted on January 8, but she says she had no notification of that and did not know that she would be evicted.
“Nobody sent me a copy of that or served a copy on me.”
On January 28, she returned home from a visit to town to find her locks being changed on her home. She said she was told she had half an hour to get some of her belongings.
Mrs Rogers spent that first night in her van because she didn’t want to leave the house.
“I took a blanket, but it was really cold,” she said.
She didn’t have time to gather practical items like her phone charger, clothes or bedding, and her beloved cats remained inside.
The three cats have been left traumatised by the experience, she said.
They were initially locked inside the property but have now been rescued and sent to a cat sanctuary where she is now visiting them every Sunday.
“They locked them in overnight but I was able to get them the next day. They said they were going to take them, but I said no way.”
“Everything is still there, they wouldn’t allow me to even get a change of clothes.
“My friend had to lend me bedding, towels and things.”
She’s continued working at the market because otherwise it would “drive her nuts” she said.
She says she’s requested paperwork from the courts so she can get further assistance from housing charity Shelter.
“I have been to the Citizens Advice Bureau and they’ve given me a food voucher so I can get some food.
“My food is all locked in the fridge and has probably gone rotten by now because they’ve turned the electricity off. “I am very upset,” she said. Stephen Jones, housing officer at Monmouthshire County Council, told the Monmouthshire Beacon she has been offered two places to stay, one in Chepstow and one in Monmouth.
But defiant Gwen said she didn’t want the accommodation they have offered her and added she will sleep in her van in Glendower Street car park, despite the chilly temperatures.
“I have had no chance to get any legal advice, Shelter is involved but I didn’t know anything about this court order; I would have gone back and said something to them if I had known,” she added.
Monmouthshire Housing Association’s director of housing communities said, regarding the property on Worcester Street: “This is a very difficult and sensitive situation, but as a social landlord Monmouthshire Housing Association has both a legal obligation and duty of care to ensure the safety of both its tenants and their neighbours, as well as the emergency services.
“We have worked closely with both Monmouthshire County Council’s social services and housing options teams, repeatedly offering advice and support to the tenant, but despite our efforts to engage over many years, regrettably we’ve not yet been able to reach a solution.”
She added: “We always endeavour to work with our tenants to address issues that jeopardise their tenancy, and court action is our last resort and can only take place at the end of a long legal process.
“Housing options are now working with the lady to provide suitable alternative accommodation.”
A Monmouthshire council spokesman said: “Our procedures with all homeless or homelessness prevention cases are in line with the Housing Act (Wales) 2014. There is always a focus on homelessness prevention, and we try to avoid any household getting to the point where they are actually homeless by keeping them in their current accommodation or finding an alternative.
“If we can’t prevent homelessness, and we are satisfied that the person/ household is vulnerable or in priority need we will provide temporary accommodation while we continue to work with them to help alleviate the homelessness. We focus on helping them access the private rented sector as well as accessing social housing.
“We provide a great deal of support in regards to this, including financial support, as we appreciate the initial costs can be expensive. Whether or not there is a duty in the long-term also depends on the terms of the Housing Act (Wales) 2014.”