Homeless widow says she and her six children forced to live in hotel room
A HOMELESS widow says she and her six children were forced to live in one hotel room and wash up in a tiny bathroom sink.
Photos show the shocking reality for homeless families in Coventry in 2018 - with their possessions and beds packed into one room.
Their stay at the Allesley Hotel, in Birmingham Road, was funded by the Salvation Army - under a contract with Coventry City Council - which stumped up £220 a night for most of their nineweek stay.
The Telegraph reported last week how hundreds of children will be homeless in Coventry this Christmas, with 595 children recorded in temporary accommodation earlier this year.
More than 400 families are currently living in temporary accommodation - some for as long as two-and-a-half years and the cost to taxpayers is huge. The council is spending £4.1million this year alone - up from £570,000 in 2013/14.
The council now plans to rent a tower block in Henley Green for £1.7million a year in a bid to cut spending on hotels and B&Bs. The nightmare ordeal for the mother, who did not wish to be named, and her six children aged between three and 14, began when her husband passed away - in front of the whole family.
Things got worse when the landlord of their rented accommodation told them he was selling the property.
The family turned to Coventry City Council, and were put into the Allesley Hotel, in Birmingham Road, until a suitable home could be found.
Initially the family were in two rooms. But after seven weeks, a problem with one of the rooms saw the family spend their final two weeks in the hotel in just one room.
The entirety of the family’s possessions and the beds were all crammed in. It is claimed a small sink in the hotel room’s en-suite was the only washing up facility that they had access to, with nowhere to put crockery but the bathroom floor.
The mother said: “It was really not acceptable, it just felt like I was having to clean all the time.
“I called the council and all they could say was that they were waiting for a property, and that wasn’t ready yet.”
The family has now been moved into a fourbedroom property - but this is still only a temporary solution.
But the brother-in-law of the mother said that since airing their frustrations, they have been contacted by others in similar situations. He said: “We’ve had messages from other tenants.
“Some people seem to be in even worse situations.
“It feels like the final nail in the coffin for Coventry.”
The Telegraph asked Coventry City Council the following questions, with these responses.
Do the council regularly put families up in hotels/B&Bs when there are no suitable properties available?
A council spokesperson said: “This is a last resort but reflects that lack of housing available to people, so as a last resort yes.”
How many homeless people are there currently put up by the council in hotels/B&Bs in Coventry, and at the Allesley Hotel specifically?
In response, the council spokesperson said: “Around 412 families are in temporary accommodation. Of these the Salvation Army has seven families at the Allesley Hotel.”
What steps are taken to ensure that families are placed in suitable accommodation at times of urgent need?
The spokesperson said: “We link with all relevant agencies to ensure that accommodation is suitable - this forms part of our contract with the Salvation Army.”
We were informed that though the council placed this family in the hotel, the Salvation Army were paying the £2,500 a month cost. Is this correct?
The spokesperson replied: “The Salvation Army have confirmed ‘We were charged £220 per night as the family were accommodating two rooms in the hotel.’ We are aware of the high costs of hotel accommodation, an ongoing challenge is to make available more temporary properties. The Council is working other organisations to make more properties
available. This will include bringing forward around 90 properties. Announcements will be made in the coming days.
Do the council have any specific comments in regards to a family of seven being placed in a single hotel room for two months?
The council spokesperson said: “This situation was unacceptable for the family, and we are pleased that working with the Salvation Army they are now in a four bedroom property - this remains temporary accommodation provision however it is clearly preferable to previous arrangements.”
’Cllr Ed Ruane, Cabinet member for Housing and Communities said: “I’ve made no secret of the fact that the Housing Team at Coventry City Council is currently not fit for purpose in meeting the increasing demands on the service.
There is a complete lack of management grip in where and the length of time people are placed, there is a huge financial cost and a damaging human cost.”
“It is absolutely inappropriate that the family should have been placed in one large room even on the basis that there were no more interconnecting rooms available. I’m pleased that at least now the family have been placed in better accommodation.
“The council and its partners has put housing at the forefront of its plans for the city. In Coventry we will be announcing a number of new developments in the coming days that will offer alternative and more suitable accommodation for a number of families and single people - with more properties being available in the months ahead.”