A disabled mum faces having to sleep in her car with her daughter after they were kicked out of council accommodation. Pauline Roye, 62, and NHS worker Nashstacia Gayle, 28, asked to leave temporary accommodation in Catford, London, because mould in the bedrooms was causing Pauline breathing problems, meaning she had to sleep in the kitchen.
Lewisham Council offered them another temporary home in Ilford, East London - but because it is an hour away from the borough on public transport and Pauline would struggle to get to and from hospital appointments in South London as she awaits a knee replacement, she rejected the offer, MyLondon reports.
The council said that because Pauline had rejected a "reasonable" offer, it would no longer take any responsibility to house them. While Lewisham Council has now said it will review her case and will look to make a new offer of temporary accommodation - but until that happens, Pauline and Nashstacia have no idea where they will be sleeping every night and face having to stay in their car.
The mother and daughter have been sofa-surfing since their Catford accommodation was cancelled on September 23. The pair had to move into temporary accommodation in the first place because their previous landlord evicted them when they fell behind on rent payments during the pandemic as Pauline had to close her Jamaican street food stall in Waterloo.
Pauline's health has deteriorated and she now cannot work because of inflammatory arthritis in her knee. She also cannot walk without assistance.
The frustrated mother, 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. They [Lewisham] say I can travel 90 minutes for an appointment at the hospital, but I can’t take a bus or train. I have to take patient transport. I can’t walk without assistance. I’m just asking for them to look at my health.”
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.
Pauline explained: “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. The freezer didn’t work and it defrosted, ruining all our food in the fridge. There was a step up to the front door which I couldn’t do without help.”
She 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. In one email exchange, a staff member accused her of “bombarding” the council with emails after she complained about the accommodation offered.
A Lewisham Council spokesperson 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.”
