A helpless mother says she has been abandoned in a house not suited to her needs and is forced to sleep in the living room as she is unable to walk up the stairs.
Tracey Walker's physical condition seriously declined after she moved into the property and she has now slammed Derby Homes for not prioritising her need for an adapted household. The 50-year-old moved into the home in Allenton two years ago while she was still fully abled but her health has rapidly deteriorated due to bulging discs in her back, fibromyalgia and COPD.
However the mother, who lives with her autistic son has been left feeling 'degraded' after she can't get up her own stairs or take a bath and is being forced to alternatively get washed at her daughter's house. Due to Tracey's thin staircase, which she is said to have fallen down multiple times, a stairlift unfortunately can't be fitted, the Derby Telegraph reports.
She said: "It's all just driving me mad. It's embarrassing, degrading and undignified when you can't even have a shower in your own house. I can't live like this much longer."
Her despair has only been worsened after she noticed an empty house in Bemrose Street nearby her daughter's home which had a stairlift inside. She kept up to date with the Derby Homes property list in the hope she would see it listed but just last week she saw people moving into the house.
When she confronted the buyers, they told her that they didn't need the stairlift and would be having it removed.
She said: "I told the council I'd never seen it advertised. I've had my eye on it for ages.
"It's just stupid. It's not cost-effective if they are planning to take out the stairlift, which is working. I'm desperate for the adaptations. If they do genuinely need it, of course, it's fine. But if it's being removed, that's absolutely ridiculous. I'll be keeping an eye on it."
Derby City Council have said they have no plans to remove the stairlift and that the property was advertised through their Choice Based Lettings scheme on November 11. However Tracey said she was told she wouldn't be eligible for the three bedroom house anyway as she is only allowed to have two due to having one dependent child.
Despite offering to pay the extra bedroom tax for the third bedroom, she was turned down. Tracey argued she has a carer who often stays overnight to help out but even if she didn't it would make more sense to give the property to her than a family who don't require a stairlift.
The situation has been made even more frustrating for the 50-year-old due to the restrictions on where she can live and the type of property she could reside in. Tracey also gets around via her daughter's adapted car meaning she would need to live nearby her home to be accessible for travel meaning there are very few suitable properties for her to move into.
Tracey, who also suffers from mental health problems, has been left in desperation and has emailed her local MP Margaret Beckett as a result.
A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: "The allocation of the Bemrose Road property will be made to ensure that best use is made of the existing adaptations.
"We have provisionally allocated this property and all appropriate checks will be carried out before signing up any new tenants. The Derby City Council Allocations Policy outlines the requirements for bidding on each property size and type. A copy of which can be found online.
"We are in the process of reviewing Ms Walker's application and will ensure it is updated, if necessary, to reflect her current circumstances."
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