A devastated man has been told he needs to leave his childhood home of 51 years by March 20 - despite his family and neighbours warning that he won't cope well with the move. Darren Evans, 51, was informed he would need to leave the three-bedroom council house on Heol-Yr-Odyn in Caerau, Cardiff after his brother and father passed away just months apart.
Darren's brother David died suddenly in July 2021, aged 53 and their father, also named David, died in November of the same year, Wales Online reports. Darren, who has lived in the house his entire life, has now been given a deadline to leave while his mental health is said to have deteriorated to the point of feeling suicidal after his double loss.
His family claim he was given only four days' notice on March 9 2023 to move out and into a one-bedroom flat by March 13, which is not suitable for his needs. Darren, who can't read or write properly, often has a friend or family member stay over to help him but that would prove difficult with only one bedroom in the property.
They added the 51-year-old is on a Personal Independence Payment and might need a live-in carer in the immediate future. Darren said he was 'gutted' and 'shocked' to be forced to leave the street he'd lived in since he was born.
He said: "It’s just been too much, what they’re doing. It’s been horrible. They’re not considering what I need.
"It’s just getting worse because I’m getting depressed… it’s too much, like. I’ve lived here since I was born... we all look out for each other."
He was told 14 months ago he'd need to leave the house but he had to wait until March 9 to find out for certain. Darren's sister, Kathleen Evans, said she managed to convince the council's housing department to give him an extra week, until March 20, but his friends and family are desperate for a different outcome for him.
Kathleen has offered to either start paying bedroom tax on the additional rooms or to give up her own three-bedroom council property and move in with Darren which would free up her house and the proposed one-bedroom flat for someone else. However, she said the council had not accepted her suggestion.
Kathleen said her dad died 'of a broken heart' after losing his own son just four months earlier and that people need to regularly drop in to check on Darren's wellbeing. She added: "He sits on the kitchen floor just rocking and watching the telly through the door. That’s not a life.
"He can’t stay on his own. There’s no way he’ll cope on his own when he’s been brought up with siblings, nephews, nieces, sisters and brothers-in-law around, and now he has a granddaughter and another on the way."
When Darren agreed to be interviewed on the situation, half his neighbourhood turned up to support him and make the case for him staying in his childhood home. One neighbour said: "He needs his family and his friends around him.
"We’re not neighbours, we’re family.... our children have grown up together." Another insisted Darren 'needs the stability of his house' after what he's been through and others agreed it was a 'very special street'.
Jane Power, a friend and former neighbour who has known Darren for decades, said: "We grew up together… to see him being turfed out of his home is heartbreaking. This is something very rare, this street.
"You can’t possibly begin to understand until you’ve lived in it. Communities are very rare. It’s a community and a family in one.
"There’s still his father’s stuff here, still his brother’s stuff here - I really can’t understand how it’s come to this, why they wouldn’t just let him stay here." Darren's sister Kathleen said the family's nice memories in the house have been 'wiped out' by the council's involvement.
She added: "I’ve said to Darren and I’ve said to the housing officer about me giving up my three-bedroom property to take the tenancy on in this three-bedroom property and [the council] can have mine. I can’t see any reason on God’s green earth why [they] can’t agree to it.
"They can still send him bills for council tax and they’ve sent him letters in my dad’s name asking for rent arrears - they know he’s been dead for 14 months, and he was never in arrears because he couldn’t work due to COPD so the DWP paid his rent direct."
Kathleen also expressed her fears about Darren's mental health which she said has gotten worse since the two bereavements and would likely worsen if he had to leave his home. In 2022, Darren told WalesOnline: "I just feel suicidal and depressed all the time. I won't be able to carry on if I have to move."
Darren's 36-year-old nephew Daniel Evans said the property is more than a council house now, it's his uncle's 'family home'. Darren's late father's possessions are still piled high on the bed and the 51-year-old often spends his evenings sitting on the floor nearby.
Daniel said: "It’s terrible to see him like that… just sat on the floor like that, upset. No person should have their family home taken off them - all these people around us aren’t neighbours, they’re family.
"Each person has played a part in our lives, everyone knows each other, and they’re brilliant.
Darren was initially offered a one-bedroom flat in Spinney Close in Ely, but not given an official date for when he had to move out. At the time, the law on tenancy succession only allowed one succession per property, which had already taken place for Darren's house.
A change in the law in December, 2022, allows two successions in some circumstances but the new law still allows councils to move people to smaller accommodation if their property is proclaimed too big for their needs.
Alison Swain, a care worker who used to live next door stated the accommodation offered to Darren would not be suitable for him as he requires proper care. Another neighbour, Shirley Greenfield, who has lived across the road since 1965, added: "I think it’s disgusting what the housing did to Darren.
"He’s lived here all his life, he was born in this house and I’ve known him since the day he was born. He’s never brought any trouble… it’s downright disgusting."
A spokesperson for Cardiff Council said: "The rules around succession to a council property did change under the Renting Homes Act which was implemented in December, 2022, however as Mr Evans’ father, who had already succeeded the tenancy of the property, sadly passed away before the legislation came into effect, this would have no impact on his situation.
"We have, however, offered Mr Evans a suitable one-bed property which meets his needs, based on the information currently available. Mr Evans has accepted this offer. If further medical evidence supporting the need for an additional bedroom is provided in future, Mr Evans’ circumstances will be reassessed.
"Mr Evans was allowed additional time to move into his new property. Mr Evans’ sister also is not entitled to succeed to the tenancy.
"While a suggestion was made very recently that Mr Evans’ sister could exchange her current property for the family home, this would not be in line with the council’s Allocation Policy. With the current exceptionally high demand for council homes, it is more important than ever that these are allocated fairly, and to those who are most in need of the property."
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