A mother-of-three says she feels like her life is "falling apart" after her family was allegedly only given 30 minutes to leave their home by the council.
Izabela Kikosicka, 36, and her kids, five, 10, and 13, have been sofa surfing since November after they were asked to leave their temporary accommodation in Erith, Kent.
She said she had no idea she and her children would have to pack their things and it felt like a “massive shock” when enforcement agents changed the locks to their home and forced the family out.
She accused Waltham Forest Council, who arranged the temporary home for her in the London Borough of Bexley, of having “washed their hands” of her situation, MyLondon reports.
She told The Sun Online: “I don't understand how they can put someone on the streets and not care what is going to happen.”
She claimed she was told to go to the council, who told her that she had to go back to Bexley, adding: “There's just no reply, no nothing. The council has not contacted me. They have washed their hands of me."
Izabela, who works as a cleaner while training to be a midwife, was first offered the home when she was made homeless three years ago.
Since leaving her temporary home in November, she has been staying with friends every night. All the family have are their clothes, everything else is in storage.
She said she was told by the council that she was kicked out of her home because they had "discharged their housing duty" towards her after offering her a home 140 miles away in Derbyshire back in 2020.
She said she did not accept the offer at the time because it would have meant moving her kids away from their school, family and friends.
Izabela said Bexley London Borough Council, the local authority for Erith, also denied any responsibility for her case.
In an email sent by Bexley Council, she was told that she had “no local connection with this local authority” despite her children attending school there since 2018.
She continued: “The amount of constantly trying to find somewhere is exhausting.
"I feel like my life is falling apart. I am very worried for my kids. I can't even really say anything to them because I don't know myself.”
A spokesperson for Bexley London Borough Council said: "It is not our policy to disclose or discuss people's personal circumstances in the media."
Waltham Forest Council councillor told Louise Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness Prevention told MyLondon : "It’s a national scandal that benefits and wages don’t cover the cost of rent in London.
"We do everything we can to help families find stable homes when they are in an emergency.
"When we help families at risk of being made homeless, we cannot place them where they can’t afford to pay their rent and buy day-to-day essentials.
"We are proud of our housing record. The borough is undergoing the largest programme of homebuilding in a generation.
"We are doing everything we can to get as many new homes built at a rent people can afford.
"We call upon the Government to do more to tackle this crisis that affects millions up and down the country."
