A mum who lives in a tiny flat in London was offered a new flat 200 miles away in Manchester after complaining about the poor living conditions. Naima Bazizi, 36, lives in a two-room flat in Newham with her young son, but it is so small that she is forced to share a bed with him.
The East London mum pays £800 a month for the compact property where she has lived for more than a year. But when she moved into the flat in April 2021, she claims Newham Council told her it would only be for three months.
The flat is in Brimstone House, a tower block used by Newham Council as temporary housing, where hundreds of families are reportedly forced to share just eight washing machines. Other residents say they have been living in the hostel for more two years, despite claiming the local authority told them they would be there for less than six months, reports MyLondon.
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"They said it was just for three months but they find excuses. There’s no space here. We sleep in the double bed together," Naima told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"I’ve got storage but I can’t use it and I have to have all my belongings in here. Now summer is coming there’s no oxygen in here. I have to keep the window locked because it’s dangerous.”
Ms Bazizi was studying to become a French teacher but had to drop out of her course in December 2021 because of the lack of space to study in the flat.
When she complained to Newham about the apartment, Ms Bazizi claims the council offered her a property 200 miles away in Manchester.
She said: “They said we have got a flat in Manchester but I have got no one outside of London. Why should I move out of London? I stopped my course last December. I can’t study at night because it will distract my son. I started a job as a receptionist but I stopped because I was not in a stable position.”
Newham Council bought the tower block in Stratford in 2016 to provide temporary housing for homeless families. But residents say the tiny rooms and lack of communal space make the building unsuitable for children.
Sadaf Afzal moved into Brimstone House with her son six months ago. She said Newham shouldn’t be housing kids in the tower block for long periods.
“It’s not suitable for children. My son can open the window and climb up to it - it’s not really safe," Ms Afzal said.
"It has been six months and my son has started getting skin problems. The house doesn’t have a ventilator. The council said we can give you a house outside London but I have been here for 22 years and all my friends are here."
Fellow resident Agnes, 46, who declined to give her surname, said her flat wasn’t suitable for her six-year-old son who has sickle cell disease.
“There’s no place for him to play. It’s not good for kids - it’s too small. My son will be seven in two weeks and he really wants a bike but I can’t buy him one because the flat is too small and I’m not allowed to store things outside my front door," she said.
Agnes said she has been living in a tiny flat in the hostel with her son for two years - despite claiming Newham Council told her she’d be there for just six months when she first moved in.
She added: “I don’t want to move out of London because my son goes to hospital here and I have all my support network here. If I moved outside it would be starting again with no help. It’s hard though. I bid on a council property on Friday and by the time it is Monday I’m 1,000 in the queue. It’s frustrating.”
Newham Council has been contacted by MyLondon.
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