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Dozens of protesters, some donning Halloween witch hats and spooky decorations, stormed Lewisham Council offices on Thursday demanding action for two families stuck in temporary accommodation.
Around 80 demonstrators packed into Laurence House in Catford with placards reading "Too Long in Temporary" and "House of Horror".
Among those affected is 23-year-old mum Anabel (name changed), who has been crammed into a single room with her toddler son for more than two years. The pair share bathroom facilities with other families in their council-managed hostel.
"I am worried that the lack of space is affecting his development. There is not enough room to play," said Anabel. "The council do not really help you and the staff can be rude and do not care."
While the law bans councils from housing families with children in B&Bs and hostels for more than six weeks, a loophole means these rules don't apply to local authority-run properties.
The second family spent over a year in a council hostel before being moved to what they say is overcrowded accommodation outside their borough, far from support networks.
Housing campaign group HASL (Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth) organised the Halloween sit-in after the council dismissed their concerns, claiming both families' accommodation was suitable.
Protesters, some travelling from as far as Dartford, Kent, filled the building with chants of "too long in temporary" and "Lewisham Council hear us say: homelessness must end today" despite staff requests to keep quiet.
HASL member Elizabeth Wyatt said: "It's unbelievable that Lewisham Council is justifying these harmful living conditions. It has now been over two years that Anabel's family have been stuck in these hazardous and stressful conditions. We’re here to say that this is definitely not okay for our members or for anyone.
“As well as the devastating impact on these families, Lewisham Council’s refusal to respect the six week limit for hostel accommodation for families undermines everyone’s homeless rights. This law is there to provide minimum standards and very basic protections for vulnerable homeless families, but Lewisham Council wants to lower these standards even further. It is a dystopian vision that the council appears to be fighting for.”
Lewisham Council has been contacted for comment.
