LIVING HELL
I’m a single teen mum with baby stuck sleeping on sofa for a YEAR…’useless’ council won’t help me & I have nowhere to go
The teen mum says the situation is affecting her mental health
A SINGLE teenage mum with a young baby has been sleeping on sofas for nearly a year and claims the “useless” council won’t help her even though she has nowhere to go.
During the time she has been sofa surfing the mother has only been offered a hotel room, without a kitchen.
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It comes after it was revealed there are hundreds of homeless kids across Darlington, County Durham and North Yorkshire.
The 18-year-old mum, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she had been forced to either sleep on her mum’s sofa or her aunty’s, along with her 18-month old baby.
The young mum has been on the Darlington Borough Council list for temporary housing for 10 months but has still not heard anything.
She had been offered a place in a hotel which had no cooking appliances, which she claimed was no good for her or her baby.
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The mum said it took weeks for her housing officer to respond to her questions about the situation, which hadn’t changed 10 months on.
She told : "I am 18-years-old with an 18-month-old and I am currently staying between my mam's and my aunty's on their sofas as I have nowhere to go.
"I have been on the council list for 10 months and I have got nowhere, not even temporary accommodation - the only thing they are offering me is a hotel which has no cooking appliances.
"That is no good for me, especially my little one.
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"It is absolutely ridiculous."
There are some 50,000 empty homes in the North East, according to an investigation by the paper.
I'm a mum suddenly made homeless two years & we STILL have nowhere to settle
She said that even though she had registered with “loads” of housing associations she still hadn’t got anywhere to live.
The mum added that the 10-month wait was “making my mental health really bad”.
A Darlington Borough Council spokesman said: “We can’t comment on individual cases and would urge anyone who is having problems to contact us directly.
“We work proactively to support households to find permanent accommodation and follow all guidance around the use of B&B/hotels and ensure we do not use this long term.
"Any families with children are moved into either self-contained or temporary housing as soon as possible and would be in B&B/hotels no longer than six weeks.
"It is clear that the situation with housing is a national issue, with the number of people in temporary accommodation across the country at an all-time high.
“Here in Darlington, we are committed to increasing the number of affordable homes, which is a key part of our recently agreed Council Plan, and we have an ongoing new-build programme to create more, good quality council homes.
Temporary housing - Shelter advice
says the council might give you when you first ask for homeless help.
If they have to give you longer term help, you might then move to temporary housing.
Temporary housing is somewhere to live while you wait for longer term housing.
Find out .
How long can you stay in temporary housing?
It can take a long time for councils to make a .
You may have to stay in temporary housing for months or even years in some areas.
You might have to move from one place to another during that time.
Types of temporary housing
Temporary housing could be a:
- room in a shared house
- flat or house from a private landlord
- short term council or housing association tenancy
- hostel, refuge or other housing with support
If you have children
Families with children should get self-contained accommodation where possible. You do not have to share a kitchen or bathroom with anyone else in this accommodation.
There should be enough space for cots for children under 2 years. The council might have to help you get a cot if you need one, especially if you had to leave in an emergency, for example because of domestic abuse.
Where your temporary housing might be
Tell the council if you need or want to live in a certain area.
The council usually have to try to find housing in their area.
But they could offer you somewhere in another area if there's not enough suitable housing in your area.
Things the council should consider about the location
The council must usually consider things like your:
- travel time to work
- children's education
- caring responsibilities and support networks
- safety – for example, if you are at risk of violence or domestic abuse
If you arrived in the UK in the last 2 years, the council only has to make sure the location is:
- safe
- not too far from any caring responsibilities
Problems with temporary housing
Temporary housing could be unsuitable, for example, if:
- you cannot afford it
- you are overcrowded
- it is in need of repairs or in poor condition
- it is hard to access because of a health condition or disability
- it is too far to travel to your workplace or your children's schools
- you are at risk of things like domestic abuse or racial violence
Get support to talk to the council if you're .
The council should not ask you to move somewhere you are not safe.
What to do if temporary housing is not suitable
Accept the offer even if you do not want to live there.
The council can stop helping you if you turn it down.
You have 3 weeks to . You could get free legal help.
Tell the council if your temporary accommodation is no longer suitable and explain why.
Your temporary housing must be suitable for as long as you live there.
The council must offer alternative housing if it's no longer reasonable for you to stay there.
For example, if your situation changes and you can no longer afford the rent.
"We are also currently reviewing our Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, working with partners to better address unprecedented issues with housing and homelessness."
The council encourages anyone who is at risk of homelessness within 56 days to contact them and make an appointment.
Anyone can also see an emergency officer if you find yourself homeless with nowhere to stay that night.
A Housing Options Officer will work with you to develop a housing plan, to try and prevent or relieve your homeless situation.
Any families with children placed in emergency hotel accommodation will be prioritised to move within six weeks into self-contained accommodation.
The council did warn though that there is a "large waiting time" - possibly as much as 12 months - and so encouraged people to "explore all options of accommodation".
Across the country there are more than 150,000 kids living in temporary housing.
Temporary accommodation includes people living in hostels or bed and breakfasts.
Under the law, B&Bs are meant to only be used for families in an emergency and for no longer than six weeks.
However, in England the number of households with children exceeding that time period has risen by 80 per cent from 1,810 in 2023 to 3,250 this year.
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Housing charity Shelter urged the Government to "tackle the housing emergency head on".
Chief executive Polly Neate said: "Without a clear plan to invest in genuinely affordable social homes, thousands more children will be forced to grow up in damaging temporary accommodation, spending months if not years living out of suitcases, crammed into grim bedsits and B&Bs, and unable to put down any roots."
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