Heidi Dodson, a 56-year-old woman, has been told by Thurrock Council that she has been rejected priority housing following an eviction notice from her landlord. In response, the council argues that Ms Dodson can function reasonably well if she becomes homeless and is not a “priority need” for the council. Ms Dodson’s local housing department also suggested that even if being homeless led to her “having to sleep rough occasionally or in the longer term”, she would not be more vulnerable than another ordinary person in the same situation. Ms Dodson said in an interview that she was upset by the wording of the letter, having previously spent five years on the streets in her late teens.
Ms Dodson has had to move home 18 times, and on the most recent occasion, she was served with a Section 21 “no-fault” eviction notice after seven years living in her current flat. The landlord needs her to move out while he updates the property to meet fire safety regulations. With no guarantor and only £20 in her bank account, she is unable to put down a deposit on another property that she estimates would be £1,800 for a two-bed flat in the area. Her adult son lives with her, but he recently lost his job making pallets, and Ms Dodson also left a role at House of Fraser just before the pandemic.
Thurrock Council states that it would be reviewing letters sent to residents after being made aware of the recent communication to Ms Dodson. A spokesperson for Thurrock Council says: “We have the utmost sympathy for all residents who are struggling with homelessness and are very sorry that this letter may not have fully reflected that.” Additionally, the spokesperson added that the letter followed conversations with the resident officers, explaining that she would be unlikely to meet the criteria for priority need and as a result, interim accommodation, but that help is available to her in line with their legal duties as she faces homelessness.
Last year, there were over 4,000 people on the waiting list for council housing in Thurrock. The council claims that it acquired or built 328 social homes over the past five years, while selling 301 through the Right to Buy scheme in the same timeframe. The cost of renting privately in the UK rose by 9.2% in the year to March 2024, the biggest increase since records began in 2015. The government has pledged to ban Section 21 evictions whereby landlords can evict tenants with two months’ notice, without giving a reason. Housing Secretary Michael Gove could not guarantee the so-called “no-fault” evictions will be banned in England by the forthcoming general election, despite being described by housing charities as a key driver of homelessness. No-fault evictions have been banned in Scotland since 2017. Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, a leading UK charity, said: “people at risk of sleeping rough must be given a right to suitable emergency accommodation, but to end homelessness for good we need more genuinely affordable homes.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More