Wandsworth Council Moves to Evict Domestic Abuse Survivor
She had refused offer of settled accommodation in Roehampton
‘Hannah’ has a nine-year-old son. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon
July 25, 2024
A domestic abuse survivor has said she can’t eat or sleep after being served an eviction notice by a Wandsworth Council. Hannah, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was told on 4 July she had a month to leave the temporary home she has been living in with her nine-year-old son since 2017.
The distraught mum said that she is being evicted after refusing the council’s offer of settled accommodation in Roehampton, in December 2022. She felt the property was not suitable due to the distance from her son’s school, lack of public transport and concerns about its safety. She claimed the council sent her a letter the following month saying she would be struck from its waiting list, but she was not aware she would be evicted and the notice this month came ‘out of the blue’.
Hannah is now concerned she and her son will be left homeless, with the notice telling her to leave the property on 5 August. She said, “I’m literally drained and I’m so emotionally upset about everything. I’m very worried, I’m scared about my son… it’s affecting my mental state.”
She added: “I can’t even eat, I can’t sleep. I’m so worried.”
The council originally moved Hannah and her son into temporary accommodation in Wandsworth in 2017 due to domestic violence from her ex-partner. She waited more than five years to receive an offer of settled accommodation, which she felt was not suitable. Then, in February this year, she claimed she was physically assaulted by a neighbour in front of her ‘terrified’ son at home.
The council offered her emergency accommodation in Croydon after she reported the alleged incident, but she felt it was not suitable due to the distance from her son’s school and safety concerns. “I said no to it because it wasn’t safe for us,” she said. “It’s too far away, it’s a different borough entirely.”
She added: “I don’t want my son to encounter any more violent situations of neighbours shouting, screaming, people fighting, swearing, drugs and knives… I don’t want that, it wasn’t safe.”
Meanwhile, the council claimed that Hannah has refused or ignored its offers of support over the years – including the proposed settled and emergency accommodation, along with financial help to rent privately. It said it would offer her support with her next steps.
Private rents in Wandsworth rose to an average of £2,330 in June, according to the Office for National Statistics, up 8.8 per cent from £2,142 in June last year.
But Hannah said she feels she has been unfairly excluded from the council’s housing waiting list as she did not know she had the power to appeal its decision that the properties it offered were suitable. She claimed the authority has not properly considered her safety or shown her compassion, and that she feels abandoned after living in temporary accommodation for so long.
When Hannah first moved into the cramped temporary flat with her son in 2017, she had no idea she would still be there more than six years later. She sleeps on the sofa as it only has one bedroom and described having no space or privacy.
She said that living there while caring for her son has been ‘traumatising’ due to violence and anti-social behaviour in the accommodation – including, she claimed, witnessing people carrying knives and taking drugs. She spoke of her exhaustion with the situation, and how she is desperate to be offered a suitable place where her son can feel safe.
Hannah said, “Waking up in the same state, in the same situation with no space, with no idea what’s going to be happening, we don’t know what crime is going to be taking place next, we don’t know who is coming, who is going out… it’s the worst thing.”
She added, “I wish one day I’ll wake up and have my own home, [where] my child will feel safe, not be worried of police coming in and out, of people screaming, shouting and all kinds of swearing. I wish we can have a home.”
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said, “The council placed ‘Hannah’ in appropriate temporary accommodation in 2017. Our team then made an offer of a settled, two-bedroom property in Roehampton that was more suitable for her family needs.
“Despite following up multiple times, including with an invite to view the property in person, the council did not hear back. As Hannah failed to respond to any communication or attend the property viewing, the council was unable to progress this any further.
“Over several years the complainant has consistently refused or ignored the council’s offer of support and assistance, including emergency accommodation and financial support to move to the private sector. The council has fulfilled all its legal duties and provided options of permanent, long-term accommodation as well as emergency, temporary housing. We will continue to offer advice and support to help Hannah with her next steps.”
Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter