Homeless widow and six children forced to live in one hotel room

[dutchman]

The family were stranded after their landlord sold up and had to move into a Coventry hotel while they waited for a proper home



A homeless widow says she and her six children were forced to live in one hotel room and wash up in a tiny bathroom sink.

Photos show the shocking reality for homeless families in Coventry in 2018 - with their possessions and beds packed into one room.

Their stay at the Allesley Hotel, in Birmingham Road, was funded by the Salvation Army - under a contract with Coventry City Council - which stumped up £220 a night for most of their nine-week stay.

The nightmare ordeal for the mother, who did not wish to be named, and her six children aged between three and 14, began when her husband passed away - in front of the whole family.

Things got worse when the landlord of their rented accommodation told them he was selling the property.

The family turned to Coventry City Council, and were put into the Allesley Hotel, in Birmingham Road, until a suitable home could be found.

Initially the family were in two rooms. But after seven weeks, a problem with one of the rooms saw the family spend their final two weeks in the hotel in just one room.

The entirety of the family's possessions and the beds were all crammed in.

It is claimed a small sink in the hotel room's en-suite was the only washing up facility that they had access to, with nowhere to put crockery but the bathroom floor.

The mother said: "It was really not acceptable, it just felt like I was having to clean all the time.

"I called the council and all they could say was that they were waiting for a property, and that wasn't ready yet."

The family has now been moved into a four-bedroom property - but this is still only a temporary solution.

Cllr Ed Ruane, Cabinet member for Housing and Communities said: “I've made no secret of the fact that the Housing Team at Coventry City Council is currently not fit for purpose in meeting the increasing demands on the service. There is a complete lack of management grip in where and the length of time people are placed, there is a huge financial cost and a damaging human cost."