The 21-year-old was placed in what she described as ‘unsuitable’ accommodation, which she says triggered her PTSD and caused panic attacks
A vulnerable 21-year-old woman has described her dealings with a South London council as a “kick in the face” as she approaches nearly two weeks of homelessness. Without suitable accommodation, she has been forced to spend hours walking in the cold and rain, leaving her exhausted and battling heightened anxiety.
Despite it being her first experience of sleeping rough, she says Sutton Council has not treated her case with urgency or sympathy.
The woman, whom we have named Ms R, says the council placed her in unsuitable temporary accommodation for one night, which triggered her anxiety and forced her back onto the streets. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I haven’t turned it down because I’m stubborn — it wasn’t in my interests or safe for me.” The council denies that the accommodation was inappropriate.
Ms R became homeless nearly two weeks ago after being asked to leave her family home near Wallington following a breakdown in relations. With no family support and no fixed income after being signed off from her job as a support worker due to ongoing mental health challenges, she was forced to sleep rough in the area she grew up in.
In recent weeks, she has filled her days walking around Croydon and taking shelter in shopping centres to escape the cold and damp conditions outside. “Yesterday I sat on a bench inside Centrale for three hours to keep warm,” she said. “It was so cold outside I couldn’t feel my fingers.”
Speaking in the same shopping centre, Ms R described the shock of suddenly facing life on the streets as frightening and overwhelming. “It was really scary — I felt so alone.”
During our meeting, she said she had “not slept” the previous night and felt exhausted from constantly moving around with a duffel bag filled with bedding. “I feel like my body is in fight-or-flight mode,” she said.
“The minute it starts to get dark, I leave Croydon and go back to the area I grew up in. I avoid Croydon at night because of the types of people on the street,” she added.
With no previous experience of homelessness, Ms R was unsure where to turn. After receiving advice from Sutton-based housing advocate Suzy Otto, she contacted the council’s housing team.
However, she says the interactions with the council’s housing advisers have been frustrating and lacking in empathy. “Every time I speak to them, it feels like another kick in the face,” she said.
Recalling one conversation, she claimed one out of hours social worker told her: “You’d better not be lying to me.”
Ms R says she repeatedly informed the council of her complex mental health needs and asked to be housed away from men, where possible, due to past experiences. Despite this, she was offered emergency accommodation in Carshalton that she says did not take her concerns into account and was predominantly occupied by men.
“Even after pleading not to be placed in a mixed-gender hostel, I was placed in one last Thursday. The housing referral worker told me there were more women than men there, so I gave it a go — even though I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to walk in.
“After going inside, I saw there were four men and one woman. My anxiety was so heightened that I ended up having a panic attack in the toilet.”
She later told her housing adviser she would not return for the sake of her wellbeing.
“For someone who doesn’t struggle with PTSD and severe anxiety around men, it might have been ideal. But although it was a roof over my head, I would have felt safer on the street.”
Ms R says the council has also suggested private rented accommodation despite her financial situation. “They know I’ve been signed off work, so I don’t have any money coming in,” she said.
“Despite that, they keep sending private rent options. One was £600 a month — I obviously can’t afford that.”
Her trust in the process was further shaken when her housing decision letter — outlining the outcome of her homelessness application — was allegedly sent to the wrong email address.
“They sent it to an email with an extra letter added,” she said. “I only found out because I called to say I hadn’t received it.”
Ms R may now have to wait until at least next week to find out whether suitable accommodation can be arranged. The council has said its next contact will be a telephone consultation on 24 February.
“I have no knowledge of how this all works,” she told the LDRS, reflecting on another potential week on the streets. “It’s like they feel they’ve seen through me when really the council have a vulnerable 21-year-old woman who needs some help”.
Housing advocate Otto believes Sutton Council has failed to provide their legal housing duty to the 21-year-old. She told the LDRS: “She’s vulnerable and has no safe place to stay, and I just want to make sure she’s treated fairly and gets the support she’s entitled to.”
A spokesperson for the London Borough of Sutton said: “The council is committed to supporting residents experiencing or threatened with homelessness and understands that this is an extremely difficult and distressing time.
“The council aims to provide suitable accommodation that takes into account an individual’s needs and vulnerabilities, while balancing this with the availability of accommodation.
“Based on Ms R’s assessment, appropriate accommodation was provided and remains available to her. The council’s priority remains to continue to engage with Ms R to support her and identify and source alternative accommodation as quickly as possible.”
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