Teh One Who Knocks
11-15-2018, 12:20 PM
Richard Hartley-Parkinson for Metro.co.uk
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A mother of seven has said that she needs to be given a new house because her current home is not suitable.
Alana Burns, 38, who is pregnant with twins, lives in the four-bedroom flat but she says they can only use three of the rooms because of leaks.
She has also complained about a lack of a TV and says her children can’t go out to play.
Describing her situation, the struggling single mum said: ‘My relationship with some of my children is at breaking point. We can’t keep living like this.
‘The council has been out to the leak and said they’d get in touch with me, I have heard nothing. This has been going on for weeks and it needs sorting out.
‘It is not safe for anyone to be sleeping in that room so we’re now down to eight people sharing three bedrooms which is ridiculous.
‘I just want to get out of this hell. I’d rather live anywhere else, as long as it is not in here. It has been really tough.
‘I’m feeling down every night and sometimes you just feel like giving up. But I just have to keep going for the sake of the kids.’
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She says that there are problems with uneven floors, damage to the ceilings and noisy neighbours.
At the moment she pays £30 a day on electricity and claims that someone else is using her supply.
Previously Alana lived in private accommodation in Livingston, West Lothian, but her landlord sold the property so she and her family had been living in hotels.
Alana and her seven children – aged between two and 20 – now live in a flat above a pub in Bathgate, West Lothian.
Alana added: ‘We all have to wake up at 6.30am and a taxi picks the kids up at 7.30am to take them to school in Livingston.
‘I need a proper house where I can bring up my children. The whole situation is unbelievable. My kids can’t go out to play here.
‘The road in front is busy and there is a car park at the back of the property so it isn’t safe. All the kids are stuck inside all night crammed in without any TV.
‘There is no way we’re using anywhere near that level of electricity. We wouldn’t be here if we had a choice but we need to now get out as soon as possible.’
A West Lothian Council spokesman said: ‘It can be challenging to find suitable accommodation for large families who present themselves as homeless, given the limited stock of larger homes available.
‘In this case, the council arranged for temporary accommodation from a private landlord to try and meet their housing needs until a permanent home could be found.
‘Previous repairs notified by Ms Burns have been fixed by the landlord. The leak was only notified to us on November 12, with a repair to be arranged soon.
‘We would encourage Ms Burns to engage with the offers of support already made, to allow us to help find a solution for her family’s housing needs.
‘This includes widening her choice of areas to maximise her opportunities for permanent housing.’
http://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/9568/iqRS1R.jpg
A mother of seven has said that she needs to be given a new house because her current home is not suitable.
Alana Burns, 38, who is pregnant with twins, lives in the four-bedroom flat but she says they can only use three of the rooms because of leaks.
She has also complained about a lack of a TV and says her children can’t go out to play.
Describing her situation, the struggling single mum said: ‘My relationship with some of my children is at breaking point. We can’t keep living like this.
‘The council has been out to the leak and said they’d get in touch with me, I have heard nothing. This has been going on for weeks and it needs sorting out.
‘It is not safe for anyone to be sleeping in that room so we’re now down to eight people sharing three bedrooms which is ridiculous.
‘I just want to get out of this hell. I’d rather live anywhere else, as long as it is not in here. It has been really tough.
‘I’m feeling down every night and sometimes you just feel like giving up. But I just have to keep going for the sake of the kids.’
http://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/4011/kDFNJq.jpg
She says that there are problems with uneven floors, damage to the ceilings and noisy neighbours.
At the moment she pays £30 a day on electricity and claims that someone else is using her supply.
Previously Alana lived in private accommodation in Livingston, West Lothian, but her landlord sold the property so she and her family had been living in hotels.
Alana and her seven children – aged between two and 20 – now live in a flat above a pub in Bathgate, West Lothian.
Alana added: ‘We all have to wake up at 6.30am and a taxi picks the kids up at 7.30am to take them to school in Livingston.
‘I need a proper house where I can bring up my children. The whole situation is unbelievable. My kids can’t go out to play here.
‘The road in front is busy and there is a car park at the back of the property so it isn’t safe. All the kids are stuck inside all night crammed in without any TV.
‘There is no way we’re using anywhere near that level of electricity. We wouldn’t be here if we had a choice but we need to now get out as soon as possible.’
A West Lothian Council spokesman said: ‘It can be challenging to find suitable accommodation for large families who present themselves as homeless, given the limited stock of larger homes available.
‘In this case, the council arranged for temporary accommodation from a private landlord to try and meet their housing needs until a permanent home could be found.
‘Previous repairs notified by Ms Burns have been fixed by the landlord. The leak was only notified to us on November 12, with a repair to be arranged soon.
‘We would encourage Ms Burns to engage with the offers of support already made, to allow us to help find a solution for her family’s housing needs.
‘This includes widening her choice of areas to maximise her opportunities for permanent housing.’