A COUPLE have been living in a tent for more than two months after their house burned down.
The disabled woman and her partner have pitched up in a friend's back garden and have been struggling to find anywhere else suitable.
She believed the fire which gutted their home in Hull was a case of arson.
She said: "I was shocked to come home to the police trying to smash the door in to let the fire brigade in. I was heartbroken. I'd lived in that house for years.
"They found an aerosol can in the garden which was not left by us. I knew it had to be somebody else who did it."
They have been living in a tent for the last nine weeks which has not been easy, especially due to the woman's illnesses.
READ MORE UK NEWS
Parents think kids should have independence at age 12, survey reveals
Hundreds of mourners attend service for Olivia, 9, shot dead in Liverpool
They have tried to get help from the council and other organisations but say they have struggled to find any suitable new accommodation.
She added: "I've tried housing associations. I've tried private rent but a lot of them won't take unemployed tenants.
"I've been into the council but if you go to the Wilson Centre now nobody works in there. It's all telephones and we're just really struggling to find somewhere."
They can fit a bed and TV in the tent but they walked away with “barely anything”. She also is worried ahead of the weather deteriorating.
Most read in The Sun
More than 1.1million Brits to get first Cost of Living payment from this week
Towie star QUITS latest series – saying she ‘doesn’t like the drama’
I’m a speed camera officer… here are THREE myths drivers always get wrong
Ronaldo 'called for Maguire to be AXED as he was 'part of the problem'
She said: “I'm not on the floor but the cold and the damp is setting in now so it's making my disability and illnesses worse. I suffer from spondylosis, endometriosis and arthritis so all the damp and cold is making it worse."
Hull City Council offered her a hostel but alleges that they refused to home both her and her partner there because his name was not on the tenancy agreement.
And she said the hostel was inappropriate for her needs because she needs regular care and for her partner to help with things like getting dressed.
She added: "I keep trying all these places but I'm really struggling.”
She lived in her house for 14 years with a previous partner and when he left she took over the tenancy and then met her current partner, who therefore is not on the tenancy agreement.
Her landlord's insurance allowed for them to initially stay in a hotel for four weeks but she did not feel safe to go back to the house after it was redone as she believes the fire was started by someone intentionally.
She said: "The fire started in the garden and spread quite fast into the kitchen and bathroom and everything else was so badly damaged I was advised to leave certain things behind as it would cause chest problems on top of the problems I already have."
Her partner's brother put out a Facebook post appealing for help from the public with their situation and some people in the comments suggested they go to the council.
Read More on The Sun
I’m a size 16 & bought a dress that looked VERY skimpy… until I tried it on
Ovo Energy announce grants for hard-up customers as part of £50million package
Her partner replied with the claim that the council said that there is a housing crisis at the moment with 11,000 people waiting for a home so his only option is for them to stay in a tent at the moment.
Hull City Council has been approached for comment.
Source: Read Full Article
