A mother of three is struggling with her children’s wellbeing while waiting for emergency rehousing in east London.
Sarah, from Newham, whose name was changed to protect her identity, is struggling with her daughters’ special needs but could be left waiting for years in the borough which has the highest rate of overcrowding nationally and family homelessness in the city.
She is currently in the highest priority band of the housing register, and can’t give her daughter feeding and occupational therapy because they share one room in four.
She said: “Two of them become extremely overwhelmed leading to multiple meltdowns a day.
“This can quickly turn into self-injuring behaviour due to their mental capacity of understanding.”
Along with having over 36,625 people waiting on the Housing Register, the Borough of Newham also has the highest rate of households in temporary accommodation in London.
This was cited a contributing factor in the deaths of 12 children in the city between 2019 and 2023.
Many like Sarah live in unsafe conditions for years, and the council had to give up on its policy to relocate all families in Newham or nearby.
She is eligible for a three or four bedroom flat in her priority band, but faces an average waiting time of between 19 and 35 months.
The council aims to advertise two properties on the bidding list every week, yet Sarah claimed that not always this is the case.
She said: “Some weeks the bidding catalogue is empty.
“Last year three whole months went by without a single property for me to bid on.”
Living in an overcrowded household, it nevertheless took over a year for her daughter’s medical grounds to be accepted and receive a place in the enhanced emergency band.
She said: “Because we physically do not have the space for professionals to carry out the therapies she needs I can’t go ahead until we are rehoused.”
Overcrowding can also have a series of severe long-term effects on children, increasing the risk of severe ill-health or disability by up to 25 per cent during childhood and early adulthood.
In total, there are 123,395 people like Sarah living in overcrowded conditions in Newham according to data from the 2021 census, which is more than one in three.
Yet as of October 2023, there were more than 87,763 empty homes in the city, according to the London Assembly Housing Committee.
Well aware of the ongoing crisis, the borough of Newham has the highest average completions of affordable housing in London.
The council also devised a plan to reduce the budget overspending by £18million, with a possible council tax increase of ten per cent.
Families cannot always be rehoused in the borough or the city, either.
A total of 449 households were sent outside of London between 2012 and 2017, according to FEANSA.
Newham Council were contacted for comment.
Featured image: Samuel Regan-Asante (www.unsplash.com)
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