Mum begs for help after being in 'temporary accommodation' for nine years

A single mum is begging for a permanent home after spending nearly a decade in "temporary accommodation". Trina Downey, 35, was moved from her two-bedroom home in Streatham Hill in June 2016 in an emergency eviction after rats and mice invaded the private property.The mum-of-one was put into a two-bedroom home in Catford while she waited for a permanent new home.

But after a year she had an another emergency move to New Cross over damp. After a year, Trina had to move again after her roof caved in, and she was placed in Dulwich.But two years later, Trina noticed a rat and damp issue again - and was moved to Battersea in August 2021.

On January 30 this year, the landlord announced he wanted to sell - and she's been given until June 5 to move out, she says. She faces another move into different temporary accommodation, which is arranged by Lambeth Council.She said the past nine years have been "emotional" and "stressful" - and she is pleading with the Lambeth council for a permanent home.

The council says an "acute shortage of affordable accommodation means it is not always possible to find suitable, permanent accommodation within Lambeth". "I am totally fed up, and that’s why I think I've got some illnesses," said Trina.

"I get sick by stressing myself out. I would cry if I got moved to a permanent property because it’s about time and I wouldn't be able to believe it.Financially, I can’t rent privately, so I must sit back and wait to be moved again."

With the Battersea property, Trina pays Lambeth Council rent but the private landlord owes this. Speaking of her first home in Streatham Hill, Trina said: "The rats, the damp, the roof collapsed, but that is why they have moved us because of the multiple issues.

"The Dulwich property was the biggest problem, a surveyor done a risk assessment and it was put down as a danger risk one.

"The loneliest time when I was at Catford. It was just a bunk bed, and I always used to cry on it. I just want a permanent home, and it's so frustrating."

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: “We are committed to providing the most suitable accommodation available to everyone who comes to us needing a roof above their heads. But the acute shortage of affordable accommodation means it is not always possible to find suitable, permanent accommodation within Lambeth, and we sometimes have to house people in temporary accommodation until somewhere permanent becomes available.

“We are aware of Ms Downey’s concerns. The suitability of temporary accommodation for our residents is of paramount importance, and we will continue to respond to the concerns of our residents to ensure that any accommodation provided is of a reasonable standard."