Mariam, along with her two teenage sons and young daughter became homeless when severe domestic violence at the hands of Mariam’s husband left them in fear for their lives.
Birmingham City Council placed the family in temporary accommodation, but her husband – who had been arrested for trying to kill Mariam and her daughter – found out where they were staying and sent his friends to threaten her. Mariam and her children were moved into emergency accommodation: a one-bedroom outhouse … Read more
Laura’s mouldy council flat was putting her son’s life in danger until Shelter’s Hospital Discharge Team took on the family’s case.
Imagine wanting to take your much-loved child home from hospital but being unable to do so as the conditions there would make him ill – or even endanger his life. That’s the horrible catch-22 that Laura faced until our hospital discharge team in Birmingham stepped in to help.
When we first met Laura, she was living in a damp … Read more
Tom’s landlord was exploiting and abusing his vulnerable tenants. Tom, with Shelter’s help, took legal action.
‘In December 2016, I moved into a new place. It was the kind of house that people move into when they’re desperate, the landlord knew it and he took advantage.
The oven was leaking gas when I moved in. The landlord had blocked off the boiler so the tenants couldn’t turn on the heating and the shower had rotten floorboards under it; you could … Read more
Denise was heavily pregnant, going through a break up, and living in temporary accommodation when she first contacted Shelter. To make matters worse, she didn’t know where she’d be in a month’s time. The stress was unbearable.
‘The council said they’d only house me until I had the baby,’ Denise told us. ‘They said I’d made myself intentionally homeless because I’d moved out from where I’d been living with my husband. I was really worried, and didn’t know what to … Read more
Kimberley was 34 weeks pregnant when she found out her landlord was selling up. One minute, she and her husband Mark were preparing the home for their new arrival. The next, they were facing the prospect of being homeless.
‘I worried that we might end up with nowhere at all,’ Kimberley told us.
‘Mark broke down the first night we were there. We were in the room and he just said, “I can’t do this.” I had to say – … Read more
When we first met Matthew, he’d been homeless for two years and sleeping on the streets of Manchester. ‘I was at my lowest point,’ he’d later tell us. But now – thanks to help from Shelter – he’s back on his feet and rebuilding his life.
‘I’m so grateful I went to Shelter,’ Matthew said.
‘There have been so many positive changes. Even when I haven’t been the easiest person to work with, Shelter’s staff have shown such patience. I’ll … Read more
Homeless, suffering with mental illnesses, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and post-traumatic stress disorder, Andrew was placed into his current accommodation. It was supposed to be a temporary measure – somewhere to tide him over as he bid for a more permanent council home. That was in December 2015. Andrew is still there.
When Andrew first moved in, there was no sign of the problems to come – but they didn’t take long to emerge. ‘There was no mould at … Read more
