Family offered 'filthy' temporary accommodation by the council

Horrified woman reveals the ‘filthy’ temporary accommodation smelling of drugs and urine where her care worker stepdaughter is being FORCED to stay for £100 a week with her toddler

• Carla Peake, 53, from Essex, revealed how her stepdaughter was offered the flat
• Unnamed careworker was evicted from privately rented flat in Wickford in March
• Council put her in a hostel before she was offered the temporary accomodation 
• Said the ‘filthy’ flat ‘smells of drugs and urine’ and is ‘dangerous’ for her daughter
• Told to take flat, which costs £100 a week, or she will be taken off the housing list
• The mother, who has a two-year-old daughter, said she was ‘devastated’  
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

A woman has revealed her horror after her careworker stepdaughter was offered ‘filthy’ temporary accommodation that ‘smelt of drugs and urine’ during the coronavirus pandemic.

Carla Peake, 53, who lives in Wickford, Essex, explained how her unnamed stepdaughter, her boyfriend and two-year-old daughter were evicted from their privately rented flat in Wickford, in early March – just two weeks before the coronavirus lockdown began. 

The care worker – who has been looking after the elderly during the coronavirus pandemic – was horrified when the local council offered her the accommodation for £100 a week, revealing there was no cooker and the walls were covered  mould and mildew, graffiti on the walls. 

She now said she has no choice but to stay in the two-bedroom flat in Basildon, Essex, with her boyfriend, and toddler because the local council has said she will be removed from the housing list if she refuses. 

Carla Peake, 53, who lives in Wickford, Essex, revealed how her unnamed stepdaughter had felt forced to take the ‘filthy’ flat after the council warned they would take her off the housing list if she refused (pictured, Carla) 

After being evicted, the anonymous woman and her boyfriend – who works full time but has been furloughed – were unable to find accommodation they could afford, so they approached Basildon Council for housing assistance.

They were then moved to a hostel in Southend that was ‘full of drug addicts’ where the family has been staying for nearly five weeks before being offered temporary accommodation in Rochester Way, Basildon.

The care worker, who doesn’t want to be identified, said: ‘I’m absolutely devastated. The window has a broken latch so my two-year-old could well open it and fall out – it’s unsafe.

‘There are also exposed spikes all around the rooms where the carpets have been ripped up – it’s so dangerous and could result in my little girl injuring herself and ending up in A&E.

Carla said she had been horrified by the state of the temporary accommodation offered by the council, which she said smelt of drugs and urine

‘We’re expected to do it up and paint it, during lockdown, with a toddler running around.’

Carla, who lives with her husband Gavin, and is shielding due to suffering with asthma, says they wanted to live close by because she provides childcare for her grandchild while the couple are at work.

She posted photos of the flat on Facebook, saying: ‘Please please help. These pictures show the temporary accommodation my step daughter who is a carer and her two year-old-daughter has been told to live in, being charged £100 a week with no cooker.

‘Stinks of drugs and wee. She was told to take it or be taken off the list for housing. Any help would be gratefully received.’

Carla went on to share photographs of the flat online, with the walls covered in graffiti and the carpet strewn with spikes from the carpet being ripped up

Carla said they have been inundated with offers of help – but she isn’t able to accept any of them yet, due to the pandemic.

Members of the community have offered their services, including painting and decorating, and others have offered to donate household items.

She said: ‘What we can’t understand is that Basildon Council initially said they couldn’t move into the flat as they had to sort it out.

‘But all we can see they’ve done is put in a new radiator.

Meanwhile the unnamed mother also admitted she was nervous about the windows, which she said were ‘dangerous’ for her two-year-old daughter 

Other photographs of the flat show the filthy graffiti covered walls, with the unnamed woman admitting she was ‘devastated’ to be given the accomodation during lockdown

Carla shared snaps of the dirty and unkempt flat online and begged for help from the community to help her stepdaughter

‘Someone has locked the front door on that flat thinking “that’s good enough for people to live in” – would they allow their family members to live there? I don’t think so.

‘We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity in the community, people offering to plaster it in exchange for two cups of tea.

‘If you want to privately rent your accommodation to the council it has to be immaculate but a council property can be let out in this state. It’s awful.’

Basildon Council has been approached for comment.

Carla admitted she had been stunned by the state of the flat, with local members of the community offering to help plaster and paint walls to help it improve 

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