“THERE’S hair in the shower, dead bugs and mousetraps all over the building,” says one working mother who found herself homeless five weeks ago.
She’s asked to be known as Joanna to protect her identity. We’re calling her 13-year-old daughter – who has been eating cereal bars for breakfast on the bus for over a month because her school is so far away they have to leave before it is served in their dirty and run-down B&B – Hannah.
“Between the unsanitary conditions and the house rules I feel like I’m being made to feel second rate to the rest of society,” says Joanna.
She also feels unsafe. It’s been several years since she left an abusive relationship but she finds the predominantly male environment of the B&B hotel intimidating as she still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
There is an oppressive atmosphere and it’s placing a lot of strain on her relationship with her teenage daughter with whom she has been sharing a room for five weeks.
“It’s more like a prison than a place to live,” she says. “There are no cooking facilities, you aren’t allowed visitors, you have to be in at 11pm and we have to share the bathroom with everyone else.
“There’s CCTV in the hallways, which is supposed to be for safety but I find it uncomfortable knowing that Hannah is being watched when she goes down the hallway to use the bathroom or take a shower.
“It’s so stressful. It’s had a really negative impact on my mental health. I felt really unwell for a while.”
But hope is on the horizon. Though she wasn’t told her rights when she sought help from the council, she contacted Shelter Scotland who explained the seven-day limit and advocated on her behalf.
Due to Shelter’s intervention she was hoping to be moved on Friday.
“Christmas is coming up and it was just heart-breaking to think we wouldn’t have a place to call home by then,” she said.
“Shelter Scotland have been speaking to the council on my behalf and we are due to move today after yet another delay.
‘‘The new flat is still the other side of the city from Hannah’s school but at least we’ll have our own space, our own bathroom and be able to cook at home.”
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