What other avenues could I go down please

polejunkie

i think the other nan was with the child?

Mupette

sazzybum wrote: »

Hi,

Just a query about a situation I have here-please move if in the wrong place.

My 3 year old grand-daughter and her mother have been in four homeless flats in the past year.

Yesterday afternoon, a council worker cam to her place and told her she had to be out by 5pm this afternoon, as they needed that flat for someone else. I was at work early this morning when I found out, so I phoned her mother and said I would take my grand-daughter after work so she could get organised.
I went round to her new place after work (about 445pm) and she wasn't yet there, she arrived around 5pm in a state telling me that a council worker had arrived at 455 DEMANDING the key to the flat saying that they needed it as their offices shut at 5, and left my grand-daughter sitting in the communal hall of the flats, surrounded by her possessions!

Luckily her other nanny was there with her (a couple of miles from the new place) so she had someone there, but what if she hadn't been? That worker was happy she had her key-she didn't give a flying monkeys fart that a three year old child was left in a hallway, cold, wet and scared.

Before anyone says anything- I offered to have them both, but the council said that this would mean they wouldn't be homeless, so wouldn't be considered for a council house, of which-in my area- there are quite a few.

I have written to my MP-but is there anything else I could do? I have to add that my grand daughters mother and my son don't have a relationship, but he loves his daughter-but is in the Army, so can't do anything apart from writing to the MP, which I and the family have done.
Sorry it's been long, didn't mean it to be

Sazzy

Sorry the bit i highlighted is some what confusing....

you were there at 4.45, she wasn't the council wasn't... yet she turns up at 5.00 to say that at 4.55 the council were there demanding the key... is this the same place or are we looking at the old flat and the new flat?

rach

Better to speak to the local councillor than the MP, ask them to make a Member's Enquiry into why they keep being moved. the local authority has to look into members' enquiries.

Please don't just sl@g off all council officers though, some of them do work really hard and you don't know that the worker didn't have to pick her own child up from childcare etc.

louise3965

If the childs dad is serving then she can get help from ssafa. www.ssafa.org.uk - here is the page to call the local branch - they can help http://www.ssafa.org.uk/Branch/index.html

delain

louise3965 wrote: »

If the childs dad is serving then she can get help from ssafa. www.ssafa.org.uk - here is the page to call the local branch - they can help http://www.ssafa.org.uk/Branch/index.html

This is true - my mum and dad are ex army and even some years after my mum was on her own with us after my dad boogered off with someone else SSAFA helped my mum, they gave her currys vouchers for a new washing machine when ours packed in and she couldn't afford even a second hand one!

Definitely contact them

sazzybum

Mupette wrote: »

Sorry the bit i highlighted is some what confusing....

you were there at 4.45, she wasn't the council wasn't... yet she turns up at 5.00 to say that at 4.55 the council were there demanding the key... is this the same place or are we looking at the old flat and the new flat?

Sorry Mupette, Her new place is just round the corner from me, so I had arranged to go after work and wait for her to get there at 5, as I knew she had to be out of the OLD flat by then. The council appeared at her OLD place demanding the key..I'm rubbish at explaining when Ive had a glass of chardonnay.

GD was with her other nan-as the other nan had been helping clear out the OLD flat. The two of them were sitting in the hallway-thanks to the Council worker.

Thanks to all for helping though- even if I'm not explaining very well.

rachbc

so she had a new flat to go to? Was this already lined up before she was told to leave the old one or did she have to arrange it that day?

Is the new pace temporary or permanent?

sazzybum

rachbc wrote: »

so she had a new flat to go to? Was this already lined up before she was told to leave the old one or did she have to arrange it that day?

Is the new pace temporary or permanent?

The council had come to her at 4pm the day before yesterday telling her that she had to be out that flat by 5pm yesterday. They told her yesterday morning where she was going.

The new place is another homeless accommodation flat.

rachbc

thats shocking - why couldn't the put the other person in the new flat and let her stay in the old one - makes no sense - which somehow isn't surprising for a council!

I would follow the complaints procedure and if that doesn't work - mp

delain

rachbc wrote: »

thats shocking - why couldn't the put the other person in the new flat and let her stay in the old one - makes no sense - which somehow isn't surprising for a council!

I would follow the complaints procedure and if that doesn't work - mp

It sounds (to me anyway) as though they have targets to meet, ie in not keep people in temporary flats more than 3 months - and they are 'meeting' their targets by shifting people from one temporary flat to another :(