Homeless face ‘inhumane’ ultimatums by London councils

Having fled sex trafficking gangs in Belgium and Manchester, the woman from Albania thought she was finally safe when she arrived in west London with her two young children. A single mother, she had been granted asylum in the UK and was ready to start a new life in the capital. But first they needed a home. She approached Ealing council for help, telling housing officers she would feel “completely hopeless and unsafe” anywhere outside the city, where she was receiving vital support. Three weeks later, Ealing council had found her a property – but it was more than 250 miles away in County Durham. If she refused to move, she would effectively be on the street. “When I saw [the location], it was really bad. I was crying a lot, shaking,” she said. “My older daughter kept saying, ‘what’s happened, mummy? What’s happened?’ I was crying because I was really stressed. I felt they didn’t care.” The woman, who cannot be named, won a legal challenge against the move in November when a high court judge ruled that Ealing council had acted unlawfully. A high court judge ruled that Ealing council had acted unlawfully in offering a woman accommodation 250 miles away. Photograph: Terry Harris/Alamy Ealing council said it recognised “the seriousness of the [high court] judgment and the importance of ensuring housing decisions fully reflect individuals’ circumstances”. …