Hounslow Council Apologises to Ukrainian Refugee Placed in Mouldy Flat
Olena had to share a bed with a stranger
Olena was grateful to be housed but concerned about impact on her health. Picture: BBC
Hounslow Council has issued an apology to a Ukrainian refugee after a BBC report exposed that she had been placed in unsuitable accommodation.
Olena, who is from south-east Ukraine, one of the areas worst hit by Putin’s invasion of her country, had initially had a sponsor in this country who was paying for her to stay in a hotel.
When this arrangement ended because the sponsor couldn’t afford to keep paying for the room, she had to go to the council to avoid becoming homeless.
They placed her in accommodation with a private landlord telling her that she might have to share a room but would be given a separate bed.
In the event she was required to sleep in the same bed as another Ukrainian women who she had never met before. The housing provided was damp with visible mould and a large hole in one of the walls.
She made contact with the council to raise concerns but she says they ignored her calls.
A friend of Olena’s, Timothy R Andrews, raised the matter with the council, but even though it was acknowledged the accommodation was not suitable, the council did not move Olena.
Olena said, “I’m not actually asking for any luxury apartment. Just some refurbishment or simple improvement of living conditions.
“I’m very grateful to all those who managed to find this accommodation for use even with such conditions. But it is harmful to our health.”
After the BBC reporters took up the issue the council made an unannounced inspection of the accommodation and immediately rehoused Olena.
Councillor Sue Sampson, cabinet member for housing management and homelessness, said, “We were extremely concerned to hear about the living conditions and, after carrying out an unannounced inspection, immediately moved Olena to different accommodation.
"We will be working with an interpreter to help us talk to Olena about her longer-term housing. We know this has been very frustrating and we are sorry for any distress caused."
About 13,500 refugees from Ukraine have remained in London since the Russian invasion began, according to UK government figures.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chNovember 6, 2022. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
November 6, 2022