There are so few council homes available in the city, the family-of-five is having to look elsewhere
A Nottingham family-of-five are stuck in a “sit-and-wait game” after being told it could be two years before they find a permanent home.
Kayti and Dean Ellerby and their three children – Oliver, aged one, Arthur, aged six, and Elliot, aged 10 – are “living out of suitcases” in a family hostel after being served a no-fault eviction notice by their landlord last year.
The couple, who are both 33, had been living in Lenton Abbey, with the two eldest children attending a school in nearby Beeston and the family’s support network on their doorstep.
Ms Ellerby relies on this help from her family and friends due to a number of health issues – but in February they were evicted as the landlord wanted to sell their former home.
Because of their nearby support network, and their six-year-old son Arthur’s autism, when they notified Nottingham City Council that they would soon be homeless, the couple expressed a request to stay as close to Lenton Abbey as possible.
But the couple say they were told there was no suitable accommodation in the city itself, and the family were moved to a hostel in West Bridgford on a temporary basis.
Yet, they claim they have now been told it could be two years before they are found a permanent home due to a huge council waiting list.
“Since being here, you’re just left to it and I’ve emailed and rung everybody possible – we’re living out of suitcases as all of our belongings are in storage,” Mrs Ellerby said.
“When we deal with the council, it just feels like they are trying to make things extremely difficult and when you go to Loxley House, you feel like you’re begging for a council house and just trying to get onto the system.
“We’re grateful we’re in West Bridgford, but we’re now away from our support system and our six-year-old is autistic and he needs to stay in his school that he is at now.
“The eviction was a big enough deal and now we’re having to travel an hour in the car every morning and every afternoon.
“It just feels like from day one, there’s been no consideration for any of us, but this has affected us all so negatively as a family and it’s like you’re just another number.”
Since moving into the hostel, Mr Ellerby – who works for the council as a bin man – has had to take time off due to mental health difficulties.
Ms Ellerby also struggles with her mental health, and lives with Crohn’s disease, arthritis on her spine and hip, and a rare liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis.
The couple had already been bidding for two years on the council’s waiting list before the eviction, as their previous two-bedroom house was considered overcrowded when Mrs Ellerby became pregnant with her youngest child.
But, with more than 9,000 families now bidding for council homes across the city, the Ellerbys were previously told they may have had to temporarily live in Sheffield due to a lack of available accommodation nearer to home.
The lack of council housing across the UK is put partially down to the Right to Buy policy, introduced by Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the early 1980s.
It means council house tenants can buy their homes at a discounted price – and Nottingham City Council has sold more than 24,000 of its properties in the years since.
The Ellerbys are now in the process of applying for Broxtowe Borough Council’s housing waiting list – given their children’s school is in the area – but they say it’s proving equally complex.
“We’ve had to send birth certificates, and then my husband’s birth certificates and then they said they needed his parents’ birth certificates and we’ve also had to send in marriage certificates,” Mrs Ellerby continued.
“Me and my husband are quite capable of fighting our own corner, but there’s other people that aren’t and they don’t understand the system.
“This is somebody’s life being messed around and I was optimistic, but I didn’t realise how difficult it would be for all of us. It’s now a sit-and-wait game for houses to become available.”
A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council said: “We do not comment on individual cases. However, we can confirm that households in this situation are supported through the council’s homelessness service, with suitable temporary accommodation provided and ongoing work to secure longer-term housing.
“Demand for housing in Nottingham is extremely high, with over 9,000 households currently on the waiting list for social housing, and demand far exceeding supply. As a result, solutions may include both social housing and private rented options.
“We remain committed to supporting households into suitable accommodation as quickly as possible.”
