Temporary accommodation residents demand better housing in open letter

A council has been urged to improve its temporary housing for residents living in poor conditions in an open letter signed by dozens of people.

Written by the Croydon Temporary Accommodation Campaign, the letter calls for ‘change now’ and criticises the council for placing residents in ‘uninhabitable’ temporary accommodation.

They say the housing crisis in Croydon has left many families homeless and many children at risk.

And because of high rents and low supply of social housing, they must live in temporary accommodation that is often unsafe and unsuitable.

The group warns that some families share a single room with a makeshift kitchen, some mothers and children share facilities with unknown men, and some people are housed in converted office buildings that are not fit for living.

Residents living in micro flats

The letter has been written by residents living in micro flats in old office blocks on London Road, such as Concord House, Windsor House and those who lived in Sycamore House.

These flats have been reported to have various problems, including fire safety risks.

The letter states: “Families endure years in cramped living conditions, often sharing facilities with strangers in converted office blocks.”

The campaign group says that this is the first of a series of open letters to address the hardships faced by residents in unsuitable conditions.

Take action to provide better housing

They ask the council to listen to their voices and take action to provide better housing for them.

The letter was addressed to the elected Mayor Jason Perry, Lynne Hale, the deputy mayor and cabinet member for homes, and Susmita Sen, the executive director of housing at the council.

The campaign group argues that the council should not reduce the staff in the housing department, as this would worsen the already bad situation.

The group also highlights the impact of high rents and low supply of affordable housing on the homelessness crisis, which, they say, affects thousands of families and children in Croydon.