Dad furious after London council booted his family off housing waiting list

By
Linda R. Jones
-
39
670
Anthony Brathwaite

Anthony is trapped in a cramped room with his two kids A dad has vowed to take a South London council to court after it kicked him off the housing waiting list – leaving him and his two kids sharing a cramped room. A year since Lewisham Council tried to evict Anthony Brathwaite from his temporary home, the dad-of-two has said he wants a judge to decide whether his family should get a council home. 

Mr. Brathwaite, his disabled son, 11, and his daughter of the same age, have been living in a one-bedroom temporary flat in Lewisham since May 2019. In September last year, bailiffs sent by the council twice tried to force his family out of the home after officials ruled Mr. Brathwaite, 39, was not eligible for council housing. Their efforts were unsuccessful after housing campaigners and community groups blocked entry to the property.

A year on, Mr. Brathwaite and his two children are still living in temporary accommodation. But the dad-of-two, who works as a bus driver, says the one-bed flat is too small for his family and now wants Lewisham to put him back on the list for a council home.

Anthony Brathwaite has vowed to take Lewisham Council to court in his battle for a council house

He said: “The only way that I’m going to get back on that list is if I take the council to court and the judge decides to put me on the bidding system. It’s about me being treated fairly. I shouldn’t have been made to feel how I have been made to feel. It’s like you are a child. They give you something, but because they are bigger they can take it away.

“My daughter is now at secondary school. It’s hard for her when she comes home if she has homework to do because it’s just one room. It causes anxiety to her not having the space and knowing Lewisham has tried to evict us from the property.” 

The dad-of-two moved out of his former home – a council property in his name – in 2017 after his marriage broke down. Lewisham Council then offered him and his two children temporary accommodation in 2018. While living there he was placed on the council’s housing waiting list, which meant he could bid for more suitable properties for his family.

But in June last year, Mr. Brathwaite received a letter from Lewisham Council informing him that officials had ruled he had made himself intentionally homeless when he had left the home he shared with his ex-wife in 2017. He was handed an eviction letter and kicked off Lewisham’s council housing waiting list.

Mr Brathwaite said: “They said I made myself homeless but I never understood what the phrase ‘intentionally homeless’ meant. There was my mental health and the relationship broke down and because I am a man they feel you can fall on your feet and keep going. But it’s not the case.

“They offered me private accommodation in Greenwich but it was £1,300 per month, without bills and council tax included. In the job I’m in I’m not earning that kind of money. People say ‘is it not easier to go on benefits?’ but I don’t want my children to think that’s what life is.”

Mr Brathwaite has launched a fundraiser to raise money to cover the legal fees for his court battle against the council. Supporters have so far donated £1,302, just over a fifth of Mr. Brathwaite’s £5,000 target.

A Lewisham Council spokesperson said: “There is not an impending eviction against Mr. Brathwaite. We are working with Mr. Brathwaite to support him to move into permanent housing in the privately rented sector, as he is not eligible for social housing.

“With over 10,000 households on our housing waiting list, we have to prioritize our limited supply of social housing for those most in need. We work closely with residents who are not eligible for social housing to help them to find alternative accommodation and ensure they have a safe and secure place to live.”

Author: Linda .R. Jones

London, UK

lindarj83@gmail.com

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