A mum-of-two has been left "traumatised" after the bulk of her possessions were binned by her housing provider, including family photographs and birth certificates.
Shellie Mullen, 34, arrived at her old property in Cramlington with the intention of packing things up in January, only to realise all her things were gone.
She said moving out was meant to be a "fresh start" for her son, 15, and daughter, 17, but instead it turned into a "living nightmare" as they don't have any of their things to make their new property a home.
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The family moved out of the 'Places for People' owned property on Beacon Lane in September 2021, moving in temporarily with Shellie's mum in Kenton Bar.
They were placed on a council priority list for being rehomed, and their rent was still being paid in full to the housing provider through Shellie's Universal Credit.
She explained: "I still had access to the house - and I'd go there to check on our things quite often.
"When we found out we'd finally secured a new property in Newcastle in January, I went with my family to pack up our things.
"To my horror - the place was completely empty. I broke down on the spot."
Places for People have apologised for the upset caused but say they asked Shellie to empty the property in December.
Shellie said that when she called her housing officer, she was given "attitude" and told her things had been taken to the tip.
"My whole life was gone" she said. "Thousands of pounds worth of stuff and so many memories lost.
"Furniture is replaceable, but I can't stop thinking about our pictures, wrist bands from when the kids were born, my grandad's war medals and our birth certificates.
"Nothing could be salvaged and I've had no help from the company since".
Shellie said she was told by the company that they believed the house had been abandoned.
She admits they had contacted her in December, but she said she couldn't get through when she attempted to contact them by phone.
She said the housing company later informed her that they had tried to contact her mum, but that this was "inappropriate" given that she has dementia.
A few days before the possessions were taken, Shellie also said she had been at the house and that there was no notice anywhere on the property.
She has since lodged a formal complaint with the company.
One of Shellie's friends has since set up a GoFundMe page to try and raise funds for the family to furnish their new house.
Responding to the support she's received, Shellie said: "Everybody has really rallied around us, with lots of people from the local area helping.
"It's been overwhelming because I've never been in need like this before, and it's nice to know that people are so kind."
A spokesperson for Places for People said: “We are sorry this situation has caused upset at a difficult time. We have been in contact with Miss Mullen since June 2021, and most recently in December, when we asked Miss Mullen to empty the property.
"We extended the dates to allow Miss Mullen to move her items after her tenancy had ended, before we arranged for the property to be cleared.
"We have been in touch with Miss Mullen to explain the actions that were taken to keep our homes and customers safe.”
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