A disabled graduate faces becoming homeless at the end of the week after a long and unsuccessful search for wheelchair-accessible accommodation in Edinburgh. Gerard Murphy, who has a spinal cord injury, graduated with a master's in Linguists from the University of Edinburgh in July and has landed a job in the city.
However, despite six months of searching for suitable accommodation, and being given gold priority for council housing, he still has no place to go when his university accommodation contract ends on September 4. He can't move home to his parents' house, as it isn't accessible, and his girlfriend lives several floors up - so that is ruled out too.
With homelessness looming in a few short days, Gerard feels at a loss. The graduate branded the lack of accessible homes in Edinburgh as "shocking".
The 26-year-old told the Record: "I've been looking for six months now, signing up for everything I can and just keeping my eyes peeled. But despite speaking to the council frequently about this I have nowhere to go at the end of the week. I just really don't know what I'm going to do.
"Ultimately, I've realised the lack of accessible housing in Edinburgh is shocking. My parents are near London but I can't go back to them as their place isn't accessible and my girlfriend lives in a fourth floor flat, so there are just not any options for me at the moment."
Gerard was injured in an accident five years ago, where he jumped into a lake in Sweden and hit a submerged rock. A stranger jumped into the water and saved his life. The spinal cord injury affects mobility in his legs and wrists.
He was in hospital for a year before he finished his undergraduate degree in Exeter and then moved to Edinburgh in 2019. He graduated in July after setbacks due to Covid and has now landed a job with tech company Meltwater in the capital.
"I've been speaking frequently to Edinburgh Council and they told me that you could only be classed as homeless two months before your accommodation was coming to an end," Gerard explained. "I was given gold status, thinking it would give me priority for housing, but nothing has changed.
"There's just no accessible accommodation in the city centre and anything that might have been suitable is really, really far out. My friends and girlfriend are all central so the thought of living away from them stresses me out, especially when I work in the centre too.
"The big thing is having a wet room because everything I've seen would mean that I'd be without a shower. Last week, a housing officer told me to just bid anything that comes up and they would convert it but that's not going to be ready straight away, it's going to take time to make those changes.
"Another tricky thing is that I need two rooms because I have a personal assistant who lives with me. Even after that I still haven't found anything, I just don't know what I'm going to do.
"I just don't know where to turn or what my options are. I guess I will have to go into a hotel if I have nothing by the end of the week, but I have no idea where I'll put my belongings."
Gerard added: "I have aspirations and I have tried to get on and live my life as much as I can, but honestly these barriers just get in the way of people in the same situation as me. I just feel so restricted."
A spokesperson from City of Edinburgh Council, said: "The City of Edinburgh Council are aware of the circumstances surrounding this case and are working with the individual to find a solution."
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