An Edinburgh woman who spent over three months in a council homeless accommodation has told how she had to light dozens of candles to keep warm, and felt scared due witnessing to other residents allegedly screaming in distress during the night.
Angel Starr, 27 from Pilton stayed in the City of Edinburgh Council temporary accommodation in Almond Valley House between October 2022 and January 2023 and was 'horrified' at the conditions she witnessed.
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The musician and activist is now looking to shed some light on the conditions and collect donations for families that still live in the temporary housing.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live Angel said: "We arrived at the Almond House Lodge in October after I returned from Greece where I work for the famous nightclubs of Faliraki, Rhodes and found that we would be made homeless.
"When we arrived at the lodge we were beyond disgusted with the conditions. There were bloody mattresses, no heating on the second floor where our room was and the state of the filthy kitchen facilities was shocking.
"The second floor was so cold and damp with single-glazing windows in the rooms that it is no exaggeration to say we nearly froze to death in that room.
"I was scared to leave my brother in that room alone at night while I went to the gym due to the cold and we would end up lighting dozens of candles to try to raise the room temperature above freezing."
The 27-year-old also had concerns about the mental health of other people staying in Almond House Lodge.
She said: "The house had several residents with severe mental health issues who require psychiatric treatment but who have been left to be forgotten.
"We could not sleep at night owing to the screams of a full-grown man who was experiencing severe mental health issues.
"He would scream until morning in the room opposite us, he was obviously in severe distress."
When approached regarding the allegations, the council said that any complaints received about conditions would be investigated and operators would be asked to remedy any issues found.
They said that the operators cannot recall any complaint about a mattress condition or someone screaming all night.
She continued: "The house is infested with mice and rats as evidenced by the live rat and mouse traps around the building, this is terrifying as the building is home to many small babies and children who are living in close proximity to the disease-carrying animals."
But Edinburgh Council said that rodent traps around the accommodation do not mean there is a rodent infestation and that often these are placed as a precautionary measure.
Angel was also worried about the supplies available to vulnerable people staying in the home. She said: "The hotel receives virtually nothing in the way of food donations, unlike some of the other homeless accommodations in the town.
"There are no contraceptives or sanitary products available on site.
"Overall I find the conditions of the house to be beyond disgusting and I think the fact that the council continue to pay the owners of the house huge sums of money in contracts."
Finally, she added: "While homeless people and refugee families, many with small babies have been left to survive in conditions that are completely inhumane, is unforgivable.
"There is a gaping hole where there should be support for these people. It is because of these conditions I was forced to ask for donations of food, baby care and sanitary products to be delivered to the hotel."
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The City of Edinburgh Council also claimed that there have been significant amounts of sanitary products supplied by the service during this time frame.
Cllr Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and fair Work Convener, for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We want to make sure that families staying in our temporary accommodation are in good quality homes where their health is a priority.
"I would urge anyone with any issues in temporary accommodation to get in touch with the Council so these can be investigated and appropriate action taken.”
If you have been impacted by any issues mentioned in the article you can find support here - or if you have had a similar experience and would like to share get in touch at iona.young@reahplc.com
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