A terrified mum-of-two who has to look after her severely ill son says she is 'essentially squatting' in her own home after being served an eviction notice.
Frightened mother-of-two Keely Elliott is pleading with the council for help after being served a section 21 eviction notice from her private rental in January. Despite her 14-month-old baby being plagued with multiple rare disorders, Keely has been forced to try and find new housing but claims the family are '480th' in the queue for council accommodation and could be waiting up to five years for another home.
Keely says she transformed the New Moston property she is currently still living in in with her children to be suitable for her poorly son, Kario. She says she doesn't want to move to another private rental due to the risk that she may be served a section 21 again, as well as the disruption potentially putting Kario's shaky health even more at risk.
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Keely told the Manchester Evening News of the moment she came back from hospital after yet another admission with her son to a gutting letter. “My son was admitted to hospital in January, I came home to a letter through the front door," she explained.
"It was a section 21. I decided to approach the landlord but that was not successful, it’s not her fault - she wants to resell the property."
The 23-year-old sent in an application for council or social housing through Manchester Move, Manchester City Council's housing solutions programme run in conjunction with not-for-profit landlords. But since then, Keely says she has been told she is still hundreds down the list for a home - even though she ranks as an urgent case.
The family have been placed in Band 2 with a priority medical need which recognises a significant housing need, according to the council. Band 1 would reflect an emergency housing need, such as an imminent threat to life.
"Housing solutions told me there wasn’t a property available and that I am now on the waiting list," she said. "They’ve said it could be up to five years before we get a home because I’ve been classed as ‘band two’, which has a three to five year wait for a property.
“I was told I was 455th in line for a new house, then I went up, then I went back down again to 480th, so it's got worse. It’s like I’m getting fobbed even more."
All the while, her baby continues to be gravely sick. "Kario has a rare heart condition that’s one-in-1,000. He had to have emergency overnight surgery at nine weeks, he’s got to have more surgery soon on his stomach.
“He’s living in a state of continuous reflux, his heart valve looks concerning to the doctors, he’s got two tumours that are benign for now but could turn overnight, he’s fed through a nasogastric tube, he has problems with his kidneys.
“He’s going through more procedures for that rare condition, he’s had seven kidney infections in the last seven months. We can’t really go into public places because he’s got such a low immune system. He’s got global development problems.
"He’s had more than 40 admissions to hospital. He’s a baby that you take to hospital and the doctor says he should go straight to hospital."
Keely wants to keep her New Moston house as she has spent the last 14 months making it safe for Kario, keeping as sanitary as necessary for a boy with such a weak immune system and making space for the extensive equipment needed in his daily life.
The list of conditions he faces include a congenital cardiac defect, cow's milk protein allergy, unsafe feeding and swallowing, being nasogastric tube fed, gastro oesophageal reflux, urine infections, global developmental delays, and orthoptic (eye) problems.
“It’s not an ideal situation with my son having so many medical issues. I changed it [the house] myself to make sure he was OK there," said Keely, amid fears that if the family moved to a different area, they could lose the specialist team of doctors and health care professionals who have been treating Kario since he was a newborn.
"I’m not willing to go into another privately rented property - I can’t afford for this to happen again and to keep moving. I certainly can’t keep moving Kario because everything has to be spick and span to keep him as healthy as possible.
“I can’t risk it impacting Kario’s health. If I move out of the area, everything will change - we would lose the doctors who have been treating him since he was a baby.
“He just turned 14 months but he’s still like a newborn. We have a specialist in cardiac health who has visited Kario since he was a baby but they only work in New Moston, so if we moved I’d lose that.
“All the people Kario has learned to deal with would be gone, he wouldn’t be comfortable with new people. We do have a little family support here as well, my nanna is just next door. I don’t drive either."
Keely was meant to have left her home last month but is now 'essentially squatting' in it as she waits for new accommodation. But she said she is desperate for help from the council.
A Manchester City Council spokesperson said it has offered a private rental property to Keely in Failsworth, around a mile away from her current home to reduce the risk of any change in Kario's care, with council support for the rent. But Keely says she is reluctant to take on another private landlord in case she gets another section 21 which could prompt yet another move, disrupting Kario again.
Meanwhile, the Manchester Evening News understands there are some 15,000 applications on Manchester Move, many with serious issues similar to Keely's family.
“We understand the importance of having a safe and secure home – and this need is ever more important when our residents have an additional concern such as caring for a young child with health needs," a council spokesman said.
“As such, we are doing everything we can to support Keely with her housing options – and a medical priority award has been placed on her application, recognising that the family require a third bedroom.
“Unfortunately, the waiting times for three-bedroom social housing properties are currently long and demand is significant for the type of property Keely needs. However, the family have been offered a private sector property in nearby Failsworth, which they can live in while they wait for a social home to become available.
"Whilst residing in the property, Keely would retain her current priority position on the housing register and, as it is about a mile away from her current property, would be able to maintain her current support networks and services."
“We understand that Keely currently does not wish to view the property and we will continue to do what we can to support her.”
One health visitor supporting Keely's Manchester Move application has also insisted the family get immediate help. In a letter which formed part of the mum's application, a health visitor wrote: "Kario's medical history requires him to attend multiple health appointments and requires the stability of a warm and safe home.
"Kario's basic needs are required to be met by his mother - having uncertain accommodation and the possibility of eviction is adding further stress to an already vulnerable family."
A Rodney House Outreach for Families Service worker added to the application: "This little boy needs to be in a settled environment and a place of permanency, he is going to have ongoing health battles and requires some form of stability.
"Homeless accommodation or a hotel is going to cause unneeded stress as this will impact all of Kario's appointments. Kario's mother Keely is already under immense pressure to ensure the needs of her children are met as well as struggling with her own mental health."
The mum is now constantly worried about answering the door in case she is removed from the property, as the section 21 deadline was March 1. The landlord could take Keely to court.
"It’s causing me serious anxiety, serious depression. I’ve got a six-year-old as well who doesn’t want to leave Kario because he knows how poorly he is," says Keely.
“I’m living on edge because I’m just a carer. No one else can look after my child, I’m a single mum and I worry.
“We were supposed to be out of the house on March 1, but I’ve got nowhere else we’re essentially squatting now. I’m extremely worried and struggling to answer the front door in case it’s someone telling me to leave.
"My main concern is Kario being back in hospital for stomach surgery - doctors keep telling me it’s happening soon and we'll be the first to get a date. How am I going to have my child coming home to an environment we’re not secure in?
“If I have to move, now is not the right time and the risk of infection is high. There’s people who are a lot more poorly but we are struggling, and this is just our story.”
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