A vulnerable teenager with a rare condition has been left homeless and forced to live in a Leeds hotel for weeks.
Jasmine Jackson, 19, from Leeds, claims she has been bounced from home to hotel as Leeds City Council are unable to find her a suitable temporary house until the refurbishment on her home is complete in July.
The 19-year-old suffers from a rare condition called nutcracker syndrome, which is a compression on the left hand side of her body meaning she throws up everything she eats and drinks. Her condition is so rare that only eight people in the UK suffer from it.
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Jasmine turned to Leeds city council for support after she was unable to live with family, she was given a house that is currently being refurbished and won't be ready until July this year and was put into a Ibis hotel while the temporary housing team found her a home for the next few months.
To support her condition, Jasmine has to have 3-4 infusions a day to keep her alive, one runs over 12 hours and the others are 2-4 hours long. She explained this to Leeds council, and claims to have told it she needs medical support with her infusions, said the hotel wasn't suitable and that she was risking her life being there, however she claimed she was told that there is "nothing we can do" by the council. She also added how her living situation was affecting her mental health.
The 19-year-old said after eight long weeks she was moved into temporary shared accommodation, in Leeds, however claims it was "disgusting". She said: "The house was full of mould, damp, sick stains in the carpet, stunk of weed, it reeked and had old food left in the fridge. We moved back into the hotel."
She added: "The person who moved me into the property was not familiar with the state it was in. Over the weekend I noticed several things which were a medical risk to my condition. I was put on the top floor of the house and had no access to the bathroom which I would during the might for my medical stand, the radiators were not working and there was no mattress delivered so I had nowhere to sleep.
"I complained to my support worker from Leeds Council, she apologised and contacted Leeds housing to put me back in the hotel."
Being homeless has caused major problems with Jasmine's health as its resulted in her missing infusions. She has to have regular infusions to stop her potassium dropping so low she collapses. Her low potassium can cause cardiac arrest, brain function issues, joint pain, confusion, and heart arrhythmia - which has happened several times in the weeks she's been homeless and has resulted in her being taken straight to resus and intensive care in the hospital.
Jasmine's partner has now moved into the hotel with her to become her full time carer helping her wash, put her infusions on, administer medication, eat, and to help dress her.
After living back in the hotel for a number of weeks Jasmine was finally told she would be moving again. She said: "I got a phone call to say that I was moving into a new property in Harehills, the house in Harehills was so much more suitable for my medical needs - they told us we would be staying there until the refurb was done on my new house. Then I got a phone call this morning telling me I had to pack up all stuff because I will be moving again.
"I don't know how can they do this, not only am I unwell but its impacting mental health and I have already tried to take my own life once before."
Jasmine claims that Leeds city council response to her health issues was 'well you have to understand we are paying £150 a night' - she claims this is outrageous. She added: "What they are doing is outrageous, I have a medical condition that could kill me and I'm told to pack my things up just after I got settled here.
"I have no money for gas and electric, its all paid for in this house I'm in at the moment and can't afford to pay for it at the next house I'm being moved to. This new house has gas and electric and rent to pay for unlike my old property."
"I feel like there has been so many wrongdoings in my case, I feel like I have told the council about my situation and backed it up with medical letters but, they just haven't acknowledged it - they said to me 'if its that bad shouldn't you be in hospital' - but that is why I have infusions everyday to help me have a better way of life.
"I just feel like they are just waiting for me to die so they don't have to deal with me."
She says her partner is not receiving any kind of income from benefits and is unable to work because of the high level support she needs. The couple have applied for Universal Credit for carers allowance but have not yet received anything, Jasmine also claims that adult social services have said they are not able to come and support her while she is living in the hotel.
Jasmine said: "Financially paying for takeaways every night is too much and me and my partner have even missed meals to try and save money. My partner is also missing lots of college, meaning her grades are being affected and I have not attended college in person for several weeks now.
"I honestly just feel like a bidding number or a stat to everyone involved in my care. I don't think that I'm the first young person who has been let down by the council or housing associations either."
She added: "My mental health has taken a massive dive. I have never had suicidal thoughts or feelings until this situation started, I tried to take my own life and if it wasn't for my partner, Faye, I wouldn't be alive.
"I have told multiple people how this is mentally, emotionally and physically affecting me, especially the council but I feel like no change is happening."
She added: "Leena and Sarb who are part of the homeless prevention team at Our Way Leeds have gone above and beyond for me, tirelessly ringing the council and telling them they need to find me a suitable home for my needs. Sarb has fought day in day out to organise a meeting with the council. Leena has fought hard for me to stay somewhere that is suitable for my needs and prevented the council from leaving me anywhere inappropriate."
Jasmine says her case has been passed to the commissioners for the council.
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work closely with the customer to ensure that their housing and medical needs are being met.
"The council has offered the customer a home through a registered social landlord, however this is currently in repair, so to maximise assistance for the customer in the interim, a supported housing offer was made by the council, however this was declined.
"The council will continue to work with the customer to explore alternative interim options that offer enhanced support however, the current suitable placement of temporary accommodation will remain available for as long as it is required.
"The council will communicate repair times for the home that has been offered to the customer, and ensure that their support needs are met in partnership with other services.”
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