When the Renters Reform Coalition released the shocking figures that one in five families are living in temporary accommodation (TA), with some families in this situation for five or more years, there was something the media missed. That was just how many people living with a serious disability, like spinal cord injuries, are living in TA and homes that aren’t accessible.
Disabled people trapped in inappropriate temporary accommodation
This is something the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) has been campaigning on: the serious lack of accessible housing. It wants the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to mandate that 10% of all new builds need to be accessible, under the National Planning Policy Framework.
There are over 400,000 wheelchair users living in homes that aren’t adapted or accessible. This is something the government seemed to be aware of in the early stages of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, but this early acceptance has not been met, with the government failing to meaningfully address the issue of accessible housing.
This is totally unacceptable. If you can’t manage to get around in your home, maybe not able to keep clean due to a lack of access to a bathroom, then how are you meant to go out into society and contribute in the ways you want to be able to do?
Disabled people uprooted from suitable homes compounding the problem
Stephen Dyke sustained a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in January 2024 when he collapsed and woke up paralysed below the neck with his diagnosis, incomplete tetraplegic. He was homeless in hospital, when he lost his rented accommodation. He’s since been moved into a bungalow through social housing, with no adaptations. The kitchen is too small for a wheelchair, and it took a month for anyone to remove the door that didn’t open fully. Like the kitchen, his bathroom is too small and the ramp up to the front door is too steep for him to self-propel. Even basic security is a struggle as he can’t lock and unlock the door. He’s been there for 13 months and is still waiting for suitable accommodation.
Stephen told me:
I had a breakdown after two weeks because I was living on takeaways, and I was soiling myself because I couldn’t access the kitchen or bathroom.
I was using alcohol as a coping mechanism. I think I’d be better off in prison, to be honest. At least I wouldn’t have to pay for food.
I think there’s a massive need for a campaign like [The Spinal Injuries Association campaign] this. I’m quite a positive person, but there are others in this situation, and I see how you can get drawn down a very deep hole very quickly. I’m trying to help myself, but I’ve got no way forward of helping myself, and everything takes so long. People are living like me, and we’ve got no control over it. The help you get is very limited, and it seems ludicrous to me.
Stephen is right, there are so many in his situation that means getting assistance can take a long time. This hasn’t been helped by the constant churn of disabled people being uprooted from suitable homes and tossed into unsuitable and inaccessible homes, with many landing in TA. Much of this accommodation is far from social care and support, including being stranded from family and friends.
A basic right, denied
Feeling secure in a home that meets your needs is a basic right. If that is met, then disabled people can work and give back to society. Those that do have the security of a home, often go on to establish projects that help other disabled people thrive. But without the security of a home, then all that potential can be lost.
I know this from personal experience. A few years back I came across stories about section 21 evictions and reading about how devastating they were to all those affected.
I never thought it would happen to me. I had been renting my home for 10 years and was renting on the understanding I needed an accessible home long-term.
But one day I realised the yearly contract I would sign was late so contacted the estate agent. She told me that the landlord wanted to sell his home under a section 21, no-fault eviction. I was given just two months to find somewhere both accessible and affordable.
As soon as I was given access to the council website and looked at the homes, I could see a few accessible properties were available but they all had an over 55 age limit on them. Even though the council could see that my disabilities meant such an age limit shouldn’t apply – they couldn’t do anything about it.
Private sector: not the place for finding accessible housing
In the private rental sector, finding a truly accessible home that was affordable was even harder. The lack of accessible homes is clear. During my search, any accessible flats were earmarked for those who were retired. Soon, the two months notice I was given by my landlord nearly over. I was then given another month to search for somewhere to live, but the problems remained.
The council housing officer suggested that I might find a home “quicker” if I went into TA. This was something I really didn’t want to have to do, but as I was nearing the end of the third month, what option did I have? I was extremely lucky at the very last minute; a solution was found. But I know I would’ve been in TA had that not happened and know many who are now stuck in TA.
One of those is Chris, who has SCI and like me couldn’t find an accessible home in the allotted time following a section 21. He was advised like I was that it might be quicker to be in TA, so when his time under the section 21 was up, he had to accept a TA place.
As well as multiple access problems with the accommodation, including him needing the bathroom door to be taken off, and him needing another person to help him in and out of the building, the main issue was where the TA was based leaving him stranded in terms of support.
This included his GP, spinal team, as well as other less formal support such as friends and family. This increased the cost of travel, as Chris needs a ‘wheelchair taxi’, which means he is missing appointments as well as opportunities to be with his friends. This has left Chris at risk of deteriorating health, as well as feeling isolated.
Accessibility is not ‘red tape’, it’s essential
Just like in the rental sector, there is a desperate need for accessible properties for sale. This means disabled people often have no choice but to remain in homes no longer suitable for their needs.
Labour has been talking about removing the red-tape around planning legislature, to speed-up house building. But homes for disabled people are not ‘red tape’: they’re essential.
The Spinal Injuries Association has said:
Housing is not just about shelter but about enabling people to live their lives with dignity.
A home is the foundation of our lives, and we should all be able to live in a home that benefits our health and our well-being.
This is why SIA are facilitating a gathering of people with a spinal cord injury and other disabilities to speak-out and demand that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill must mandate that 10% of new build homes are wheelchair accessible, within the National Planning Policy Framework.
Labour must listen to the voices of those impacted by evictions and the lack of accessible homes and meet the requirements of disabled people in this bill.
Featured image via Unsplash/Aliaksei Antropau
By Ruth Hunt
This post was originally published on Canary.