Milhan with her baby boy Tezay
01 January 2004 – Issue 148
A YOUNG mother has criticised Enfield Council for claiming there are no families in bed and breakfast accommodation in the borough, adding that she and her baby are currently in B & B accommodation.
Milhan Hassan (21) and her two month-old baby Tezay are housed in B & B accommodation in New Southgate but said claims by Enfield are wrong.
Milhan saw the story in last week’s issue of London Turkish Gazette and contacted the paper after reading of Enfield’s end to ‘B & B misery.’
‘I couldn’t believe it when I read the story,’ says Milhan. ‘I have been in B & B accommodation since May and I’m still in B & B accommodation.’
Milhan, who had her baby boy in November, was first housed in the Enfield Chase area. However, her problems started after she came out of hospital after having her baby.
‘I was in hospital for three days and when I returned to my room at the B & B, the landlady had gone into my room and moved my things around. I complained to the Council and the landlady said she didn’t want me there either. I was a bit worried because I didn’t know what was going to happen. The Council offered me this place in New Southgate but I have no idea when I might be housed in proper accommodation.’
Milhan says she is having to cope on income support and cannot even get milk for her baby as the milk tokens were sent to the wrong address. She also has to pay some of the B & B accommodation costs. She adds that her maternity money also went missing while she was in hospital and even though the police were informed, she is not hopeful of recovering the money.
Milhan ended up in B & B accommodation in the first instance because of a mix-up with her housing benefit in 2002.
‘Because the Council didn’t pay it on time, I was evicted from my previous home by bailiffs and had to re-housed by the Council in B & B. But I think everyone should know that the Council’s claims to have housed people in temporary and not B & B accommodation is wrong. They knew about my situation since May and I am still in B & B, now with a new-born baby.’
The report from Enfield Council said that the target of getting people out of B & B had been achieved three months ahead of the Government’s target and that they had been commended by the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office for their actions. Enfield Council and Cllr Doğan Delman, the cabinet member for housing were unavailable for comment as the paper went to press.
Published on 1 January 2014 as part of Londra Gazete’s “Ten years ago this week” feature.
