Birmingham families are being offered homes hundreds of miles out of the city as demand for housing soars to an all-time high.
As the national housing crisis rumbles on, homeless families in temporary accommodation have been told to ‘move to the beach’ – specifically Hartlepool, a seaside town all the way in County Durham.
Grieving widow Geraldine White, a mum-of-four from Nechells, was offered the move some 200 miles away this month.
But for her, it would mean leaving behind half her family as the flat only had room for one of her childen.
Read more: Police hunt Birmingham hit-and-run driver who left multi-car crash scene that closed Northfield road
Visits to her husband’s grave, as well as her other three children, would mean a three hour drive.
New dad Kian Jones was also offered a move away from his support network as the council suggested Hartlepool for his young family, including his six-month-old baby and partner.
Both he and Geraldine believed it was their ‘final offer’ of housing, despite it being their first. In both cases, Birmingham City Council later told us it understood the offers were unsuitable.
Housing officers have since vowed to help them find properties – although these come in “significantly short supply” here in Birmingham.
Geraldine White, a mum of four who lost her husband in a tragic incident -Credit:Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live
Earlier this month, Geraldine was told she was a potential match for a new home in Hartlepool after her family were forced out of their previous privately-rented home.
They had to leave the property in Nechells as they mourned the loss of her husband Martin, who died days into the new year.
Despite being bounced between a hotel in Walsall, a hostel in Tyseley and even a night sleeping rough in their shed, Geraldine refused the move to the north-east, which would have only included her and her youngest son.
But she said a council worker still tried to tempt her – telling her: ‘You’ll be by the beach’.
The authority denied a formal offer was made but said “all-time high” demand for homes in the city “severely restricted” what it could offer.
Geraldine White outside her temporary home -Credit:Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live
“I’d rather buy a tent and camp on a piece of grass,” Geraldine said. “All I have left is my family.
“It’s breaking my heart. We haven’t been able to grieve properly.
“I’ve lost my home and my husband and If I wanted to sit beside his grave, I’d have to travel all the way down from Hartlepool.”
Of the Hartlepool offer, a journey of some 187 miles, she said: “The woman was very abrupt, I said I couldn’t move there because it was nowhere near my family, my son’s school.’
She said: ‘But you’ll be by the beach.'”
‘A long wait for a home’
Asked about Geraldine’s case, Birmingham City Council highlighted the “severe national housing crisis” as demand for housing in Birmingham reaches an “all-time high.”
It said she was initially placed as a potential match for the property outside Birmingham, but a formal offer was not made due to it being unsuitable.
A statement from the authority read: “The accommodation shortage severely restricts what options we can offer to people in need, and we know many people across the city are in difficult situations and facing a long wait for a home.
“The council’s housing service looks at all options for suitable homes and we focus on matching families to properties which are both affordable and provide a positive environment for them, meeting their specific needs.”
It continued: “We understand Geraldine is in a difficult situation and are working with her to find suitable housing for herself and her family.
“It is a priority for the council to do all we can to prevent homelessness from happening and to support people and families who find themselves in this situation.”
In Kian’s case, the family were left fearing they would have “nowhere to sleep” for the night after the council demanded they leave their temporary home.
The 25-year-old claimed he was being forced to either move to Hartlepool in a final offer – or face homelessness after he complained about rats and piles of rubbish at his temporary accommodation.
“Birmingham City Council has insisted that we accept the offer three hours away from Birmingham, subsequently lowering our housing priority band to Band B and demanding that we vacate our current hostel accommodation today,” Kian had explained.
“We are being forced to leave our current accommodation, and we are deeply concerned that the council will withdraw all further housing support, leaving us, including our infant, without a place to sleep tonight.”
Mr Jones and his 23-year-old partner had pleaded for help as they kept falling to 100th on the waiting list for housing.
Declining the offer, the couple cited the “significant distance from established family and support networks.”
‘A significant shortage of accommodation’
When we asked Birmingham City Council for a statement, they said the long-distance offer had been withdrawn, while the family remain in their temporary housing.
They are still in Band A, the highest priority banding, but the council stressed they are ‘severely limited’ for family housing in Birmingham.
A spokesman for the authority told us: “We have been in consistent communication with this family and continue to offer as much support as we can.
“We encourage them to continue to inform us of any developments so that we’re able to help them as effectively as possible.
“While the council did offer the family a property, we have withdrawn this offer as we understand that it was not suitable, for the reasons they outlined.
Kian Jones, his partner and his six-month-old baby, are living in temporary accommodation -Credit:Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live
“In the meantime, they will remain in temporary accommodation.
“The severity of the national housing crisis means that there is a significant shortage of accommodation, particularly family accommodation, severely limiting our ability to meet demand.
“We appreciate the family’s patience whilst we work with them to address their housing needs.
“We’d like to assure the family that they are still on Band A of our housing priority bands.”
Have you been affected by this? Do you have a similar story to share? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com