Sefton Council’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-29 lays bare the scale of homelessness across the borough
Wayne Berry at his flat in Bootle(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A man from Bootle said he is ‘trapped’ after waiting more than ten years on the housing list. Despite his health needs and mobility issues, Wayne Berry, 52, said he has been forced into unsuitable and insecure housing due to the ‘broken system’.
Mr Berry has lived in Sefton all his life and took on a private rented tenancy in March after being subject to a ‘no fault eviction’ at his previous address. The moving from flat-to-flat is not something unusual for Mr Berry, or countless others around the region, as figures show housing insecurity is on the rise across the UK.
Mr Berry said his life started to unravel after he divorced in 2010 which resulted in him becoming homeless and suffering a mental health crisis. Since then, his health has continued to deteriorate and he suffers from a range of conditions which affect his breathing and his mobility.
Mr Berry relies on a crutch to get about his home and said he is in desperate need of a ground floor flat. However, he claims to have been on the housing list for more than ten years and has never been offered a social rented tenancy or a property which meets his supports needs.
After his ‘no fault eviction’ Mr Berry said he was homeless and contacted Sefton Council’s housing options (HO) team for help in finding new accommodation. He said the HO officer advised him he would qualify for the ‘top band’ on Property Pool, but due to the enormous levels of demand, the wait would likely be prolonged.
Wayne Berry at his flat in Bootle(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
So he took on a temporary solution and moved into another private rented flat in Bootle, situated on the first floor. Mr Berry said: “Housing options basically said you’ve got to be homeless or a rough sleeper just to get a place to live.
“In other words, things are so bad and housing is in such short supply that only those in the most desperate, helpless situations can be considered. Even then there’s no guarantee.
“This place is on the first floor and it’s painful getting up and down, and especially getting shopping up here with a crutch in one hand.
“My problem is that I can’t bid on new homes myself because of my dyslexia and the fact I can’t use a computer. I was assured housing options would help me bid because my conditions are on file and I need that little bit extra support.”
Mr Berry claims his wait for a more suitable property has been frustrated by the bidding process, he said: “I was forever phoning up, saying, ‘what’s going on?’ and asking ‘am I getting somewhere to live?’.
“They kept saying they’d call me, but I heard nothing then eventually had a discussion. They said I have to submit all these forms, but I said I can’t use a computer and that’s on my notes.
“The system is broke. This has been going on now for over ten years near enough, and I’m getting fed up with it, jumping through hoops trying to get a council house is just ridiculous. It hard with my disabilities, but they’re just not listening.”
Wayne Berry at his flat in Bootle(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Homelessness related support has reached record levels in Sefton as local authorities across the country report huge cost increases associated with managing the demand. A 2024 report by the BBC calculated that councils in England had spent £1bn on homelessness provision in the last year – a 50% rise on the year before.
Since August 2023, Sefton Council said there has been an increase of more than 100% in the number of eligible households in temporary accommodation in the borough. The latest figures in 2024 show as many as 200 households per month are presenting as homeless.
The scale of homelessness in Sefton is laid bare in the local authority’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-29 which details the increasing incidence of homelessness, including both ‘hidden’ homelessness and demand for support services.
The report highlights a lack of supply of affordable social housing, the impact of changes in the private rented sector market including a rise in ‘no fault evictions’, high levels of support needs and an insufficient range of housing supply to meet those needs.
The report states: “This is resulting in high usage of temporary and emergency accommodation, with people staying much longer than intended in sometimes unsuitable settings.”
It adds: “[There is] a significant cohort of local people with long histories of homelessness or housing instability who are effectively circling the system, leading to deterioration of health.”
Wayne Berry at his flat in Bootle(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
This certainly rings true to Mr Berry whose living situation has become more and more precarious over the last ten years. Since the break-up of his marriage, Mr Berry has lived in various places across Sefton, all privately rented, and, he says, insecure and unsuitable.
The route to Mr Berry’s current flat can be accessed via the stairwell or a two-phase accessibility ramp. Mr Berry said: “With the winter coming, and as you can see, there’s the slopes there, and me having osteoporosis and brittle bones disease, What happens if it’s icy out there and I can’t get out to the shop?
“I need a ground floor flat or a one bedroom bungalow. I’m 52 now and my health’s getting worse. I’m in constant pain every day, from the moment I wake up.
“I don’t want a palace or a pot of gold, I just want a chance to live decently. Instead of that security, I’m stuck waiting here for another knock on the door telling me I have to find somewhere else to live, and then back to square one. It’s a s**t storm.
The Liverpool ECHO understands that Sefton Council are aware of Mr Berry’s housing situation and maintain they have tried to contact him to resolve the issues raised. In addition, the council made it clear that if Mr Berry is able to get the completed forms to the housing options team, it would be happy to progress his application.
Responding to this, Mr Berry said: “It just shows that I’m trapped in the system. Stuck like so many others because I’ve told them I’m dyslexic and I can’t use a computer. You tell me what I can do?”