\n The 22-year-old student became homeless overnight after the flat she was renting caught fire in New Cross, Lewisham on August 20.\n<\/p>\n
\n Aisha and her flatmate, Yousra, 21 are currently staying with a friend outside of London while they try to balance out returning to university, job interviews and finding somewhere new to live.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe\u2019ve just been looking at so many different properties and nothing\u2019s worked out just because of the money they demand and it\u2019s just mad.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s crazy, but we\u2019ll just have to figure something out,\u201d Aisha explained.\n<\/p>\n
\n Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were called to tackle the blaze which had broken out at the block of flats on Hatcham Park Mews.\n<\/p>\n
\n The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said there were no reports of any injuries, but the fire has left all of the residents homeless and their personal belongings destroyed.\n<\/p>\n
\n Part of the first floor and most of the second floor of the block were damaged and the building\u2019s roof was also destroyed.\n<\/p>\n
\n The fire is believed to have been accidental but the exact cause remains under investigation.\n<\/p>\n
\n On the night of the fire, Aisha and Yousra sought refuge in nearby pub, the Five Bells before heading to Wavelengths Leisure Centre in Deptford, which acted as a rest centre throughout the night.\n<\/p>\n
\n The council then placed both of them in a hotel in Greenwich and provided them with some emergency toiletries for the night.\n<\/p>\n
\n Aisha said: \u201cThe next morning we woke up really early just to get some fresh underwear because we\u2019ve not got anything. Just put yourself in that position, you\u2019ve got your work clothes on from the day before, you\u2019ve now woken up and you go to Primark for the cheapest options.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cSo we were like let\u2019s just grab something and then tonight the council is going to help us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Aisha and Yousra remained hopeful that they were going to be supported with finding alternative accommodation because \u201cthe way everyone spoke when the fire happened, they made it sound like they were going to help us as soon as possible and we were going to be re-homed\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cBut then when we did contact our landlord they said they do not have any legal duty to provide us with anything and we will have to go back to the council.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt became a constant fight between going back to the council and going back to the landlord,\u201d Aisha went on to say.\n<\/p>\n
\n A Lewisham Council spokesperson said: \u201cWe know this has been a very distressing time for all residents involved in the fire and we\u2019re sorry if it has been compounded with any confusion about the support available from the council.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cOur officers on the scene and in our out-of-hours homelessness team worked very hard to make sure no one was left on the street following the fire. We provided a rest centre and everyone eligible was offered the support we were able to give according to our legal duties.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n After returning to Wavelengths for a second day, Aisha and Yousra say they were told to call the council\u2019s homelessness emergency number.\n<\/p>\n
\n Aisha said: \u201cI was told someone will call back in a few hours. I never got that call. To this day, I never got that call.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cMy family is 4.5 hours up North and we\u2019ve got to figure out how we get our belongings back and when we\u2019re going to have access to the flat and what we\u2019re going to do now. It\u2019s just a mess.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n After they didn\u2019t receive a call back, the council placed the flatmates in a hotel for a second night.\n<\/p>\n
\n Aisha said: \u201cWe\u2019ve been looking at flats since the fire happened but after that [first] weekend because we were so caught up with the idea that the council will help us and the landlord will help us, after the second or third day we realised we had to do it ourselves.\u201d\n<\/p>\n