An Edinburgh council tenant who has to travel to a gym an hour away to take a shower is demanding a move to more suitable accommodation.<\/p>\n
Ema Nyx, 36, who has limited ability to walk and often uses a wheelchair, has spent 12 years living in a flat that is not adapted for her mobility and other health issues.<\/p>\n
Due to her toilet not being adapted for a wheelchair, she has to travel by bus from her home in Wester Hailes to a private gym an hour away in order to take a shower.<\/p>\n
Ema said: \u201cI don\u2019t need much, I need a room to wash in, to be able to get in and around my kitchen to cook, to get in and out of my property without steps, and be able to easily get a bus to get to my appointments.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet, here I am, lifting a 30 kilogram wheelchair up and down steps to go to a council office where they\u2019re just like, \u2018oh, this is my first time hearing of it\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving done everything I\u2019m supposed to \u2013 it\u2019s just knackering. How am I supposed to keep up with medical stuff and everyday life?\u201d<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, tenants\u2019 union Living Rent held a demonstration outside a council office in Wester Hailes, calling for action to be taken on Ema\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n
Ema says the council repeatedly said they would adapt the flat for her needs \u2013 but after seven years, she says they told her the flat could not be adapted.<\/p>\n
After that came five years of trying to get awarded gold priority status on EdIndex, a priority council housing application for people who, among other things, need accessible flats.<\/p>\n
Finally, in June, a council staffer said they would be able to get her into a suitable flat by September 10 \u2013 but that deadline has passed with little progress.<\/p>\n
She was offered two accessible flats by the council recently, but she says neither suited her needs \u2013 with one having a stair lift she said would make bringing groceries upstairs difficult.<\/p>\n
The council has said they are working to find her a home that meets her needs \u2018as swiftly as possible\u2019.<\/p>\n
Ema was recently awarded gold priority status, making it easier to get access to accessible properties amid the council\u2019s housing allocations suspension.<\/p>\n
She also claims her flat was suffering from mould and damp, which was causing her harm due to her immune system being suppressed.<\/p>\n
The council has said they\u2019ve offered to make minor repairs to the property, but that it would have required her to be emptied, which she did not want to do.<\/p>\n
There are high stakes for Ema to get into an accessible flat, as her worsening mobility means she is likely to permanently need her wheelchair by winter.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI did everything they asked for, and more. I chased people up, and I did everything in preparation, knowing that I\u2019d be going into a wheelchair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here doing everything we\u2019re supposed to do, and they still couldn\u2019t meet [the deadline]. How organised do you have to be to get an accessible home?<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to get into a home that can meet my basic needs. You know, home, somewhere that you\u2019re meant to be able to rest and recover.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing is going to be difficult between now and getting in that front door and getting to bed or getting to sit on the sofa or whatever.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet, everything is difficult as soon as I get through the door \u2013 but getting through that door is also difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis seems to be a constant issue with Edinburgh Council. The neglect, not just in housing, but across the board. It\u2019s quite shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labour councillor and Housing convener Lezley Marion Cameron said: \u201cWe understand Ema\u2019s frustration and will continue to support her to find a home that meets her housing needs as swiftly as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can confirm that the property she\u2019s currently living in has been inspected, and minor works are required which the council will carry out.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, Ema has advised officers she would prefer to remain there until the council finds her a permanent home rather than move to a temporary property.\u201d<\/p>\n
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter<\/p>\n