Disabled Burgess Hill woman facing eviction fears she will be homeless this Christmas

Sharon Treacle has been on the council housing waiting list since March.

The Middy reported the 53-year-old’s concerns back in September, and since then, she said, her situation has not improved.

“We haven’t got anywhere to go,” she told the Middy this week.

“We recently got offered a new build disabled flat and the council said it had been ready since January, but had been turned down by several disabled applicants.

“It was still a building site when we went to see it, I was not impressed. None of my furniture would have fitted. And they said the flat came with a garden but it is not a garden, it is a narrow patio.

“I was also clear that I couldn’t have a flat – we have a dog and need a garden.

“I am not knocking that they had a disabled flat, but the flat isn’t even ready for occupation.”

Sharon currently lives with her husband in a bungalow in Gloucester Road, Burgess Hill. But the couple were served a Section 21 notice from their landlord ending their tenancy as the landlord is demolishing the bungalow and redeveloping the site.

The notice has now expired, Sharon said, but their landlord has let them stay there until they find somewhere else.

“The landlord is a lovely guy but he has a builder and wants to crack on with it,” said Sharon.

“If we don’t leave, he will have to take us to court. We don’t know if we are going to be here at Christmas. I have been really poorly due to stress.”

Sharon said she had written to the Prime Minister and ministers for housing and disabilities.

A Mid Sussex District Council spokesman said: “The council does not comment on individual cases but when someone is threatened with homelessness and in accordance with Homeless Legislation the council will help them find alternative accommodation that meets their needs.

“Due to shortages in affordable housing it is not always possible to find someone a suitable alternative straight away, which means some households are offered temporary accommodation while we look for a permanent home that will meet their needs in the long-term.”