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Original poster

Emergency accommodation- is it so bad?

14 replies

cheekycee · 22/05/2025 06:32

I’ve been advised by my local council to go into emergency accommodation for upto 40 weeks to secure a temporary accommodation and then finally a forever home for me and my children. I’m worried about going into emergency I’m not going to lie. My little girl if 4 and she is going to have it. My son is 1 so is going to be minimally affected.

I am going to have to do it to move my case along and secure somewhere for us I am just worried. The housing officer has told me it isn’t a nice place and it has the minimum requirements. Anyone been into one before? Thanks

OP posts:
dudsville · 22/05/2025 06:39

I've never been in one, but I know many people who have. It is basic, of course. Do you know if yours is specifically for women with children? There are many reasons why people might need emergency accommodation, and often folks are lumped in together. So your neighbours might be highly distressed for a range of different contexts, and I personally think that can be one of the hardest aspects. My heart goes out to you a you try to secure a better future for your little family.

Errolwasahero · 22/05/2025 06:40

I suppose it depends where you are in the country? I know someone who was put up recently, it was a small hotel used for anyone who needed it. There were a few people who might have been a bit dodgy but she was quiet, amenable and the host was lovely who took his role seriously. They were found somewhere else quite quickly but she had made friends while there and had felt safe. She had also engaged with all the services there to help, so if there had been any issues she could have talked to them.

I went through similar but it was decades ago. You will get through this ok, look after yourself xx

Littletreefrog · 22/05/2025 07:06

I would be asking more questions of the housing officer to be honest. Will you have a private bathroom or shared? Are there any cooking facilities? What is the criteria like for the specific accomodation for example is it women and children only etc?

Where are you living now? I know it's a means to an ends but emergency accommodation with two kids for 40 weeks isn't going to be a walk in the park.

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Benefits
mumofoneAlonebutokay · 22/05/2025 08:51

It'll be worth it for the stable forever home girl x

fourelementary · 22/05/2025 08:55

A friend did this and had 4 weeks in a hotel. She was pregnant at the time. She had shared basic cooking facilities and laundry facilities. It wasn’t nice as there were some dodgy people but it wasn’t awful either and her new home is lovely and she says it was worth it.

Devilsmommy · 22/05/2025 09:18

I guess it depends where you are. I was in a cockroach infested hotel for 4 months with a newborn. It was fucking awful. Don't mean to scare you but these places are all too common now. I was glad my little one was newborn because no way would I have been having him crawling on that carpet 🤢

Pollqueen · 22/05/2025 09:23

One of my DD's left an abusive relationship. She was put up in a bedsit for 1 year. She had 3 v young DC at the time so it was not easy but now she has a pretty nice 3 bed with garden in nice market town, close to her family

It wasn't the easiest year and she had a lot of family support but they got through it and life is much, much better now. Good luck Flowers

TheBig50 · 22/05/2025 09:27

My housing officer recommend that if I could stay with family then to do so as the accommodation was so awful (reviews mentioned cockroaches, bed bugs, drug addicts). We ended up squashing in with my Mum, we weren't penalised for this.

mrsm43s · 22/05/2025 09:37

Surely you're either in need of emergency accommodation or you're not?

If you have no other options, then it's better than being on the street.

If you are able to house yourselves another way, then surely you would do that and you aren't in need of the emergency accommodation?

GladysHeeler · 22/05/2025 10:09

mrsm43s · 22/05/2025 09:37

Surely you're either in need of emergency accommodation or you're not?

If you have no other options, then it's better than being on the street.

If you are able to house yourselves another way, then surely you would do that and you aren't in need of the emergency accommodation?

That’s not what she is saying though. She’s asking if anyone has any knowledge so she can feel like she knows what it might be like.

If someone came on to this talk forum, for talking because they were being rushed in for an emergency heart operation you wouldn’t say

‘it’s better than being dead. If you are able to live without the operation then surely you would do that and you aren’t in need of the emergency heart operation?’

This whole place is full of people asking other people if they know about situations and can share knowledge.

Original poster
cheekycee · 22/05/2025 10:10

GladysHeeler · 22/05/2025 10:09

That’s not what she is saying though. She’s asking if anyone has any knowledge so she can feel like she knows what it might be like.

If someone came on to this talk forum, for talking because they were being rushed in for an emergency heart operation you wouldn’t say

‘it’s better than being dead. If you are able to live without the operation then surely you would do that and you aren’t in need of the emergency heart operation?’

This whole place is full of people asking other people if they know about situations and can share knowledge.

Show quote history

Thank you. People like this don’t deserve a response just let them fester x

OP posts:
ScottBakula · 22/05/2025 10:20

The house next door to me is emergency housing.
I haven't been in it for a while ( invited in by then occupants ) it's a nice 2 bed house that has just been redecorated and new internal doors fitted.
If your in in Manchester we could be neighbours. 😄

SkeletonBatsflyatnight · 22/05/2025 10:30

I used to support families in temp accommodation and ours varied dramatically. We had everything from rooms in hostels with shared facilities to 5 bed houses. Some were in lovely leafy neighbourhoods and others were in 20 storey multis with out of order lifts and what felt like permanent police presence.

We would wherever possible try and put families in contained units not hostels. If we had to put them in the hostel short term because we had nowhere else, we were meant to get them out and somewhere more suitable within 3 weeks.

We also had a cleaning team in between lets so the actual living space should be clean.

Also I moved around a lot as a child. I spent some time as a 5 year old living in a military hostel. As an adult I now know my mum hated it but to me as a child it was just home.

Youagain2025 · 22/05/2025 10:43

cheekycee · 22/05/2025 06:32

I’ve been advised by my local council to go into emergency accommodation for upto 40 weeks to secure a temporary accommodation and then finally a forever home for me and my children. I’m worried about going into emergency I’m not going to lie. My little girl if 4 and she is going to have it. My son is 1 so is going to be minimally affected.

I am going to have to do it to move my case along and secure somewhere for us I am just worried. The housing officer has told me it isn’t a nice place and it has the minimum requirements. Anyone been into one before? Thanks

I have been in emgency and temporary accommodation. Mine were awful. Rats , mice , bed bugs. General repair also awful. But it really depends on your area/council.

Also you could have shared bathroom/kitchen. You could be self contained.

Once your there you can appeal it. If there's good reason. Think of the long term and what you will eventually get.

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