Eating in emergency housing

[JurassicPark4Eva]

Friend has landed in a Travelodge this week after becoming homeless. Not arrears or anything he's done, the landlord sold the flat. No one is accepting him for a private rent as a single 30yo man on PIP and UC, so he's now in emergency housing.

Travelodge of course has zero white goods such as microwave, cooker, washing machine. It's also sited at a service station on a major road so nowhere to walk, and has no car. All that's here is the v expensive petrol station shop.

We've sorted the washing of clothes every week but he only has a tiny kettle in the room and it's a condition of the stay that he doesn't cook in the room - toasters, grills, camping stoves, fridges etc are explicitly banned for obvious safety reasons.

I'm not sure how he's going to survive this financially. The man has complex MH issues, and would normally live on frozen ready meals and pizzas. He'll likely order a takeaway on Uber Eats every night or something, but he's going to run out of money fast.

Has anyone else been through this?

Now you and I might stock up on porridge pots, longer lasting foods that don't need to be chilled, or make our way to somewhere else every day for fresh foods but this chap won't do that....

Too good to go bags? Olio, food banks. Just a thought

How does he get to them though?

Food bank - how does he cook any of it?

I haven’t personally but know personally of a family of seven who were in a travelodge for 9 months - with a newborn baby. Same thing happened. Private rented and worked full time all their lives and flat was sold.

We snuck them in a fridge which was okay but they weren’t allowed anything else - microwave, toaster and hot plate were told they had to be removed.

if he can get a fridge it can be for things on the day and the item may have a microwave they are willing to let him use. Also a kettle would be good but the room should have it anyway.

Absolutely awful. Good luck to your friend.

Sign up to Too good to Go app. No cooking involved.
Also tins are great and can be eaten cold, entirely safely. Cold baked beans, tinned fruit, custard, rice pudding, corned beef, ham, sardines etc
And pot noodles, always pot noodles!

The Council won’t pay for a Travelodge for long as it’s expensive so they’ll be working behind the scenes to get him into either private let (usually a room in a shared HMO in my borough) or, if he is accepted, a council flat. They have 56 days to make this decision so hopefully he won’t be in this position for long. Most people live off things like pot noodles, sandwiches, meals that friends/family make and bring round, fresh fruit, carrots plus takeaways. Sometimes the council will pay for the breakfast element too where they can fill up on hot food then.

If there's TGTG at the service station, that might work, but not if it nets him a large amount of food that needs refrigeration, heating or preparation so he'll need to choose carefully, which he may not have capacity to do.

Does he have a social worker who could advise? Is there any way he can be moved somewhere in a town/walking distance to a supermarket?

Can you take him a bag of food that he can prepare with a kettle or eat cold - eg canned rice pudding, instant noodles or those tuna pots? Cheese will be fine for a day or two, so you could either give him some sandwiches, or bread and cheese if he's able to make his own.

Near me there is a place run by a charity that cooks a meal everyday for anyone in need. It may be worth contacting CAB, or Shelter or church charities in the area. It’s quite surprising how many little places like this are operating, and if he can get there even once or twice a week it would help.

Could he get an electric cool box to keep things for a little longer like milk for cereal, or for cheese etc? Not sure how much they are but might be worth looking into. He could then buy large cooked pizzas to last a few days? Still takeaway but may work out cheaper.

I used to work in a Travelodge, we didn't have many guests in your friends situation but it did happen.
It's tricky as the council have fulfilled their needs by providing accommodation but the reality is that they've placed people in impossible situations and when the people say that it's not suitable the council basically say they should be grateful.
As hotel staff we would feel sorry for the guests, in some situations we would liaise with the council and express how unsuitable this accommodation was which in some cases would help and they'd be moved.

I think a complaint needs to be made on behalf of (and with the permission of) your friend citing his complex mental health makes the hotel accommodation unsuitable. Explain the financial situation and location of the hotel along with the T&Cs of the room. If you get nowhere get the MP on board.
I think location is the main issue as if the hotel was in a town there would be amenities and more options for buying food so maybe focus on that.

Most travelodges have a basic restaurant adjacent which provides a hot breakfast deal . Does he have a support worker or is there a local mh charity who could help.

At the foodbank clients are asked about their cookimg facilities. More people than you might imagine have only a kettle and the volunteers there will be able to pack an appropriate bag. It's supposed to be 3 days food for emergency use though so he wouldn't be able deoend on the foodbank.

If he can get to a supermarket he can buy instant noodles, instant mash, instant porridge, cup a soup and things that can be eaten cold like corned beef, tuna, sardines, rice pudding etc plus biscuits and chocolate. Tea or coffee, long life milk and fruit juice. Powdered milk might be better with no fridge. Tinned or dried goods are easy to store.

Packets of cous cous only need water and a container, could add sweetcorn, tuna / mackerel, pretty tasty and cheap.

He can get a taxi to the town and buy suitable food? Yes to porridge pots and pot noodles

This Travelodge does not have a restaurant, no.

He will not be able to get taxis etc, he has been close to housebound for years - bipolar disorder with very high anxiety and is a shaking mess trying to take a phone call. The MH team last week wondered if autism is also a factor (I'd say very likely). I'm managing all his calls through this process.

It's been a horrendous few weeks for him and us. I am not able to be his keeper though, and cannot be ferrying meals up to him for example!

As he's your friend, can you not take him to the supermarket once a week to stock up on ambient foods he could eat?

Apples, oranges, bananas, celery, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber etc will all last well.
Bread, peanut butter, chocolate spread, jam.
Tinned beans, fruit, rice pud, custard, tuna, ham, sardines etc
Pot noodles, porridge pots, cup a soups.
Nuts, dried fruit.
Crisps, cakes, snacks etc.

Can you or he do a simple shop for him on UberEats or a supermarket?

Crackers
Tinned fish with ring pull tabs
Mandarins, bananas, tinned fruit
Just add water couscous, noodles/ramen, porridge
Carrots, cucumbers

Hygiene items

Disposable cutlery, bowls, wet wipes

Next level would be something like Amazon for UHT milk sachets and the like if the hotel doesn’t provide tea and coffee with milk.

I run a food bank, sadly we put packs like this together most weeks.

The reality is, this man is entrenched in specific and frankly disordered habits. One type of ready meal. One type of frozen pizza. Coffee with milk and sugar. Cans of fizzy pop. Squash. That's about it.

The occasional Uber Eats - as he doesn't have to meet a human to receive the order.

He will not come to Lidl, no. I've tried that for the last three days.

He will not eat apples, pears, oranges, sardines, pot noodles etc.

I may just be venting tbh, I'm not sure there's a practical solution for him. This could be many many months or years of emergency then temporary housing and I cannot fix this for him.

He's DH's mate really, but I can't abandon the guy. I also cannot and will not wipe his arse for him on every step.

Thank you, he's OK for hygiene stuff at the moment. Sadly he wouldn't eat any of that...

Mill sachets is flipping genius though, I'll do that, thank you very much!!

Sometime petrol stations have microwaves for ready meals bought in the petrol station store. Could you have a look and see if there’s anything like that in this one?

Does the hotel have a microwave somewhere for baby bottle warming?
Many do.

If you were feeling keen you could enquire about those arrangements at the hotel. Then it becomes can this gentleman use that once a day for a sealed ready meal.

Local food banks may have ideas. They may have come across people in a similar position.

The more you describe your friend the more I think he actually needs a social worker and carers/ supported living. I know that doesn't help with the eating thing but he doesn't sound capable of living unsupported in any accommodation.
Does he have a social worker?

I volunteer at one of our local foodbanks and we get more people than you would think who have similarly very limited facilities for cooking, they will put together a package of food to fit his circumstances. Agree a mini fridge is a good idea though so he can even just have packs of ham/chicken to make sandwiches, cheese, milk etc.

Many supermarkets are on just eat so if he isn't able to go out he could order some of the above suggestions to be delivered within an hour or so.

If he is likely to be there a while then £6 buys you a three month free delivery pass on just eat. He could then order every few days getting some fresh ready to eat meats etc along with some kettle cooking for the days after.

Ask the travel lodge if they'd allow a small fridge for milk / butter / cheese and some deli meats and then he can do cereals or oats for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and kettle hot meals for dinner.

Very very interesting and I shall go and investigate that thank you!!

Adult SS have no interest in him unfortunately. I spoke to them last week. Because he can function, albeit within the confines of his personal quirks and needs, they don't want to do anything.

He can normally pay his bills, feed himself, isn't living in squalor (not the cleanest but not dangerously bad), wears cleanish clothes, showers before he's forced to leave the home to see someone ie the GP (I doubt he does when he isn't seeing anyone) manages his MH medication etc.