Social Housing HELP!

[mumanonymous]

I'm a single parent to two (5 months old and 20 months), I live in a council flat on the second floor with no lift. I've tried to get in touch with my first response officer regarding a tenancy transfer to an empty property round the corner from where I live now (been empty for over a year) due to the trouble I have with the stairs but have been ignored.
I have to carry my toddler on my hip and my 5 month old down in her car seat which isn't safe at all, I can't hold onto the hand rail at all, the lights on the stairs don't work so its pitch black, and in the case of an emergency my current circumstances would put me and my kids at risk due to the difficulty with the stairs. I can't bring one child down at a time because that would mean one being left alone which isn't safe either. At the moment we're very isolated because I dread the stairs, and constant worrying of missing a step or slipping which you can imagine gets me quite upset because I worry i'm not enjoying being outside/going out with my kids.
I have been trying to get a doctors appointment for a while now but my doctor isn't back till next year so haven't managed to go their about my back at all because the up and down of two flights of stairs with two kids as you can imagine has put quite a lot of strain on my back.
Just wondered if anyone had any advice or could help at all?

Put the 5 mo old in a strap on baby carrier, then hold your toddlers hand and your other hand is free to hold the stair rail. Leave the car seat in the car. Put it in the boot if you’re afraid it will get stolen.

Good luck finding a better flat though. The above advice is just meant to be a stop gap.

Contact your citizens advice bureau

I have tried this, but my toddler can't climb up these stairs when holding my hand as he cant reach the handrail, he can climb stairs the crawling way but they're concrete stairs and not clean for him to be crawling up them. It's harder now in winter because there are now no lights in the hallway going up the stairs so its pitch black, and even sometimes in the morning if i'm trying to get out early

Thank you, I'll try that tomorrow

Have you actually gone on any transfer lists? Identifying an empty property and asking about it isn't usually how it works. Go on the transfer list, add in your health problems and also mention that you could not safely evacuate in the event of a fire

How does your HA handle properties? Is it a bidding situation? Can you bid for ground floor/elevator flats? Are you house swap sites?

The fact that there is no communal lighting is unacceptable. I'd log that on their repairs system. Is the lighting broken?

If you have the Baby in a sling you can still have the toddler on your hip. I buy a head torch for light. It's not ideal but short term It might help.

Where we live it's rural and there are no lights apart from in the house. I use a head torch when I need to leave the house for any reason at night.

I hope a more suitable swap comes up for you all.

You can’t transfer into an empty property you would have to wait for it to come up for bidding and try your luck. In your circumstances my council would offer you silver band which is one up from the base level due to no lift and very young children but not every council would.

Keep looking for a mutual exchange where you find a tenanted property to swap with, this doesn’t have to be within your own council.

Contact your local councillor- ask in the library if you don't know who, or how to contact.
Write to your MP.
And yes, get your Dr on your side , when you can eventually see them.

Squeaky wheel gets the attention.

Just keep telling people how this id dangerous for you and your children, and asking them if there's anything they can do to help, putting pressure on council to rehouse you,

best of luck.

Thanks for all your help and advice!
The council have finally stopped ignoring me and have asked for me to fill out a medical housing application. Is this just like the original housing application and then onwards would I be back bidding for properties that are suited to my situation?

Hi OP I am in the same situation, how did you get on with the council ?

I’ll be honest they did nothing, and my application got refused so I just had to grit my teeth and get on with it because i’m grateful we even have a roof over our heads. I also live in a very overpopulated borough so maybe that depends too

Hopefully you might have a different outcome