The families being unlawfully housed in single rooms by Croydon council

The mother of a homeless teenager who tried to take his own life has said he told her “mummy, I just can’t deal with it anymore”.

Mary (not her real name), 47, her son, 17, and her daughter, 12, have been living in one room of a bed and breakfast since they were evicted from a privately rented flat in November 2022 after the landlord decided to sell.

Under the Housing Act, it is unlawful for councils to keep households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation for more than six weeks.

The family have now been waiting for Croydon council to find them somewhere permanent to live for 15 months.

Mary showed Sky News her unanswered emails to the council notifying them of her son’s overdose and subsequent hospital stay.

Sky News has also seen an NHS assessment of her son’s mental health following his suicide attempt in January, which states: “One of the stressors indicated in our assessment was poor living condition…[he] described the place as tiny, lack of privacy, smells, personal space.”

The report goes on to suggest that other residents also pose a hazard: “We observed there is risk from others rating as moderate – [he] describes being in a nerve-racking environment, men wearing tags, unhygienic and loud chaotic hostel.”

It ends with the advice: “Explained to mum to lock all digestible and sharps in a box under lock and key.”

Sitting in the cramped room where they live, in a building with dozens of other residents, Mary explained how heartbreaking those words were to read.

“I feel as a mother, it’s like I let down my two children,” she said.

She told Sky News how her children ask if they’re moving out every day. She gets up at 4am to ensure she can send her children to school on time and arrive at her job as a care assistant.

Read more from Sky News:
Private renter in England given eviction notice every seven minutes
Gove under pressure to extend eviction notice period

The latest statistics from the government revealed 2,680 households with children had been in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than the statutory limit of six weeks. That’s up 121.5% from 30 September 2022 when the number was 1,210.

A short distance away in one room of a smaller converted terraced house, Rose, 21, is studying to become an air traffic controller. Her two daughters, four and one, are getting their toys out of plastic bags piled high in a corner.

This room is all Rose’s youngest daughter Liorra has known. They’ve been living here for a year and 10 months, waiting for the council to find them a permanent home. As a student, private rent in South London is out of the question for Rose.

But she worries constantly about the impact of being homeless on her children and the drug-taking of other residents right outside their room.

She said: “If my window’s open, everything comes in here, or they will just be blasting music and doing whatever they’re doing. And my kids are trying to sleep, but they can’t sleep.”

Croydon Council did not comment on the cases of Mary and Rose after being approached by Sky News. Instead, a spokesperson said: “Like other London councils, we are facing increasing demand for affordable accommodation.

“Unfortunately, this means that there are not always permanent homes available for families as quickly as we would like.”

One reason families are losing homes is landlords being forced to sell. The government promised to ban so-called no fault evictions, yet they’re happening at a growing rate.

A no fault eviction is when a landlord uses Section 21 of the Housing Act to notify a tenant that they have to leave without having to provide an explicit reason.

The number of households at risk of losing their homes under Section 21 notices rose to 25,180 in the year ending September 2023, according to government figures released last Thursday.

Terri is a landlady who had to evict a young family from a house in West Sussex after she began losing money.

She blames the economy, explaining: “The mortgage payments were £154 a month. They’ve now gone to £700 a month. The result of this is, sadly, I had to make a young mother and two young children a no fault eviction and they’ve had to leave the property.

Terri has a family of her own, and sympathises with how difficult it is to find a property.

“It’s actually broken my heart to do it. But at the end of the day, I’ve also got bills to pay myself and children to support.”

Additional reporting by Nick Stylianou, Communities producer and Sarah O’Connell, specialist producer.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK