Water damage at the flat from the home above

A FULL-TIME carer with an autistic son says they have been left “temporarily homeless” due to the council’s “disjointed” approach to housing, after his council flat became uninhabitable.

Paul Levy-Adophy, a single father who rented a council flat in Highbury, said he was forced to leave his flat last month due to a leak from the floor above.

He first spotted the leak in May and reported it to the council, but was forced to move out in July after the problem escalated and flooded his bathroom.

Temporary accommodation in a hotel was offered to Mr Levy-Adophy and his 13-year-old son Uchenna, but the council told him they could only provide two meals a day for him and his son whilst in the space, and as well as that they would have to share a room.

“Now, I’m happy to compromise on one meal a day, but I can’t do that for my son, who has complex eating needs because of his autism.” Mr Levy-Adophy said.

“In a hotel, we can’t cook any meals, and so I would have to buy my son lunch every single day, which I can’t afford. I can’t compromise on my child’s health.”

Mr Levy-Adophy rejected the council’s approach and requested that his son’s complex needs be taken into account, but was told a hotel was his only option for temporary accommodation.

He said his family has instead had to take “temporary refuge” by sleeping on a friend’s sofa whilst Mr Levy-Adophy pushes the council to find them somewhere appropriate.

Paul Levy-Adophy

Mr Levy-Adophy and Uchenna have lived in their flat for seven years, and special amendments were made to make the space suitable for the teenager’s needs.

The council gave them the space based on the recommendations of an occupational therapist to ensure that it was suitable.

Mr Levy-Adophy said that all he wanted was for those special considerations to be considered by the Town Hall whilst they find the family somewhere to live, adding: “I thought we were in our forever flat. I was so happy to be living here, but unfortunately there are several maintenance issues which have gotten much worse over the years.”

As well as the leak from upstairs, Mr Levy-Adophy said there were holes in the floors, damp in some rooms, and ventilation issues.

He was told by the council it may take months for the full set of repairs to be completed, and is now threatening legal action unless they can guarantee them somewhere suitable to live longer-term.

Mr Levy-Adophy said: “The main issue with council housing is not that they’re bad flats, they are usually nice flats built in the Sixties.

“It’s that they are left to sit here and no maintenance is carried out. I told them about the leak in May, so why did it take until July for them to do anything about it, to the point where we’ve had to completely move out?

“I won’t just lie down and so I have been writing to them consistently, and it’s only since they saw how angry this has made me that they want to appear to be rushing around and trying to sort something out.”

Councillor Jason Jackson, executive member for homes and neighbourhoods said: “We want everyone in Islington to have a decent place to call home.

“We are working on repairs at Mr Levy-Adophy’s home and have offered him temporary accommodation in a hotel, which includes breakfast and dinner. This offer was declined.

“Demand for temporary accommodation is very high and rising, and unfortunately there is a severe shortage across London.

“Alternative options just aren’t available for us to make multiple offers, even though we want to be as helpful as we can.”