A mum of two has said her children face a four-hour journey to and from school after the family was relocated from north west London to Berkshire.
Janelle Clarke said she was evicted from her previous accommodation in Harlesden but the only council housing she was offered was in Slough, where she had no friends or family.Redbridge Council, which manages the flat in Slough, said it was "grappling with a severe housing crisis" but that Ms Clarke's case was being reviewed.Ms Clarke, who cannot work due to mobility issues including scoliosis, lived in Harlesden, London, for eight years.
Then, in November 2022, she after having to leave her previous and spent nine months staying in hotels before being offered accommodation in Slough."If I didn't take this accommodation they would say that I made myself intentionally homeless so I didn't really have a choice," said Ms Clarke. She said she did not want to move her children to different schools because she did not know how long she would be in Slough for, and "they're already in hell".Ms Clarke said her children have to leave for school around 05:00 BST every morning."When they moved me here, they took everything away from me and my kids," she said.
A spokesperson for Redbridge Council said: "The scarcity of affordable homes has forced us to rely on temporary accommodation, much of which is outside of London."The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said it was giving £1.2bn to councils to help them support people like Ms Clarke, adding they planned to build more homes, including social housing.