Homeless kids ask mum 'where will we sleep now?' as family of six evicted from council home

A mum and her five children were evicted from their temporary home when allegedly "suddenly changed the locks" while they were out and reportedly gave them just a week to gather their possessions.

Distraught mum Kelly Rees, 36, who claimed to have been given no prior warning, was left reeling as her anxious children questioned: "Where will we sleep now?" The mum is now without a home, with her family, including kids aged 17, 16, eight, seven, and two, crammed into a single bedroom at her former mother-in-law's house in Balsall Heath on air beds and pull-out sofas.

They faced eviction back in May when they were accused by the authority of 'abandoning' their property in Reginald Road, Alum Rock. Kelly alleged that her children frequently fell ill due to 'mould, damp, and bug infestations' in the house, which exacerbated the asthma that four of her children suffer from, and caused her youngest to develop a skin condition from the 'bug-ridden' carpet.

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Despite being thankful for having a place to stay, she said they refrained from complaining about the conditions, fearing it would result in them . Instead, they occasionally stayed at her baby's father's or ex mother-in-law's house when the children's health deteriorated.

But during a visit in September, they were warned they needed to "look like they were staying there" to avoid eviction. In response to this threat, Kelly claims they made sure to drive from Balsall Heath to sleep at the temporary home 'every night' until May 17, the day they discovered the locks had been changed, reports .

She recounted the shocking moment: "I was picking my kids up from school on the Friday, and I had an email off this support worker who had come around previously. She said: 'Look we've been in today and changed the locks on your property, I've got reasons to believe you've abandoned the property, you're not replying to your landlord and giving him access, you've got seven days to collect your belongings'.

"There was no section 21, no section 41, no notice, no nothing. It was just a quick thing, she'd gone in there and changed my locks. I was distraught, my kids were like: 'What the hell? All of our stuff is in that house, where are we going to sleep now, what are we going to do?'"

Previously, the landlord had requested access for a gas engineer, but Kelly, juggling overnight stays and school runs in Balsall Heath, struggled to schedule a weekday appointment.

She continued: "In the end they turned around and said 'because you haven't given us a day, and it's been 21 days since we asked you, we are going to take it up with the council.' Then a week later, we were evicted." After being forced out, the family went back to retrieve their possessions and asked the council to reconsider the eviction. "I said: 'You've made a mistake and just basically put me and the kids on the street,'" she lamented.

"I'm just stuck in a rut at the moment, my kids are now sleeping on air beds in my ex mother-in-law's house, my baby's grandma. We're all living on top of each other. I did phone the temporary accommodation to say 'her house is very overcrowded.' She's got two grandchildren come to live with her there on top of us as well; it's a very small three-bedroom house."

"My children just deserve their own beds now. We're all in one room, we've got air beds there and two sofa beds that we pull out and just make do at the minute. Our only other option would be to go into another hostel or BandB."

The family, who 'fled abuse' in Wales, were initially placed in the Ladbrooke Hotel for six months before their move to the Alum Rock property in December 2021. A Birmingham City Council spokesman said in their case, processes were followed to ensure the property could be "made available for another family in need."

Temporary housing, provided by third parties, undergo building safety compliance checks before families are moved there, with damp and mould issues "escalated immediately" if reported, the authority added.

Its statement read: "The Council has a responsibility to maintain standards across its temporary accommodation, whether it is owned or provided by a third party. It also has a responsibility to ensure that its limited stock is used for those families who are owed a duty to be housed."

"As an individual family's needs will change over time, we will regularly review whether there is still a housing need. If the circumstances of the family have changed, or the property is no longer being used as their primary home, we will follow processes which will ensure that the property can be made available for another family in need."

"In the case of this family, we can confirm that due process was followed."