‘My family of six live in a Travelodge - we hate it and it costs taxpayers a fortune'
EXCLUSIVE: More families than ever before are having to be housed in hotels by councils with nowhere else to offer them. Living conditions for the families are often a nightmare and it's costing taxpayers a fortune.
Sarah Elanazi has to wake her three boys at around 5am every weekday morning. If she didn't they simply wouldn't make it to school on time. Living in a Travelodge beside the M4 motorway public transport options are limited so the school run involves three buses and a lot of waiting.
Often by the time the children arrive, they are exhausted and find it harder to learn than any child should.
“Every day we have to leave at 6.30am,” she told Express.co.uk. “‘I’m tired of taking buses Mum’, my oldest boy told me.”
The Elanazis are one of the many homeless families who’ve been placed in hotel accommodation by their local authority, Ealing Council. As an Express.co.uk investigation revealed last week, local authorities are forking out as much as £250-a-night per family to keep people in budget hotels because there are no other options.
“My landlord wanted the property back so we became homeless. We went to Ealing Council who told us we’d have to live in a Travelodge. They said we don't have any properties, you will have to stay three or four months,” Ms Elanazi added.
READ MORE: Huge sums of taxpayer cash being spent housing homeless families in Travelodges
The family of six are squeezed into a single room which is taken up almost entirely by beds. Two foldable single beds are placed either side of a double bed. Space is so limited the children are often found playing underneath. It’s also unbearably hot.
“At night we want to open the windows because it’s too hot. But when we do the road is so loud,” she said.
The baking heat means it's impossible for the family to store food in the room. This is particularly difficult when it comes to feeding their toddler. “I have a baby,” Ms Elanazi continued. “He needs fresh milk. But we are not allowed a fridge in the room so we have to keep buying it new every day for £1.75.”
Milk is far from the only product the family find themselves having to spend lots of money on. The Travelodge they are living in is at a service station which has only a limited selection of expensive outlets.
“There’s no supermarket, nothing. We spend £70 a day on food and I have to travel to the shop,” she added.
When they get home from school well after 5pm the children are kept in the room. “They don’t go outside, it’s very dangerous,” she continued. “There are big cars and buses.”
Express.co.uk learned how in the areas around the hotel users had been seen smoking drugs and sex workers are being picked up.
The children end up climbing the walls with the lack of space and stimulation. “They get so bored just staying in the same room,” Ms Elanazi added.
Don't miss...
Huge sums of taxpayer cash spent housing homeless families in Travelodges [INSIGHT]
UK's oldest mum of quadruplets lives in a Travelodge without husband [REVEAL]
Woman haunted by childhood incident found dead in Travelodge [ANALYSIS]
Council responds
Responding to the Elanazis’ case a council spokesperson said: “Our sympathy is with the individuals and families who find themselves in these situations, illustrating just how important social and temporary housing is, and the urgent need to build more.
“It has long been the case that Ealing – like most other London boroughs has a chronic shortage of housing that local people on average incomes can afford. Since the summer of 2022, there has been a seismic shift in the private rented sector and the availability of accommodation in Ealing and across London.
“The council has also seen an increase in the number of households who are in urgent need of support with their housing, as the cost-of-living crisis and the financial turbulence of recent months mean that the system – already strained - is now under extreme pressure.
“We are facing a temporary accommodation emergency, and the market for temporary accommodation in London is completely broken.
“Being housed in hotels is far from ideal but it is preferable to being homeless. Our officers do their best every day to source suitable affordable accommodation while achieving value for public money, but with each passing day, the options are dwindling.
“Data published by the Greater London Authority demonstrates that Ealing has the highest rate of homelessness prevention.”
Do YOU have information about a scandal that needs investigating? Send your tips to zak.garnerpurkis@reachplc.com
