A SINGLE mother-of-four who claims to have been left homeless after leaving an abusive relationship has launched a petition to help her find a new home.
Hannah Baldwin has obtained 1,073 signatures in a bid to get her and her daughters aged two, three, seven and eight re-housed by Wychavon District Council after a dispute with Rooftop Housing Group.
Rooftop said it was unable to provide permanent housing for Ms Baldwin because she had fallen into arrears of £3,500 and owed £9,000 in damages which she accumulated at one of its properties.
A Rooftop spokesperson said: “If Miss Baldwin is able to pay back the monies owed, we would certainly consider her and her family for another tenancy.”
The 26-year-old said after recently leaving her abusive relationship she was given emergency temporary accommodation by Rooftop after the organisation was contacted by Wychavon District Council.
She claimed she was on housing benefit and able to pay the rent until her ex-partner moved in with her in 2011 but did not contribute to what needed to be paid. The couple moved out of the Rooftop property in 2012.
Hannah disputes the £9,000 damage, claiming Rooftop replaced the kitchen, bathroom and fireplace after she moved out and is charging her for doing so.
A Wychavon District Council spokesperson said: “It is our legal responsibility to investigate a homeless application and if the applicant is found to be homeless through no fault of their own and in priority need, we have a statutory responsibility to secure accommodation for the applicant.
“As such, we are doing everything we can to support Miss Baldwin and her family.”
The petition to ‘re-home Hannah’ can be seen at www.ipetitions.com/petition/helphomehannah.
