Woman living in Premier Inn ‘at breaking point’

Last year, a homeless woman walked into a hotel in Cornwall expecting a short stay. Annette Wilkinson, 50, thought it would be a matter of weeks, maybe months at the most.

After a break-up that left her with no other options, Annette has almost become part of the furniture at the Premier Inn in Bude, where she has lived for 19 months. She crawls from room to room about once every two weeks.

Struggling with depression and a sense of hopelessness, Annette, who volunteers at a charity shop, knows the hotel like the back of her hand. With just one kettle to her name, her diet was reduced to sandwiches and fruit salads after enjoying just one home-cooked meal during her extended stay.

“It’s really heartbreaking and at the moment, I’ve just had enough,” expressed Annette, reflecting on her move to Cornwall six years ago to be closer to her family. “I can’t cope like this anymore and I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.”

Compounding her suffering is the fact that her four rescue cats are still in foster care, having already had their stay extended several times. “The rescue has bent over backwards, but it’s been so long and I can’t keep them forever,” she lamented, reports Cornwall Live.

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Living in a hotel room with only the most basic amenities, she shares her daily struggles: “I have a kettle and a TV and that’s it. So every day I have to go out and buy something fresh to eat or make myself sandwiches. but the rest I can’t keep because there is no fridge or anything, I live only on fruit salads and yogurt”.

“I can’t remember the last time I cooked. In the 19 months I’ve been here, I’ve had a home-cooked meal once.” That rare occasion was New Year’s Day, when a Premier Inn employee invited her over. at his family’s place.

He also constantly moves around the hotel, changing rooms every two weeks, which gave him an unwanted tour of the establishment. “I’ve had housing officers tell me my case has fallen through the cracks and no one is dealing with it. At one point I tried to call my housing officer for ten weeks and didn’t even speak to him.’

“I can call and call the new one I have now and leave messages and they never come back. They made mistakes on my application form which affected my bid for Home Choice (the social housing waiting system in Cornwall). My local connection was missing which affected my bid.”

Her life is in limbo and she expresses despair: “I don’t know what to do, I’m so depressed about it all.”

Her situation mirrors that of many others in temporary accommodation in Cornwall, dealing with issues such as no-fault evictions, rising rents and the challenges of securing mortgages.

The cost of living crisis is affecting residents, with Annette revealing the terrible impact on her mental health: “I actually have to throw away most of the ingredients for the food I buy because it doesn’t keep without a fridge. “

A Cornwall Council spokesman expressed his empathy for those struggling amid the housing crisis: “We sympathize with the position some residents find themselves in as Cornwall continues to face extreme pressures on housing availability. We are committed to providing support to any resident who is experiencing. with the homeless”.

They also highlighted challenges in meeting demand for housing: “However, there is a high demand for housing, including our own housing stock, properties we rent and other accommodation, particularly when a household apply for housing in a certain area. We continue to provide support to all those living in emergency housing to help them find long-term housing.”

The spokesperson highlighted the council’s duties and support measures: “Under homelessness legislation the Council has a duty to provide temporary accommodation to certain households and we are working with them on a regularly reviewed Personalized Housing Plan which sets out the steps which they should do to secure alternative accommodation. and the support the Council can provide through this, which may include help to auction properties on Homechoice or a rent advance and deposit to support them in private rented accommodation.”

“Over the past four years, the number of households in need of emergency accommodation has increased by around 240 per cent to 851, while the number of households on our social housing register is now over 20,000.”