Dad sleeps in car as housing list reaches peak

The family dream of moving from their two-bedroom flat which they find difficult to live in because of ill health and lack of space

BBC View from a flat window. The windows of a block of flats are visible and some trees are in the distance. — The family dream of moving from their two-bedroom flat which they find difficult to live in because of ill health and lack of space

About 25,000 people are waiting on Birmingham’s social housing register, meaning demand is at an all-time high in the UK’s ‘second city’.

I’ve spent time with one family struggling to live a normal life, managing cramped conditions and disability every day.

Ali, not his real name, has spent the night sleeping in the back of his car. The 39-year-old father of four suffers with chronic back pain and asthma and finds it easier to sleep in the vehicle when the lift is out of order, which it currently is.

The city council has said it was doing all it can to build new sustainable homes but the scale of the national crisis meant the “current rate of house building is not keeping up with demand”.

Ali, who fled from Iraq aged 16, suffers from chronic back pain and asthma

Ali in the hallway of the flat. He is seem in silhouette and is slightly bent over. — Ali, who fled from Iraq aged 16, suffers from chronic back pain and asthma

“We only have two bedrooms for six of us. It’s far too small,” Ali said.

“This is not acceptable. Doctors have all confirmed my deteriorating health and I’ve sent letters to Birmingham City Council. We need to live in a better environment.”

Ali fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraq as a 16-year-old fearing for his life.

He said he arrived in the UK in 2002 feeling lost yet relieved to have escaped possible torture.

He and Rosa have children aged between four and 15, and have been bidding for a four-bedroom council property.

They were placed in Band A in October 2022, meaning their needs are deemed urgent for health or welfare reasons. But they have been told there is no availability.

Ali said he would bid for a three-bedroomed place but has been told that would be against the rules.

The family of six are sharing rooms in a two-bedroom flat

Beds in the home. A double bed is between a cot bed and a small child's bed. There are children's blankets on the cot bed and a dinosaur design on the children's bed. — The family of six are sharing rooms in a two-bedroom flat

One of their children, aged 15, is being supported after self-harming. The BBC has seen letters from a school and other health professionals expressing concerns about their living environment.

The couple had two children when they first moved in. Rosa said she had a recent conversation with an official who made her feel guilty for having two more children in the past five years.

“Children need space and they don’t have facilities to live life. This is very hard for me and my husband,” she said.

“Two months ago, the council told us they’d identified 15 suitable properties. We were in ninth position, but we’ve heard nothing about it.”

The teenage children have struggled to complete homework assignments due to having little space to work, and there are social consequences too.

“We have to make excuses when our friends want to come over because there is nowhere for them to go”, said 15-year-old Leda.

“I have nice works of art and pictures but they are under my bed, there is no room to display them.”

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman for England, said the council was focused on improving but it would take time

Richard Blakeway pictured in a blue jacket and white shirt. He is wearing glasses and smiling at the camera. — Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman for England, said the council was focused on improving but it would take time

‘Stress and anxiety’

There were currently 3,065 applicants on the housing register who needed four-bedroom accommodation, the council said.

“The accommodation shortage severely restricts what options we can offer to people in need, and we know many people across the city are in difficult situations and facing a long wait for a home,” a council spokesperson said.

There is mould on walls in part of the flat

Damp in the flat. It can be seen on half of the wall and the ceiling in a room. A plastic bag is in front of the damp. — There is mould on walls in part of the flat

The city council is very much focused on a “journey of improvement”, according to the Housing Ombudsman for England.

Following a stinging report in 2023, which criticised how it handled housing complaints, the authority has been closely monitored.

In Birmingham, 137 complaints were upheld by the regulatory service between September 2021 and September 2024, of which 88% were due to “maladministration” by the council.

These focused on issues of mould and damp for tenants but complaints handling and “antisocial behaviour” also featured.

“Given the condition of some properties, the landlord needs to be really confident it has the right information about the circumstances of the household, so it can adequately assess the risks,” said Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman for England.

“The council is focused on how it can improve. However, the scale of some of the challenges that we identified means that it is going to take time to provide the level of service which it aspires to and its residents deserve.”

The council said it was delivering £200m of investment this year in its housing stock, while increasing the number of inspections it carried out in order to comply with the government’s Decent Homes Standard.

But for Ali, the stress and anxiety is ongoing.

“To the council, I say, we have told you what it’s like here.

“Please, if you sort this out, you are going to save six people’s welfare.”

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