Moira Leavy, 57, is facing homelessness after her landlord died and her attempts to find a new place saw her turned away from ‘hundreds’ of houses in Manchester
A desperate mum has been left just days from homelessness after being turned away from ‘hundreds’ of houses.
Moira Leavy, from Openshaw in Manchester, is anxiously awaiting the arrival of bailiffs after the home she was renting was repossessed by the bank. The 57-year-old, who has lived in the home with her 25-year-old son for a decade, says she has been unable to find a new place to stay despite countless applications.
She is due to be evicted on Wednesday, May 1. Moira says that due to her personal circumstances she has been unable to find a guarantor – and claims that landlords and housing companies have also refused her applications because she is on benefits.
She told the Manchester Evening News: “I’m not feeling good. My son lives with me and he has mental health issues as well and it’s just me, him, my cat and dog. A lot of landlords don’t like taking people on benefits. The way things are I can’t blame them.” But, it’s just so hard to find somewhere to live when you haven’t got anything. I’m absolutely broke, I can’t even afford to put my stuff into storage.”In a few days’ time I could lose everything. I’ve been homeless before with my son and it was horrible.”
Moira, who was paying rent to a private landlord with the help of the council, says she hasn’t worked for over ten years due to her mental health issues. Her son has also been unable to work, as he is currently “vulnerable”. The family’s housing situation took a turn for the worse he landlord she was paying rent to died, and the family of the landlord say due to ‘financial difficulties’ they are no longer in a position to manage the home.
She was told soon after that she had to leave the home, with a Section 21 notice put in place giving her just two months to find somewhere to live. Describing her frustrating experience with the city council’s housing portal, she said: “I must have put down for five or six hundred houses on Manchester Move and I’ve got nothing,”
A representative of the late landlord’s family, who wished to remain anonymous, told a local reporter: “Due to financial difficulties we are just not able to afford to let it out. Interest rates have risen and at this moment in time we are trying to pay off quite a lot of things. The last thing we wanted is what is currently going on with Moira, she has been a good tenant and she is a good person.”
Manchester city council have told Moira that she may be eligible for social housing – but could face a long wait in temporary accommodation ‘given the demand’. The council has said it will help her to find private rented property, but Moira fears this will end up being outside Manchester. “The council have told me to stay in here until the bailiffs come. Once I become homeless I could be put anywhere and I can’t refuse it. They could take me to Yorkshire, anywhere they want”, she said.
Moira says she is now at her ‘wits’ end’, and is desperately looking for a referee or guarantor who can help her, as she is not in contact with wider family and has no immediate support network. She says she is also looking for a place to store her belongings before it is held by the bailiffs.
She said: “I fell out with my family. I haven’t spoken to them for 22 years. I’ve got nobody family-wise who can help me out or do anything like that. I don’t know what to do, I’m at my wits’ end now. If I’m evicted, I’ve got to go straight to the homeless and that’s all my stuff still in the house. How can I sit here and make myself homeless if I don’t have anywhere to put my furniture? I don’t have anywhere at all and nobody who can store it for me.”
A Manchester City Council spokesperson told the M.E.N.: “We are currently in contact with Moira and as we have accepted that she is being made homeless through no fault of her own, so she will be placed on the social housing list.In the meantime, we will find her temporary accommodation although this could be for a significant time given the demand for and supply of social housing. However, if she accepts our help to find a private rented property, this will not affect her status on the social housing list, and she will not need a guarantor for such a letting. “
