Sue's home truths

As she showed me around her new abode, which she had fought extremely hard to win, Sue's best friend had quietly crept in and left the goodies without disturbing her.

It almost reduced her to tears when she found them in the kitchen, because Sue had already had to depend on her friends and family like never before when she became a statistic of a system strangled by red tape.

Three months ago Sue was made homeless after 42 years of marriage. The mother and grandmother worked every day and always paid her mortgage and bills.

Even while she raised her family she worked part-time and had never asked for anything. But when circumstances left her alone and struggling she felt abandoned by a system stacked against those trying to help themselves.

A divorce and the sale of her home from under her feet had left Sue homeless. She had savings from the sale of her home and was happy to continue paying her way, but it seemed even that was not enough to stop her becoming homeless.

Sue applied to Wrekin Housing Trust for a suitable property when her home was sold, but was advised to declare herself homeless with the local council on the day of the move to be placed in 'urgent' banding to get the help she needed.

The 65-year-old pensioner's crime was to stand her ground in terms of where she wanted to be. She had lived in Wellington all her life and wanted to remain close to her older brother who is disabled and lives alone.

She was heartbroken at the thought of having to leave the town and in dread of the thought of having to move again in the short term.

And with the new Choose Your Home scheme offered by Wrekin Housing Trust she thought that it wasn't too much to ask.

"At my age I didn't want to go into private rental because the most they can guarantee you is six months and I couldn't get a mortgage to buy again on my own."

"I wanted a housing trust home because of the security it would give me. The last thing I wanted was to have to move again in six months or a year. I had savings so I was knew it was always a case of having to pay full rent, but I wanted some security and I wanted to stay in Wellington where I had lived all my life and to be near to my brother.

"They had this Choose Your Home scheme in which you see a house in one of the Trust shops and apply for it. I applied for several and nothing seemed to work.

"I really had never expected to be in this position at my age and after 42 years of marriage but I was. It happened and I had to deal with it. What I was just not ready for was how difficult it was to get help and how much of a trauma it would be for my family and friends.

"I was told I would have to wait until the day the lady who bought my house moved in, to actually declare myself homeless, so nothing could be officially sorted until then.

"Then I found out that my brother could not really offer to give me his spare room, as he wished to do, until something was sorted out - because he would have lost all his benefits as I am still working.

"Just the thought of sitting on my doorstep with all my belongings and nowhere to go left me devastated. I spent so much time trying to apply for houses in Wellington but none were allocated to me. I was reduced to sofa-surfing and depending on my family and friends to look after me while my belongings were put in storage.

"At one stage I went to really plead for something to be sorted out quickly and I was told I was in a more fortunate position than most because I had money in the bank.

"I felt so humiliated. After all these years of working hard that was my only security and I was happy to pay full rent; I just wanted someone to help me find somewhere to live that was suitable and not to have to go back and forth between the council and the housing trust."

"It's still not exactly where I want to be, but it's great and there's a wonderful garden. I really don't want anything that I'm not entitled to, but just something in place for people like me who have found themselves losing their home through no fault of their own, and a system which works quickly and efficiently.

"I should not have had to wait 10 weeks for this to happen, nor been put through so much humiliation in that I had to beg for help. At one stage I was told I may have to go into bed and breakfast and pay £80 a night.

"This has been such a stressful time for me, my dear friends and my family, when I don't believe it should have been."

John Franklyn of Telford Council Watch said Sue's case had highlighted a growing problem - particularly with homelessness on the increase in the town.

"Sue has some health problems and also suffers from depression. She received letters of support from medical professionals, borough councillors and residents, but these didn't speed up her case. And this case does highlight the plight that many homeless people face and that seems to be underfunding, with the issue being compounded by the sale of social housing."

Diane North, project manager with the Wrekin Housing Trust stressed that it was not the duty of the housing trust to declare anyone statutory homeless. That was the duty of the council because they were responsible for providing emergency accommodation.

But she confirmed it was one of the qualifications for being placed in the 'urgent' band for a house rather than the lower-priority 'needing' or 'wanting' bands.

She said the Choose Your Home scheme had been introduced in a bid for the system to be more transparent and open, but that it did lead to disappointment.

"People can now see what properties are available and apply for them, although it does not mean they will be allocated to them. This can lead to more diasppointment, together with frustration at what people perceive to be the lack of properties. But the properties that are shown are the only ones available.

"People are getting used to it and it is a more open system than the previous one, which awarded points and then a housing officer would simply allocate a property to a case. Choose Your Home makes it easier but what it doesn't address is the shortage of suitable affordable homes."

By Tracey O'Sullivan