SO FAR the announcements made by Labour regarding housing and in its Renters Reform Bill have mentioned affordability, but accessibility and the plight of those with disabilities of working age stuck in unsuitable homes has been overlooked.

The housing and evictions crisis has brought turbulence, stress and harm to people with serious disabilities and chronic health conditions.

Many have had to settle for unsuitable, cramped and unsafe housing. In these properties, simply trying to function day to day takes a huge toll whether that be on their physical or mental health, or both. 

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) says: “Many older and disabled people live in totally unsuitable and non-accessible properties. This is particularly the case for wheelchair users who may need a larger property to be able to move around in.”

But these larger properties are either too expensive or not available. This can make it very difficult getting out of hospital if an adaptable house isn’t available. Some people can end up staying in hospital for months and even longer, even though they are “fit to leave.” A recent BBC story about Matthew Sharp who is still in hospital after 10 months is unfortunately not that unusual.

This was the case for Kenny Hughes, who hoped that after sustaining spinal cord injuries he’d be able to go home from hospital, and the adaptations needed for him to live at home would be carried out. But that wasn’t the case. 

“My house just wasn’t fit for purpose, so I was told I’d be getting discharged to a care home or a shelter. I panicked and sold the house to avoid that happening.

“Just two days out from Christmas, I ended up renting the first place I viewed. It was ground floor, but I need assistance opening doors because they’re spring loaded and there’s not much room to move around.

“Living in this property also means basic tasks such as keeping clean become a dangerous, monumental battle.

“Maybe once every three weeks I’ll have a shower,” explains Kenny, 40, a father from Rochdale. “Otherwise, I clean myself using wipes. I can’t afford to pay for carers, so I just have one every now and again.”

Kenny is hoping to get back to work after his injury but the problems with his rental home are never far away: “I really want to work and am looking at jobs in kitchen sales, but I’m concerned about visiting clients and looking unkempt or worse, smelling because I can’t wash myself,” he says. “I can’t even reach the sink to wash my hair.

“The upheaval you go through following a spinal cord injury and then, coming back to a strange place that isn’t home is devastating when you’ve lost so much already.”

Space is a key issue, often overlooked. The cost of larger properties means many people are instead in small housing units. The sheer amount of (often expensive) equipment and medical supplies can quickly fill up an already compact home, making it cramped and at times unsafe. 

What is needed is more truly accessible homes and a less myopic view of the housing market focused on “homeowners,” so that along with homes to buy, developers are building many more accessible and truly affordable homes to rent, in both the private and social housing sectors.

But if you’re looking privately or on a council website, you’ll find accessible properties are often cordoned off for those over 55 or 60 years of age.

This is an issue which Spinal Injuries Association public affairs co-ordinator Glyn Hayes faced after he sustained a spinal cord injury and couldn’t go home. He eventually was successful in challenging the age restrictions: “However, the only options were in age 60-plus assisted-living estates, which wasn’t ideal for me in my mid-thirties.

“Being a former councillor, I am aware that my own experience is not unique but rather a daily reality for numerous disabled individuals throughout the United Kingdom.” 

The Spinal Injuries Association says: “Regardless of their age a safe home adapted to meet your needs is the fundamental right of every person with spinal cord injury in the UK but all too often they end up in totally unsuitable accommodation. Urgent reform is needed to increase social housing that is integrated into new housing developments in the UK, in particular homes which can be adapted to meet the needs of disabled people.”

Getting homes adapted can be a nightmare for tenants with disabilities.

Grants can be a complicated process and can take years to complete, leaving those waiting for adaptations in desperate situations.

For those in private rentals this can be even worse, with unscrupulous landlords unwilling to make changes to properties and some even unwilling to let a property to someone on disability benefits.

To compound these problems has been the deeply damaging Section 21 “no-fault eviction” scandal, which has seen many people with disabilities torn from stable homes and plunged into a turbulent housing market. I know, because in 2021, I was one of them.

Here, with a clock ticking, they’ve been faced with the near-impossible task of finding a truly affordable and accessible home in the social housing or private rental sector.

But with sky-high rents in the private sector, millions waiting for social housing and a record number who are homeless and in temporary accommodation, this is often a highly stressful but ultimately fruitless search.

This has forced the hand of those with disabilities who’ve had to accept unsuitable homes through fear of being homeless.

This is what happened to Kayleigh from Guildford, a young disabled woman who was evicted from her home under Section 21.

She initially felt she had no choice to accept a council property on the second floor. She said: “It had heavy fire doors and a wheelchair lift that required a standing person to operate. Every time it broke, I was stuck on the second floor and had to fight for my right to leave.” 

Like Kenny and Glyn, Kayleigh challenged the over-55s council rule and eventually got a property, but due to space and other issues, this still wasn’t OK. Kayleigh said: “I don’t have enough space to use my wheelchair inside and had to have my entire bathroom ripped out because of the contractor scandal which left me without a shower for a week.”

Reflecting back on what she had to endure, Kayleigh said: “It’s near impossible to find a wheelchair-accessible home and often landlords don’t want to make adaptions for accessibility. All the council properties that have minimal wheelchair access are earmarked for over-55s which is infuriating for those of us born disabled.”

Tom Darling, campaign manager at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: “England’s renting crisis is out of control, with soaring rents and unprecedented levels of homelessness. Insecurity and disrepair are a grim part of everyday life for millions. 

“Due to the difficulty of finding accessible homes, we know people with disabilities are particularly affected by no-fault evictions and are also unfairly targeted by discriminatory landlord practices like refusing to let to people claiming benefits. The government’s forthcoming Renters’ Rights Bill must provide concrete solutions to these problems and tackle the power imbalance between landlords and tenants which lies at the heart of the renting crisis. Disabled people ought to be able to make reasonable requests of their landlords without fear of eviction.”

If the aim for this government is to get more people with disabilities into work and to increase productivity and growth, then the government must widen its focus and consider the plight and mental toll of those disabled, who are currently in accommodation or temporary accommodation that doesn’t meet their needs.

RF Hunt is a freelance journalist and author (www.ruthfhunt.co.uk)

Useful links: www.dpac.uk.net; www.spinal.co.uk​;​​​​​​rentersreformcoalition.co.uk.