28 October 2023 , 09:39
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A 71-year-old gran who was kicked out of her home after admitting to having cannabis in the house is now living in a bug-infested hostel in Cardiff.
Grandmother-of-15 Loretta Paterson had lived in her family home on Madoc Road in Tremorfa, Cardiff, for over 50 years. But in May 2022, Cardiff Council evicted her after she pleaded guilty to allowing her property to be used for supplying class B drugs.
Her grandson Lewis Paterson, who was living with her at the time, also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class B drugs from the council-owned property. Despite this, Loretta insists that she did not knowingly allow her home to be used for drug dealing.
(WalesOnline/Rob Browne)She even asked Cardiff council workers to give her a "lie detector test" to prove her innocence, reports Wales Online. She claims her guilty plea was only decided upon due to her financial situation at the time.
"They just wanted me out," Loretta claimed, talking about her terrible 17 months since being evicted, which included seven weeks where she had to stay in a former shipping container where she was not allowed visitors. She added: "There was nothing I could say. It was my house for 37 years. All those memories gone for £180 worth of cannabis which wasn't mine. I said I'd pay for the lie detector and I'm not lying, but they just didn't believe me. I pleaded guilty because in the circumstances I felt I had no choice but to plead guilty. I couldn't afford to lose a case.
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"I miss Madoc Road so much. I had such wonderful neighbours. My neighbour used to come and sit with me every night for a chat. There are a few people in Madoc Road who were my best friends. It was a lovely community down there."
Since June 2022, the woman has lived at Ty Countisbury House in Llanrumney - an overcrowded hostel that accommodates single people who would otherwise be homeless. There are 23 people currently sleeping at the hostel which only has 16 bedrooms.
The hostel has only 16 bedrooms but 23 people are currently living there (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)While the hostel is not intended to house people with extra needs, Loretta and other residents wishing to remain anonymous claim there are a number of people staying there who need significant and routine support. Pictures seen by WalesOnline show the former communal area in the hostel with multiple beds. Loretta says she is the oldest person in the hostel by decades, and says she feels unsafe and vulnerable there.
"I've lost five stone," she said. "I don't sleep. It's a horrible place. There are cockroaches there. You can't even go into the communal areas anymore because they're making people sleep in there. You get to know people in there and now we're getting random people coming in and sleeping in there every night. It's bad.
"They're called support workers but some staff there don't care. They don't support at all. I'm supposed to have an outreach worker who should support me and yet I've only seen her three times in a year. My only support is from my friends and family.
"There are people that have been in that hostel for more than two years on their own and apparently can't get a place in Cardiff. It's unbelievable. It's no wonder people who end up in these places have mental health issues and they get worse. My grandson made a mistake and I've paid for it every day ever since."
A spokesperson for the council confirmed that 23 people are currently in the hostel which only has 16 bedrooms, pointing to the "severe shortage of good quality, affordable homes in the city with more than 8,000 applicants on the city's housing waiting list". They said pest control had attended the hostel to treat two flats for cockroaches and that the situation is "being monitored in case further treatment is necessary".
Loretta has pleaded with the council to move her out of the hostel and find her a home. She said she would be happy in a flat in Adamsdown, Splott or Tremorfa so she could be close to her daughters.
The former communal area, pictured, is being used to sleep people who would otherwise be homeless (Public handout)"I don't hear anything from them," she claimed. "Eight months ago they said it was taking a while because they were waiting for an appropriate place with a wet room. I thought that was farcical because I've never asked for a wet room. I don't know why they had on their records that I needed a wet room. I can't see myself being out of there for ages. I feel like I've been failed."
Those in the hostel say the majority of the people staying there are young people who have found themselves in difficult situations. The most recent person to move into Ty Countisbury was a young woman from Ukraine.
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A spokesperson for the council said: "Mrs Paterson was evicted in May 2022 after the council obtained a possession order, following two convictions linked to the property regarding the possession and intent to supply controlled class B drugs. Ty Countisbury is one of the council's supported accommodation facilities for single people experiencing homelessness. Currently our temporary accommodation is operating at capacity because of the high numbers of people needing our help, so we are utilising shared space at Ty Countisbury to accommodate a small number of additional residents. This is a temporary measure.
"All residents have their own support worker who provide assistance during their time at the accommodation. Any concerns residents may have about the support they receive should be raised with the accommodation manager and they will be investigated. With regards to some reports of cockroaches, pest control have treated two flats in the accommodation and these areas will be monitored in case further treatment is necessary.
"There is currently a severe shortage of good quality, affordable homes in the city with more than 8,000 applicants on the city's housing waiting list. While the council is working hard to increase the availability of more homes, current pressures means that the amount of time people spend in temporary accommodation is longer than we would like.
"Our housing allocations team is currently searching for suitable accommodation to offer Mrs Paterson that meets her needs. The more areas of choice provided on an application improves an applicant's chances of receiving an offer of a home. Unfortunately, with high demand for council homes and only a limited number of lets becoming available, including only a few areas of choice restricts the chances of receiving an offer."
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