Homeless mum gives birth living in hotel room after 'dreadful' housing ordeal

01 September 2023 , 09:15

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Connor and Leah say are struggling to adjust to their 'dreadful' living situation (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

A homeless woman was forced to give birth whilst living in a hotel room after struggling to secure "suitable accommodation."

Connor Thomas, 24, and his partner Leah Brace said they have been bounced from hotel to hotel with their two young children in Cardiff, Wales, following friction with their family.

The parents were left with nowhere to live after their relative asked them to move out in late July. Since then, they have had to raise their 15-month-old and newborn between three hotels. They rejected two others due to safety concerns and described their situation as "dreadful."

Connor stressed his family have been left out of pocket as they have had to buy takeaway due to the lack of cooking facilities. He said he was also let go from his job due to his circumstances.

Leah is suffering from depression following the ordeal (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

Initially, Cardiff council housed them in the Cardiff Bay Travelodge for a weekend but then moved them to the Llanedeyrn Travelodge which Connor says "didn't really facilitate for a 15-month-old son", reports Wales Online. After nearly two weeks there they were booked into the Ibis Budget but rejected it as the bed for their toddler could have been a bunk suspended on the wall at head height above the double bed. At one stage they also turned down a space in a Tongwynlais hotel after reading about the "horrendous" conditions there.

Evicted family seeking help 'stranded' inside council office after staff go home

The couple were able to temporarily send their son to live with a relative whilst they shared a bed with Leah's brother in a one-bed flat while Leah was eight months pregnant. After two days they were moved to the Future Inn in Cardiff Bay.

Connor said: "We spent around £600 on food in the weeks we've been here because we can't cook in these hotels, which we could've saved to put towards private accommodation. Every time I speak to somebody who's dealing with us, the attitude is that there's nothing they can do and we just have to hold on. It's not right that my partner goes into labour in this hotel."

Connor and Leah are hoping for some stability with their living situation (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

He added: "This Future Inn that we’re in now has the suite bedroom with a little living room and a pull-out bed. There’s breakfast but when it comes to teatime we don’t know where we’re getting it from and it costs so much. We’ve been borrowing off as much family as we can… We’ve still had no call back or support with regards to getting food."

Having worked as a refuse collector through an agency for the council the "mutual" decision was made for Connor to take time away from his job before he was formally let go "because of the time I’ve needed off with not knowing where we’re moving to or where we’re moving, and with a newborn" he said. "I’ve got to be home to support my partner and make sure my family are okay."

The family were initially told they'd have to move out of the hotel on Thursday, August 31, with their "whole life" in tow and with no guarantees on where they'd be by the evening. But Connor was told on Wednesday evening by hotel staff that the family had been booked in for another two weeks – despite claiming not to have heard anything from the council even by Thursday afternoon.

"It's dreadful," said Connor. "It takes less than five minutes to let us know their plan. If it wasn't for the hotel staff we would be unaware today and getting ready to leave. The council has booked the extra two weeks but has not told us so right now we could be packing up to leave as far as the council is concerned. I've also expressed that we need help for food and we've had no call." Connor and Leah both have depression, he said, adding: "My partner is crying most nights like she's let our kids down but we can't control where we're put. The help we're asking for nobody's offering."

A council spokesman confirmed on Wednesday evening that the family would be placed in "more suitable temporary accommodation early next week". The spokesman added: "Due to the exceptional demand on temporary accommodation services the council is using hotels to house homeless families. This includes the exclusive use of some hotels by the service and on an ad hoc basis in other hotels when there is no alternative available.

"We endeavour to keep families in the same hotel wherever possible to avoid the disruption of multiple moves. However this isn’t always possible when hotels need to honour existing bookings. Families are allocated rooms adequate in size for their needs however we recognise that hotel rooms are not as suitable as self-contained accommodation with cooking facilities.

"All families are assigned a floating support worker during their stay and this support includes practical assistance such as requests for financial support for food or other methods for income maximisation. We apologise for any uncertainty caused as arrangements to accommodate the family are confirmed. On rare occasions this can happen due to the significant demand we are dealing with."

Monica Charsley