Mum 'stuck in overcrowded house' after long wait for social house

After living in a private property on Grafton Street, West Park, for eight years, Season Godbold said that she applied for a social house on the 'Under One Roof' scheme in 2019, following a divorce from her partner and "black mould" issues in the property.

As the 47-year-old suffers from a joint hypermobility condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and cares for her elderly mum and son, who is on the autism spectrum, she says that she was originally placed in Band B on the social housing scheme.

Social housing providers such as Torus and Riverside operate within the Under One Roof scheme, in partnership with St Helens Council, after housing stock was transferred from council ownership in 2002.

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'Goalposts constantly being moved'

Mum-of-one Season said she has waited for three years for a council house (Image: Season Godbold)
Despite being on the social housing waiting list since 2019, Season alleges that she was asked to follow a series of demands over the course of a three-year waiting list.

However, tired of the stress and bidding process under the scheme, Season said she has now dropped out of the scheme altogether and moved back into her parents' "overcrowded" home in Eccleston last August.

Season said: "In 2020 I was told I'd have a house by Easter and I bid every single week on houses to no avail.

"I did everything I was told and got a number of supporting letters because I only wanted to stay in an area close to my mum who I care for.

"I was told to bid on every house I could to move me up the waiting list, even on houses I didn't want.

"Then I was advised to temporarily stay in a hostel in order to be taken seriously, but as my son suffers from anxiety and is on the autism spectrum I said I would not put him in that position.

"You are only given a few refusals and it felt like the goalposts were constantly being moved, so I dropped out of the list altogether."

'Extremely high demand' for social houses

Cllr Jeanie Bell (centre) at Pennine Close with members of Torus' development team and council's housing officers (Image: St Helens Council)
With a new version of the Under One Roof scheme implemented this year, the website states that there is an "extremely high demand" for social housing in St Helens.

With an average of 80 applications every week, the Under One Roof scheme currently has a total of 6,848 applicants looking for rehousing under the social housing system in St Helens.

The process allows people to bid on social houses in their band of priority, from A* to D, however, this number has reduced from a waiting list of 10,450 in August 2021.

While this shows the huge number of people searching for affordable homes, this is not a problem specific to St Helens, as the housing and homelessness charity Shelter reports that there are now 1.4 million fewer social houses across England than there were in the 1980s.

Partners such as Your Housing Group, Riverside, and Regenda operate within the 'Under One Roof' scheme, which was set up to speed up social housing allocations, although Torus has an agreement to advertise 75% of the properties under the scheme.

Gaynor Johnson, Torus Housing Services Director, said:  “The Under One Roof system is operated by Torus on behalf of St Helens Council and other social landlords, who have social housing stock in the area.

"The properties that are allocated via the Under One Roof scheme adhere with St Helens Council Housing Allocations Policy.

“Information about how to register, searching and bidding on properties, current waiting lists etc. can be found on the Under One Roof website, www.u-1-r.co.uk , or by calling 01744 63 63 63.”

Social housing waiting list categories

Torus Treetop developments in Sutton
After an assessment from social housing officials, Band A* is classified as the highest priority in the housing project, which contains residents with an "urgent need" to move from temporary accommodation. 

Band A follows this to rehouse those who are homeless, victims of domestic abuse, those with a terminal or life-threatening medical condition, or those who are in "severely overcrowded" homes.

Band B* looks to rehome those threatened with homelessness, while Band B looks to support homeless people who have made an application for homelessness assistance. Band B also looks to support those in "unsanitary, overcrowded, or unsatisfactory housing conditions".

Band C* consists of applicants who are overcrowded due to lacking one bedroom, while Band C consists of all other applicants who have not been afforded an additional preference or are not entitled to a reasonable preference.

Band D will consist of applicants from Band A or B, who have exhausted their right to refuse an allocation of social rented housing or have failed to bid where a suitable property would have been available.