I'm a prisoner in a hotel after losing my home in Liverpool

Jacqueline Henry and her two children lost their home on Mab Lane, West Derby, on May 9 and had to be temporarily relocated to the Suites Hotel in Knowsley. After being given just an hour to vacate the home she and her family had lived in for a decade, Jacqueline and her son are now in temporary accommodation at the Heeton Concept Hotel on James Street.

The 43-year-old has pleaded with Liverpool Council to help them find a permanent place to live, with the fourth floor accommodation proving a struggle for her mobility. Speaking to the LDRS, Jacqueline said she first received a section 21, no fault eviction notice, in 2021 which was frozen during the covid-19 pandemic. After receiving another notice in November last year, she contacted Liverpool Council to inform them she and her family would face homelessness.

Jacqueline said she was told that, before any help could be given, she would need to provide a date for when she would have nowhere to live. After a court battle, Jacqueline lost her home on May 9, forcing her 19-year-old daughter to sofa surf and her and her 16-year-old son into temporary accommodation.

The family were placed in the James Street hotel, which has proven challenging for Jacqueline, who suffers from disabilities that impact her mobility. Using a scooter to get around for the most part, she said the fourth floor room which she had been asked to share with her autistic son was proving to be a challenge.

She said: “It’s not accessible for me to park my scooter and I’m having to use a crutch, which is killing me. My son is autistic and we’re basically living on top of each other in one room. There’s no cooking facility so we’re having to spend money I don’t have on food, it’s killing me financially. Because I can’t walk well, I’m a prisoner in the hotel.”

Jacqueline said owing to their financial and living situation she is having to go without food to ensure her son can eat. She added how she had spent hours on the phone to the city council in a bid to secure permanent accommodation. She said: “I’ve rang three, four, five, six times a day but all they say is they’ll put it through. It feels like I’ve fallen through the cracks.”

Liverpool Council’s housing options service provides help for those at risk of homelessness and seeks to arrange support within 14 days. The LDRS contacted the city council for comment.