A GRIEVING widow says being homeless has meant she can’t lay her beloved husband to rest.

Rita Mullen, 63, moved to Rhyl with her husband Patrick five years ago, to be closer to her son and grand children.

But three years ago her world fell apart when Patrick died.

It was a double blow for Mrs Mullen, who has epilepsy and heart disease,  as Patrick was also her carer.

After he died she had to move out of the home as she’d fallen behind with the rent.

Hoping to get help from the council she was not able to take up any offers of accommodation because there was no place for a carer to stay with her.

Included in the offers was the Rhyl seafront hotel the Westminster, which hit the headlines in February when it emerged the council was looking to move temporary residents out there in order not to put off tourists. 

Mrs Mullen said: “I have to have someone there at night me with me and there wouldn’t have been anybody there.

“They offered me a place in the Westminster but there was nowhere for a carer.”

This lead to 18 months of ‘sofa surfing’ with Mrs Mullen moving back and forth between her son’s house and staying with friends in Wolverhampton.

During all this time she carried her late husband’s ashes with her from property to property.

Without a place to call home Mrs Mullen didn’t know where she could fulfil her husband’s final wishes and find a final resting place for his remains.

“I can’t put my husband to rest because I don’t know where I will be.

"I’ve got his ashes at home.

"His wish was to be buried and for me to visit him but if I’m not going to be in Rhyl or wherever I don’t want to bury him,” she said.

In December there was some respite for Mrs Mullen after she found accommodation with a private landlord, and she has now moved into a flat with her granddaughter who is caring for her.

But this hasn’t eased the pressure, as she longs for a permanent home for herself.

She said: “The tenancy is not permanent. They could just tell me to get out.

"I’d like somewhere that is permanent and suitable. That’s what I would like. Whether I get it is another matter.”

Denbigh county councillor Glenn Swingler, who first raised the issue of people in emergency accommodation being moved out of the Westminster, felt that Mrs Mullen’s case showed just how bad the homeless crisis has become.

He said: “When we have situations like this it highlights the deep problems we have in modern Wales.

“People are suffering and it is very sad to see. We must sort out our housing crisis and we must treat each person as an individual, with their own needs and requirements. Our councils need support as they struggle with ever decreasing budgets.”

A spokesman for Denbighshire County Council said: “We do not comment on individual cases.

“When someone presents as homeless with no immediate access to accommodation we will offer emergency accommodation which can sometimes be in a bed and breakfast or hotel.

“We will then work with them to secure more permanent accommodation, more often than not this is in the private rented sector, where landlords will offer tenancies usually on a six month basis.

“If required we will provide financial assistance such as help towards a deposit or rent in advance.

“The council will continue to provide the highest level of support to residents who unfortunately find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness and the council’s aim is to end homelessness within Denbighshire.

“We are currently exploring a range of options for the provision of support across the homelessness spectrum, including alternative accommodation across Denbighshire.”