A MOTHER from Rhyl has called for help in finding a new home for her family after being homeless for more than a year.

Leanne Taylor, 36, a single mum of three children – Curtis, 17; Amber, 11; and Michael, nine, left her bungalow on Rosehill Road in July 2021 after her landlord opted to sell the property.

She harbours no resentment towards her former landlord, but Leanne has failed to find a new home for her family in the 13 months since leaving Rosehill Road.

Since then, Leanne and her children have been staying at the Westminster Hotel on East Parade, while also going back and forth from the home of Leanne’s mother, who moved from Kinmel Bay to Rhyl to be closer to them.

Leanne hopes to return to college once she has found a new family home, but is currently unemployed, acting as the full-time carer for Michael, who is autistic.

She has previously reached out to Denbighshire County Council (DCC) and her MP, James Davies, for help, but nothing has materialised as yet.

Leanne said: “I’ve exhausted all of my avenues with SARTH (Single Access Route To Housing). I’m in band two, still, so it’s taking me longer to get a house because of that.

“I’ve appealed against my banding, I’ve written to the MP, and my next step is writing to the Ombudsman.

“They (DCC) are meant to be finding me a temporary home, but I don’t want to be moving Michael to a temporary home again. I need him settled.

“I’ve asked to be put forward for so many council properties, on the estate where I grew up and know all of the neighbours, and I’ve still not been considered for any of them.

“I’ve been living with my mum in Rhyl as well, backwards and forwards from the hotel, as my autistic son won’t stay there (hotel).

“The hotel are really good, but you can’t lock your door, so my son can escape. It’s one room for the four of us – a double bed, and two singles, so one of my kids has to sleep with me. We’ve been there since July 2021.”

The stress of her predicament, exacerbated by constant journeys to and from Kinmel Bay prior to her mother’s move to Rhyl, caused Leanne to have a nervous breakdown last year, she said.

Though she said she now feels in a better place mentally, and credits her mother for helping her get through this ordeal, she is still desperate to find a new home as soon as possible.

This, she added, is particularly crucial for Michael, given the additional support he needs.

Leanne said: “Michael needs full-time care. He’s classed as a ‘non-verbal’ – he can talk, but not properly. He can feed himself and take himself to the toilet, but I have to get him dressed.

“He makes noises, or spins around - it obviously doesn’t bother me, because he’s my son, but to other people, it can be quite a lot.

“I had a nervous breakdown last year and ended up on medication. I’m doing a lot better now – at the time, my mum was living in Kinmel Bay, so I was going from there to the hotel every day, backwards and forwards, and it was getting too much for me. 

“She’s moved now (to Rhyl) to be closer – if it wasn’t for my mum, I don’t know where I’d be right now.

“I need housing before the summer holidays are up - I just want to get my children back into a routine and Michael needs a garden to play in, so he’s free to ‘stim’ (make repetitive actions or movements) wherever he wants.”

The MP for Vale of Clwyd, James Davies, having been contacted by Leanne previously, expressed his sympathies with Leanne’s situation, and his hopes that DCC will soon help to resolve it.

Dr Davies said: "Leanne and her family, especially Michael, need a permanent home.

“Children deserve to grow up in a stable environment with a routine – which is much needed for Michael in particular.

“Leanne was in touch with me late last year where I raised her SARTH banding with the council. Unfortunately, this did not result in a change to her banding.

"Regrettably, the demand for these properties is extremely high, and I have a number of constituents who are waiting to be appropriately housed by the council.

“I hope that the council will look into Leanne’s case and work constructively with her to ensure that the housing issue is resolved as quickly as possible for her family."

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Denbighshire: ‘Affordable housing is an absolute priority’

180 households are homeless in Denbighshire

In July, DCC leader, Cllr Jason McLellan, said he plans to reinvest council funds into building affordable homes and acquiring new council houses.

The plans emerged after a council report revealed about 180 households in the county are placed in temporary accommodation every year.

The report also found that one family of three even lived in a cellar, and that a large number of those presenting as homeless are single people aged 35 or younger, and large families.

Despite this, the council said it has secured tenancies for 99 households in social housing in the last 18 months.

The report showed the number of people living on the street in Denbighshire was in single figures.

A DCC spokesperson added that the council is working with its homeless citizens to find “move on accommodation” – which is accommodation seen as stepping stone towards independent living.

The spokesperson said: “Citizens facing homelessness follow an assessment process from the homelessness prevention team and, where possible, we work with the citizen and the landlord to try and prevent homelessness occurring.

“All applications for housing are managed in accordance with legislation.

“Although we try our best to prevent homelessness, some citizens will still become homeless and, at that point, the council will provide temporary emergency accommodation.

“An allocated support worker from the homelessness prevention team is allocated to each citizen reported homeless.

“The council is currently working with them to find suitable ‘move on accommodation’, through either leased or direct letting of properties from either the private rented sector, community housing, or registered social landlords.”

Cllr Gill German (Prestatyn North ward), DCC’s lead member for education, children and families, also encouraged Leanne to get in touch with her.

She said: “I am seeking details of Leanne’s case and am happy for Leanne to contact me directly."

Attempts were made to also contact Welsh Government for comment.