A MOTHER in Rhyl has said she spent the new year “crying myself to sleep” as she and her family face being made homeless next week.

Stevie Allen-Thomas is facing eviction from the three-bedroom town house near Rhyl skatepark which she lives in with her partner, John, and the five children they have between them, ranging from ages one to 10.

The family collected their Section 21 order in August, which then started in early September, and expires on Monday, January 9.

Stevie, a 33-year-old stay-at-home mother who is in band two for SARTH (Single Access Route To Housing), pleaded for more help from Denbighshire County Council (DCC) in her bid to find alternative accommodation for her family.

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She said: “We were told by the council to stay put, and are waiting on our sixth viewing, all in Rhyl or Prestatyn. They’ve all been private, but none of them have come through so far.

“I’m not with my kids for half of the week because I’m having to have them at my mum’s, and we’re all having to move around and sleep in alternate places.

“The last few months have been a living hell. The council have done nothing to help. Every viewing we’ve had has been off our own backs.

“I know there are lots of people in the same situation, but I just want them to give more support, in any way, because we’ve had literally none.

“I’ve had to go back to my GP, who’s had to put me on different medication. I spent new year sobbing and crying myself to sleep.”

Stevie and John have five children between them, three of whom live with them full-time, and the other two, from previous relationships, live there for half of the week.

But she said she and her children spent the festive period apart due to her desire not to have the predicament overshadow the celebrations for her children.

She added: “I didn’t have my kids all over Christmas and new year; I sent them to their dad’s (in Birmingham) because I didn’t want them to be surrounded by a load of boxes.

“I’ve tried to shield them from it as much as possible, but that’s hard to do when you’re a full-time mum.

“My son got upset the other day because he doesn’t want to be out of this house, because he’s got lots of friends here.”

Stevie said that the extent of the help she has received from DCC has been the arrangement of a storage unit in Rhyl for her and her family to keep their belongings until they find somewhere to move.

For now, though, she is resigned to having to “sofa-surf” from Monday onwards, looking for work all the while.

She said: “The council haven’t offered us anything, apart from emergency accommodation at the Westminster Hotel (on East Parade, Rhyl).

“I couldn’t put the children through that; they’ve gone through enough. It took the council two months to sort out a storage unit (for the family’s belongings).

“After the first month, we have to pay £140 a month (for the storage unit. I’ve had to do that, because I haven’t got anywhere else to store our stuff.

“At the moment, none of our plans have come off, so we’re having to scramble through. My dad is helping me at the weekend to get as much moved (into the storage unit) as we can. From there, we’re having to sofa-surf.

“We’ve had to do everything ourselves, constantly sending emails day in, day out, trying to apply for properties, and trying to find work at the same time. It’s mentally and physically draining.”

Last July, DCC leader, Cllr Jason McLellan, said he intends to reinvest council funds into building affordable homes and purchasing new council houses.

These plans surfaced after a council report revealed roughly 180 households in the county are placed in temporary accommodation annually.

The report also found that one family of three 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 said: “The council manages all applications in accordance with legislation and an assessment process is followed for anyone facing homelessness by our homelessness prevention team to determine the level of support needed.

“The council has offered, and will continue to offer, temporary emergency accommodation to support the family’s welfare in this case.

“It acknowledges that there are waiting times for family accommodation, but will always do its best to provide emergency accommodation as quickly as possible and allocate support workers from the homelessness prevention team to those reported as homeless, who will work closely with them to provide help and support for finding suitable move on accommodation.”

Gareth Davies, MS for Vale of Clwyd, also shared his sympathies for Stevie, having tried to help her find a resolution in the last few months.

Mr Davies added: "I've been dealing with Stevie's situation for some time, and I've been saddened to learn of her impending eviction from her property which is causing her much anxiety and stress for herself and young family.

“Regretfully, it is the case that DCC, like many local authorities, is facing unprecedented demand on its housing register, with the average application for housing taken approximately three years for completion.

“This is ultimately a problem which requires leadership from the Welsh Government’s housing minister, Julies James MS, to attend to the grievous backlog, which is unfairly and negatively impacting the lives of so many families.

“The crisis in housing facing Stevie and local residents is an unacceptable one, and something which I have repeatedly raised with the minister, highlighting the folly of additional measures which her department has unilaterally taken to tighten measures through RentSmart Wales, leaving swathes of private landlords no choice but to give up offering housing due to the impact on their own financial viability.

“With private housing previously accounting for over 80 per cent of all housing in Wales, this is further limiting the access of tenants to ready accommodation options – a situation I note Stevie has regretfully been impacted by.

“I will continue to robustly challenge the minister and Welsh Labour Government to do better for families across Denbighshire and Wales, and to cease the implementation of measures which are resulting in worry and financial hardship for Stevie and many others."