Homeless Trap

Shedding light on housing struggles and unfulfilled Duty of Care

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This is a true, personal account of the experience of a homeless, vulnerable, single mother with physical and mental health problems and how she was treated, by each of the organisations who are supposed to help homelss people through their legal obligation, to exercise their Duty of Care for homeless people.

The organisations who were involved were...

1. Darlington Police

2. The Magistrates Court

3. Darlington Borough Council

4. Darlington Citizens Advice Bureau

5. Waythrough

6. Lola McEvoy - Darlington's MP (Labour)

7. Blacketts Medical Practice

8. Darlington Memorial Hospital

9. Solicitors

Police

My ordeal began on Wednesday the 4th of March 2026, when Darlington Police turned up at my Council house, accommpanied by officers from Darlington Council.

They had a warrant to search my premises for drugs and proceeded to search my home, my garden, my shed and even my wheelie bin, but, as one police officer stated in their report "Unfortunately, no drugs were found."

Because they had not found any drugs, they called a meeting of my neighbours to see if any of them could make complaints against me of anti-social behaviour and used a handful of neighbourly grievances against me, by a couple of those neighbours, to apply to the Magistrates Court for a Closure Order under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 - even though no drugs were ever found.

The Police subsequently turned up at my door on the 9th of March 2026 at 4:30pm and served me with notice that I had to attend the Magistrates Court on the 11th of March 2026 at 10:00am - less than two days later. They also handed me a slip of paper with the telephone number of a Law Firm and told me to give them a call and ask them to represent me, unless I already had a solicitor of my own.

By the time the Police officers had left, it was too late to call the solicitors on that day and so I rang those solicitors the next day and told them what I was after, their response was, that they would call me back. They still haven't called me back, to this day. The same day, I also called two other Law Firms and they responded in the same way and neither of those companies have ever called me back, to this day.

Magistrates Court

I was forced to travel 25 miles to the Magistrates Court to appear before them by 10:00am and when I got there at 09:30am, I asked if I could speak to a Duty Solicitor. I was told that because of shortages and illness, that there were no Duty Solicitors available and that there were also no Judges in attendance that day.

Because of this and also because the Court was very busy that day, the Court suggested that my case be adjourned and another date would be set. The Police insisted, that because it was a Closure Order, that it had to be tried today. The Court agreed but also said that my hearing would have to be done "quickly".

I broke down in tears, because I was going to be unable to represent myself because of my mental health issues and because of this, I was just about to lose my house and become homeless.

Whilst I was in tears, a man approached me and took my into a side room and asked me what my thoughts were, regarding my case. I thought that the Courts had managed to find me a Duty Solicitor and so I spoke to him. The man left the room and the next time I saw him, he was standing up in Court - acting against me, for the prosecution.

I have since found out, that the man who represented me, was actually the Council's own solicitor and one of the Council Officers who was a witness for the prosecution, turned to her colleague, who was also there as a witness for the Council and said "What's happening. I thought he was representing us?"

I don't hink it's legal, for a solicitor to represent opposing parties, in the same case. Even so, for the Council to even suggest, that one of their solicitors should represent me, against the Council, is a gross miscarriage of justice.

The Police offered no witnesses as to my alleged anti social behaviour and were unable to offer any evidence relating to the drugs they had searched for, because they hadn't found any. Their only evidence were Police statements that were not attributed to anyone and none of which showed evidence of any drugs being involved.

The Magistrates hurriedly found in favour of Darlington Police and granted them the Closure Order and I was now Homelss and broke down in tears.

Whilst I was waiting for a lift back to Darlington, I overhead the Police having a conversation nearby and heard one of the female officers saying that if I couldn't manage to keep my dog then she would have it, beacuse "it's lush".

Darlington Borough Council

I went down to Darlington Borough Council, accompanied by my daughter, who had taken time off from work and travelled up from London, to tell them that I was now homeless and asked them for some help in finding me some emergency accommodation. I was crying while I was there and the Council officer who was dealing with me, asked if it was OK for her to get the Council's own, on-site nurse to check me over. The nurse checked my legs, because they were very painful and pulled my daughter to one side and told her that I needed to get in touch with my doctor as soon as possible, because there was an obvious problem with my legs.

I was examined by Blacketts Medical Practice and by Darlington Memorial Hospital because of the pain and swelling in my legs. I had a scan of my lega and was recalled for another scan because I definitely do have a problem with my legs. My medical records at the hospital and at my own doctors and the scans, have verified that I am telling the truth.

The Concil officer told me that she couldn't help, because I still had a Council house. When I told her that it was actaully them that had made me homeless, she asked me to wait a minute whicle she went and checked with her supervisor. She came back shortly after and said that they didn't know that I had been made homeless, because it was the Police who had taken me to Court, even though Darlington Borough Council officers and the Council solicitor were present at the Court when I was tried. She said that my records had been updated and that I could now be dealt with.

She then made her assessment and concluded that I didn't actually qualify for any assistance, because I hasn't ticked enough boxes to qualify for any help. I left the Council offices in tears.

Darlington Citizens Advice Bureau

The next morning, I then went to Darlington Citizens Advice Bureau and asked them if they could help me and the woman asked me for my Letter of Denial and when I told her that I didn't know what that was, she explained to me that the Council should have given me one, because it explains the reasons why the Council had refused to help me. They told me that Waythrough wouldn't even see me, until I had that letter, because they would need to know why I had been denied any help. I went back down to the Council to get that letter and they said that they were closed between 12:00 and 3:00 and that I would have to come back when they were open.

Darlington Borough Council

The next morning I called the Council and they said that they had already sent the letter out to me, but when I pointed out to them that I no longer had access to the address they had sent the letter to, because of the Closure Order, then I would need a copy of the letter. They told me that I wouldn't be able to get a copy until they checked my file and to give them a call later on in the day and they would probably have had time by then, to organise one. I requested that they send it to me as an attachment, to my fathers email address, because I no longer had the Internet access that I had previously been using at the addrees where they had evicted me from. I also didn't have access to a working mobile phone.

When they sent the letter to my Dad, It was full of errors, because they listed my current accommodation, at the time of application for help, as Social Rented Accommodation or Hostel - which was blatantly wrong. They also claimed that I had no dependent children, which was also wrong, as I have a teenage son, who is also on my tenenacy agreement, with the Council. They also stated that I told them that I had no physical or mental health problems which would make it more difficult for me to be homeless, when compared with a normal, fit and healthy person. There were also other small errors, but their decision to deny me any assistance, was based on blatant inaccuracies in their assessment of my situaution.

Waythrough

When I called Waythrough and told them what had happened and that I was in possession of the Letter of Denial, from the Council, I was asked to call them back in the afternoon.

When I called them in the afternoon, they interviewed me over the phone, they offered me temporary accommodation, in Redcar.

Because of my physical and mental health problems, I need regular visits to my Doctor, West Park Hospital and Darlington Memorial Hospital and I also need to be near my son for whenever he needs me to sign forms for him, for Darlington College, his Doctor, his Dentist and help him deal with his own problems.

I had no option, but to turn their offer down.

Lola McEvoy - Local MP (Labour)

I gave this information to a caseworker at Lola's office and he showed some concern for me and contacted the Council, but hey were as responsive to him, as they were to me.

I have kept him up do date through each stage of my attempts at securing the help I need, in order to get me off the streets. I am still sending him information, as each new attempt is always blocked, by Darlington Borough Council and by the unrealistic offer from Waythrough.

Blacketts Medical Practice

My lega were examined by a doctor at Blacketts Mediacl Practice and she called another doctor, for a second opinion, because there was obviously something seriously wrong with my legs and they decided to send me to Darlington Memorial Hospital, for scan.

I am also on Qeutiapine, for my mental health problems which were prescribed for me by a psychiatrist, at West Park Hospital, after I had been evaluted by him, over a period of time. General Practitioners cannot initially prescribe this medicatio, it can only be prescribed by, a psychiatrist, after an assessment.

Darlington Memorial Hospital

I was scanned and told that they would get in touch with me, as there was nothing too serious that they could see, and I left.

They called me the next day and said that after checking my scan again, they wanted me back in again for an MRI scan. I turrned up at the hospital and had the scan and was sent for a separate CAT scan and based on the results of those scans, I was admitted as an emergency patient, for an immediate operation on my legs.

After coming out of the operating thetare, I was held in Intensive Care for a few days and was then tranferred to the High Dependency Unit and then, after a few more days, I was transferred onto a bed in Ward 33.

I was on full oxygen and also had canulars in my arms for antibiotics and steroids, because I had Sepsis in my blood. I had regular blood tests, to monitor how the sepsis was affecting me.

I was having scans of my internal organs and my heart, to evaluate the damage that had been done to them and spent a total of 13 days in the hospital.

On Thursday afternoon, Darlington Memorial Hospital discharged me, with some antibiotics and some steroids, because, I was still infected with sepsis. I asked them were I was supposed to go and they told me that because I was homeless, that I would have to get myself down to the Council and ask them to find me somewhere.

There was no way that I would have been able to get down to the Council in time, because it would be closed in 10 minutes. Once again, I cried, because I was, yet again, abandoned.

I have since received a letter from Darlington Memorial Hospital, notifying me that I have an appointment, with the Nutrition & Dietetics Service, because of the results of my blood tests.

Darlington Borough Council

On Friday morning, I called in at the Council and told them about everything that had happened to me in the previous two weeks in hospital and asked them once again, for assistance, in finding emergency accommodation. They said that I would need to approach Waythrough, again, which I did and also get a letter from my doctor, to clarify the extent of my problems and give their opinion on my chances of surviving being a homeless person, when compared with a normal, fit and healthy person.

I visited my doctor and they agreed to write me the letter and because I was homeless, they even waived their normal fee that they usually charge for a letter.

The doctor's letter explained, how serious my condition was, and that, under no circumstances, would I be expected to cope with homelessness, as well as a normal, fit & healthy person, could

The housing officer read the letter, stated that she disagreed with the doctor, and once again, decided that I was not a prioroty case, for emergency housing assistance. She also said that I could appeal her decision, if I wanted to, but that the person I wouod have to appeal to, had already gone home and that I would now have to wait until Monday, until she was back in again.