How and why this situation arose

I moved into this house in September 2007 after losing our previous home in Ludlow due to flooding. Two and a half feet of the River Corve came in uninvited.

Our house in the river

At the time the house was described as having a level access shower room and a stair lift fitted. It did have a shower room, the floor was unsuitable and dangerous and they finally rectified this in March 2010. The stair lift didn't work and the rail it was fitted to went half way across the shower room door so that had to be removed. South Shropshire Housing Association did fit a grab rail ten weeks after my then Occupational Therapist requested it. There was also a downstairs toilet but that was out the back and froze every winter so the only other toilet was the one upstairs. To be honest not really suitable for a disabled person. Plus there were six steps upto the front path - I say were that's another story.

In November 2010 I got an infection in my foot which resulted in almost total paralysis and I was carted off to hospital. What happened is I have Psoriatic Arthritis and the medication I take reduces my immune system so my body couldn't fight the infection and caused all sorts of problems.

While I was in hospital I was accessed by the Physiotherapy department who said I had to get off the stairs and they wrote to the Occupational Therapy team for an assessment of my living conditions. They finally arrived six months later and concluded that not only did this house not suit my needs but also that it was dangerous for me to live here. However, they did suggest some improvements but South Shropshire Housing said they weren't going to do it and basically we had to move. But for me to move, my sons had to be rehoused first because I was the tenant. My lads asked if they could move me and they keep the house but my housing officer said that was not possible. My Occupational Therapist was also told the same thing when he asked.

Still awake?

As two of my sons work in a nearby village and rely on me for transport they need a house in that village or they can't work. Forget it, although a house did come up in Clun and they're on priority banding they couldn't be considered for it because they'd put in separate applications and not a joint application. I did ask if they couldn't just put the applications together and instead of having to find individual properties they would only have to find one. This to is logic but no, sorry can't do that they'll have to put in another applications which will take twenty one working days to process.

And as for me, well if I consider a wider area I will have a better chance of being rehoused. My lads are my carers and I do need them fairly close and they're happy about that. So thirty miles down the road is not feasible.

So briefly (don't laugh) that's how I ended up sleeping in a garden shed in the middle of winter, in one of the coldest places in the country.

And the Housing Association well - happy Christmas guys