A mum-of-four who fled domestic violence and was made homeless is now fearful that she might be found by her ex-partner if Greenwich Council is unable to temporarily house her in a safe area.

With her abusive ex-partner's release from prison on November 14, the mum-of-four is concerned that she will be left without any accommodation or must stay somewhere where she faces running into him.

A victim support officer has written letters to the council, seen by the News Shopper, emphasising the danger the ex-partner poses and has also created an exclusion map, which proposes that she and her family must remain within the Greenwich and Bexley Borough.

However, the mum alleges that Greenwich Council is attempting to move her, her partner and her kids, aged 10, eight, two and a two-months old, to temporary accommodations outside these safe zones.

The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, explained that she has a restraining order in place against her former partner.

She told the News Shopper: “If he comes within those areas, he can then be prosecuted if he crosses the boundaries that they (the police) have set, but then Greenwich Council are still trying to send me out of the borough.

“They have said there is a housing crisis and there is a cost-of-living crisis and every other crisis that is going on in this world. I do understand it. But he could be released and could possibly find me.

“Are they going to find me in a room and tell my children why their mum's dead? That is the seriousness of the situation that we are dealing with.”

A spokesperson for Greenwich Council said: “We recognise that this can be distressing but due to the huge demand for social housing, not just in Greenwich but across London, councils are increasingly having to rely on the private sector or look further afield.”

She was originally forced to flee her home in April 2022 due to a violent domestic situation involving her ex-partner which resulted in a consecutive list of charges including assault, arson, criminal damage and breach of a non-molestation order which led to his imprisonment.

The family have been staying in a mixture of hotels and at various family members’ homes temporarily since April 2022.

She claims that it took the council around six weeks to finish an initial assessment of her homelessness situation and she was also pregnant at this time.

The six of them were staying in just one room at Lewisham Travelodge for six weeks from July 31.

They later reportedly found out when they were moved to Thurrock Travelodge on September 12 that they should have not been housed in one room due to the size of the group and as per hotel policy should have had two.

She claims that the council also failed to pay for their pets, a cat and a dog, at an accommodation in Thurrock, despite them reportedly being well aware of them from the beginning of the assessment.

The family moved to Woolwich, where an incident involving their dog nipping a member of staff led to the family being asked to leave the accommodation on October 9.

She said she felt that the dog was repeatedly approached by the member of staff and was also unsettled due to being “uprooted from hotel to hotel with us”.

Greenwich Council said in response to this: “Our options are narrowed down even further when families have pets as many accommodation options have no pet policies in place.”

The mum also has concerns that the constant relocation is disrupting her children's schooling and affecting their mental health – which has been discussed and highlighted by teachers who have sent letters to the council.

She highlighted their struggles with attendance due to the constant moving, long commutes, and consequent social instability.

The mum explained: “I've moved the kids school three times in a year and I said I refused to move them again because my oldest is in year six, the most important year as she is doing her SATS.

“She is doing really well actually considering everything.”

The family have been sleeping on her mother-in-law's living room floor since October 9 after Greenwich Council tried to send the family to an accommodation outside the set exclusion zone – but the couple decided that this was not appropriate for their family.

The mum said: “They're telling me they're searching both inside and outside our borough for a place for me to live in the long term. But it can't be outside these boroughs.

“I just don't understand why they're not getting it, and they're not recognising the dangers involved. They're not taking domestic violence seriously.

“Domestic violence is a terrible thing, and I wouldn't want anyone to go through it, whether it's verbal, physical, or emotional. I really hope they start taking it more seriously."

The mum claimed her partner lost his job while trying to find the group a place to stay through Greenwich Council and the couple have both struggled to return to work as they say employers are asking for workers with long-term addresses.

She added: “I'm in the middle of nowhere with nothing and if I had a proper home, I could put locks up. I could put cameras up, I can put fire measures up and I can protect my children. But if I'm on the living room floor of someone else's home then I can do nothing.”

She said the family receives £50 per week for meals, which she claims is not enough for a family of six and that they are often left with very little money for other expenses.

The mum said she was unable to cook in some of the accommodation as there is often no cooker or hob.

A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: “While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we fully empathise with any resident who faces domestic abuse.

“Domestic abuse is a heartbreaking reality that far too many women face; it takes great courage for women to speak out and seek help. Wherever this is the case, we support in every way we can including through signposting to our partners and working closely with the police. We are also accredited under the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance scheme as the safety of our residents is and will always be our first priority.

“Sadly, there are more than 27,000 households on our housing waiting list, and more than 1,800 households living in temporary accommodation.

“The demand we have for housing far outweighs the supply, so sometimes we are forced to place residents outside of the borough. Our options are narrowed down even further when families have pets as many accommodation options have no pet policies in place.

"We recognise that this can be distressing but due to the huge demand for social housing, not just in Greenwich but across London, councils are increasingly having to rely on the private sector or look further afield.

“Wherever possible we work with families to find them the best solution, although due to the scale of the housing crisis we are unable to place everyone in their first-choice locations, we can work with residents to negotiate with private landlords should they be willing to find their own home on the private market.

“The financial support we provide to families and residents in hotels is restricted by the funding we receive from central government, like many other local authorities we are dealing with a homelessness and temporary accommodation crisis that is stretching our resources.

"The council commissions the Greenwich Domestic Violence and Abuse Services telephone helpline open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm on 0208 317 8273. “We also have a wide range of support and advice, as well as self-help options, on offer through our cost of living campaign, Greenwich Supports: royalgreenwich.gov.uk/greenwich-supports.”