Homeless mum says Lewisham Council told her to sleep in park

Layla Vidler, 20, says she and her sons were kicked off the borough’s homelessness list because the council booked them into a hotel they couldn’t get to, then penalised them for not showing up.

When she visited the council’s offices to plead her case, she alleged, she was kept waiting until closing time and then ordered to leave.

“It got to 5pm and they said I had to get out,” she told the News Shopper through tears.

“I had my son in my arms, crying. I said, ‘Where do we go? To a park?’

“The lady said, ‘Well, that’s up to you, if you want to sleep in a park. It’s not our duty anymore’.

“I was horrified. They didn’t care if me and my kids slept in a park. It was actually snowing outside.”

Layla claimed she had since spent a night in Burgess Park and that the stress of her situation had led to suicidal thoughts.

Lewisham Council did not deny the incident.

“The manner in which Ms Vidler was spoken to by a member of staff is certainly not how we would expect residents facing homelessness to be treated at our office,” it said.

“We would invite her to make an official complaint to be investigated in line with our usual processes.”

Layla Vidler said she was 'horrified' at the attitude of Lewisham Council. She said the stress and upset of being homeless with two young children had left her feeling suicidal (Image: Charles Thomson)

Layla has been “sofa surfing” since her relationship with her children’s father ended last year.

She is now a single mother to six-month-old JJ and three-year-old Kai, who is diagnosed with the most severe form of autism and requires 24/7 supervision.

“They have told me he will only ever say 50 words in his life,” she said. “He will be like a baby trapped in an older body.

“He has very bad tantrums. If we go anywhere unfamiliar, he starts screaming. He self-harms by banging his head against walls and making himself bleed.

“Sometimes he bites people. He has bitten me before until I bleed.”

While they waited for Lewisham to find them emergency accommodation, said Layla, various relatives let them stay for a few days at a time, but none could put them up permanently.

In early January, a relative in Cockfosters (north west London) agreed to host the trio for a night.

But after they had settled in, Layla received an email from Lewisham Council, saying it had booked them an emergency hotel room in Orpington (south east London) – 50 miles away and almost two hours on a train.

“There was no way I could get there with both my kids and all my bags,” said Layla, adding that she cannot safely take both Kai and JJ on public transport on her own.

“I emailed them straight back to explain I had no means of transport, but there was no way of contacting anyone about getting transport.”

Layla's son Kai, who turns four soon, is diagnosed with level 3 autism. She says she cannot safely take him and her baby on public transport unaccompanied (Image: Charles Thomson)

Questioned by the News Shopper, Lewisham Council said: “Ms Vidler chose to decline the offer of emergency accommodation and attempts to contact her to discuss this were unsuccessful.”

But Layla strongly disputed that claim.

“I’m in shock,” she said after hearing the council’s claim. “I can’t believe that. None of what they’ve said is correct at all.

“They emailed me about the hotel at night. No one tried to contact me. I actually tried to contact them and couldn’t get through to anyone. I’ve got all the screenshots. It’s all timestamped.”

The next day, she said, she was told she had “declined” the hotel room so Lewisham was closing her case.

She found someone who could give her a lift to the council offices, to try to explain.

“I don’t like asking for help,” she said. “I was crying, saying, ‘What am I supposed to do’ – but they just abandoned me.

“I literally don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve always been a very positive person but now I’m on antidepressants. I had to go to the doctors because I was having really bad thoughts. The only reason I’m still here is my kids.”

Lewisham Council said: “Ms Vidler’s case remains under review with our housing team and we will continue to engage with her to address her housing needs.”