A disabled stroke survivor “feels let down” after spending more than two years on a council waiting list for an accessible home.
Wheelchair user Debbie Law has to be lifted in and out of her caravan in Eastchurch, on Sheppey, by her husband Alan Law, who himself suffers from arthritis.
The grandmother-of-four was left unable to walk due to a stroke in January 2023, which forced her to retire from her job as an operational support grade, helping with the day-to-day management of prisons across the county.
After being flown to King’s College Hospital in London, the 63-year-old was discharged to Medway Maritime Hospital before finally being allowed to return home to Fourth Avenue.
Debbie initially stayed with her daughter, mum-of-one Sasha Law, who lives in a flat on the Island.
However, due to the space in the 36-year-old’s apartment, Alan had to sleep on a blow-up mattress on the floor.
The pair moved back into the caravan so the self-employed builder could more comfortably stay with his wife of 43 years.
However, Alan told KentOnline it is not suitable for them to live there as it is not disability-friendly.
It has no ramps or space for Debbie to do physiotherapy or to fit a wheelchair she can operate herself.
Alan said: “Debbie can’t walk, and she struggles with doing everyday tasks.
“One issue is getting her in and out of the caravan, as we don’t have a ramp. I have to lift her up and carry her in and out of her home.
“Then, when we are in the caravan, the only way I can move her around is by a commode, as a wheelchair won’t go through the doorways.”
Debbie, who says she used to be “a real grafter”, is totally reliant on her husband, which she says makes her “not want to get up some days”.
She added: “For all our lives, we have worked hard and never been ones to sit around.
“But now that we need the help, we aren’t getting it. We have been let down.
“It’s depressing as I can’t get around without Alan, and it has taken a toll on him as well as my daughter.”
The family has been looking for somewhere else to live, but because Alan cares for Debbie full-time, he is unable to afford a privately-rented property.
Since July 2023, the 62-year-old has been asking Swale council for help. The authority put them in the top band of its housing register, which had 1,816 applicants at the end of March.
However, the couple’s attempts have been unsuccessful, and they say they have been told there are 30 families in front of them in the queue for social housing.
Swale declared an “affordable housing emergency” in April last year due to the demand for council properties far surpassing the number it had.
With this in mind, Alan says he cannot “see an end” to the two-year fight.
“When Debbie first had her stroke, Swale council said [the caravan] was not fit for her,” he said.
“But they don’t seem bothered about it now, despite me trying to get us a new home.
“Because we’re a couple, they’ve allowed us to bid on one-bedroom properties only, which isn’t ideal because of the amount of equipment she actually needs to move around and physio to get back on her feet.
“But we can’t get in the caravan, and it won’t go in a one-bedroom property either.
“[The situation has made me feel] depressed, really. Everything that we do is harder because of moving Debbie about.”
A council spokesman said: “As with anyone applying to the housing register, we assessed their application against the criteria set out in our housing allocations policy using the evidence they provided.
‘It’s depressing as I can’t get around without Alan, and it has taken a toll on him as well as my daughter’
“In this case, they were awarded our highest band A, due to the need for wheelchair adaptation.
“Our allocations policy states that couples who don’t have other members of their family living with them need one bedroom, unless there is the need for non-resident care throughout the day and night.”
Tara Lakin, the Stroke Association’s service delivery lead for the South East, said: “Sadly, this is a common problem. Two-thirds of people who survive a stroke find themselves living with a disability.
“Often this means they need adaptations to their home, such as grab rails, walk-in showers and ramps. It can be very difficult to put these adaptations in place if a property is rented, temporary, flats or a caravan.
“The demand for suitable council or housing association homes is high and stroke survivors can face long waits.
“The Stroke Association’s website offers practical tips and information to help anyone who needs to make changes to their home or find alternative accommodation after a stroke at www.stroke.org.uk/stroke/life-after/accommodation.”
Demand for social housing in the Swale borough far exceeds supply – with almost 1,900 live applications for council homes and just 300 becoming available each year.
KentOnline previously spoke to a mum from Faversham who said “pigs in a sty live more comfortably” than she and her six children do in their two-bed council home.
Rebecca Waller is desperate to be moved somewhere bigger than the “claustrophobic” semi-detached property in Whiting Crescent, but again the council pointed to the social housing crisis it was experiencing.
