Published: Friday, 30th November, 2007 09:00
Couple's plea to keep their home
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Robert Williams and Jade Foley are pleading with the council not to evict them and their pet Buster.
Pic by: Jan van der Merwe
AN ALVA couple are pleading with the council not to make them homeless over Christmas – blaming a lost letter for their impending eviction.
Robert Williams (24) and his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Foley (18), face spending the festive season sleeping rough because, they claim, the council lost a letter explaining the reasons behind them seeking accommodation.
Robert and Jade received temporary council accommodation in The Nethergate earlier this year after a family dispute led to them moving out of Jade’s mother’s house.
The couple say they provided a letter to the council from Jade’s mum stating they had to leave her house – and they believe the letter proves they did not make themselves homeless.
However, this letter appears to have been lost and has not been taken into account to support their case.
The council maintains that Robert and Jade do not qualify for temporary accommodation as they voluntarily made themselves homeless.
But Robert told the Advertiser, “The missing letter from Jade’s mum proves we never made ourselves homeless.
“It was handed in at the same time as another letter, which the council still has.
“We were told if they had that letter everything would be okay, but because they don’t have it they are assuming it doesn’t exist.
“The stupid thing is we appealed the decision and provided another letter from Jade’s mum but the appeal just took into account the facts that were there the first time – their incompetence is costing us somewhere to live.”
Originally from Plymouth, Robert moved north to be with Jade.
He is concerned about Jade being homeless while she is expecting.
He said, “How can they kick her out knowing she is pregnant?
“We can’t afford to save up for a private let as I’m off with depression because I was trying to work 12-hour days and was stressed because of this.
“I’ve been working since I was 18 and this is the first time I’ve needed help.
“We just want to be allowed to stay until we get a private let or even just a bit of help in getting a private let.”
A spokesperson for Clackmannanshire Council said, “Mr Williams and Miss Foley were given notice to quit the temporary accommodation in Alva in August after we reached a conclusion on Mr Williams’ homeless application.
“We discharged our duty towards Mr Williams after ascertaining that he had made himself intentionally homeless. A subsequent appeal came to the same conclusion.
“We have extended the notice period on a number of occasions to allow the couple of find alternative accommodation and have offered advice on private lets.
“Three months have now passed and, as there is an extremely high demand for temporary accommodation, we have no option but to pursue a legal route in this matter.”
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