Bereaved mums on Teesside say homeless accommodation needs 'huge overhaul'

Kris Jepson speaks to two grieving mothers on Teesside calling for change following the deaths of their homeless daughters

Rebecca Thornton was just 17 when she was told heroin would take away the pain of losing her grandma.

That pain was compounded as she entered adulthood, and homelessness.

Her mother, Alison Ketch, from Teesside, told ITV Tyne Tees: "There was drug dealers knocking on their doors. I took over supporting the children.

"She ended up then having nowhere to go and sofa surfing and in and out of hostels."

It was in homeless accommodation that Alison says her daughter hoped she would receive support to turn her life around.

Calling for change in how the sector works, she said: "Rebecca had probably been in three or four different (homeless accommodation) places.

"On paper it looks great, but in reality, it doesn’t hit the person that’s in that situation. Supported accommodation isn’t what it says it is.

"Not at all, but it needs a huge overhaul and I would ask professionals, I suppose, to look at that."

She claims, for some, that staying in homeless accommodation can be a pathway to death. Rebecca was 36 when she died in hospital in January 2020.

Having experienced addiction, violence and trauma for years, her mum believes the homeless accommodation sector let Rebecca down.

"There’s bullying, fighting, drug taking (in the sector)," she said. "The last thing that you would want is someone who’s struggling with addiction being basically allowed to do that sort of thing."

Figures shared first with ITV News and obtained by the Museum of Homelessness from available data, show an estimated third of all homeless deaths last year were down to substance use and overdoses, with an estimated three quarters of deaths happening to people who were living in homeless accommodation at the time.

'Hostels referred to as hostiles'

Matt Turtle, from the charity, told ITV News: "It is a huge crisis. I know people through the museum’s networks who don’t refer to hostels as hostels.

"They talk about them being hostiles and all too often, things like basic safety checks for people who are really vulnerable, just aren’t done and as a result, people die and that is a really tragic thing, so we need proper regulation of supported and temporary accommodation."

The level of support homeless accommodations are required to provide depends on what they are commissioned to give by the local authority.

The charity says levels of support can vary, but Alison told ITV Tyne Tees she has met people who avoid going in them at all.

She added: "One youngster said to me ‘I’ve been in prison, as part of my conditions, when I leave prison, I have to go into a hostel or supported living. I would rather go back to prison, than be there’, and I probably agree."

The figures suggests that women made up around a quarter of homeless deaths last year, which is higher than the last official estimate of 12 per cent and with trauma and mental health a concern, an estimated 13 per cent of women took their own lives, with an average age reported of 30.

Just six months after Rebecca’s death, Tina Robson also died, after years of homelessness and addiction.

Her mum, Sue Robson, has campaigned for change since her death through the charity Tina's Haven, which helps mothers severed from their children through addiction and childhood trauma.

She told ITV News: "Tina’s life was like a revolving door. So it would be street homeless, prison, a bit of supported accommodation and hospitals, and that was her whole life.

"I was constantly stressed. Constantly anxious. Constantly waiting for a knock on the door and when your daughter’s ringing you late at night, on the early hours of the morning, saying that they’re on the streets and you can’t bring her home because her son’s here, and even if you had a will to, you’ve been told by social services that that can’t happen.

"It’s just horrendous, awful and night after night after night, living like that. I would still have that back now for her to be back. I’d still continue to live like that, because it would be better than this."

Recalling the days leading up to Tina's death, she said: "Six days before Tina died, when she went into supported accommodation, I’ll never, ever forget the look on her face.

"She always used to say ‘mam, I get a gutty feeling’, and I could see she had that gutty feeling, you know, and when I think back now, I think she probably knew that she was at her last and that she wasn’t going to survive."

Fleeing violence, it was in homeless accommodation that Tina died in July 2020. In her inquest report, the coroner made reference to two women who were “questioned regarding a matter of theft”.

Sue said she believes thieves targeted Tina while she was dying, but no further action was taken.

The inquest report concluded Tina’s death was one of "misadventure" with "no third party involvement".

It said that staff at the homeless accommodation were there to provide "support focused on housing issues" and it was "not their role to carry out routine welfare checks" or "provide a quasi care setting".

The coroner had "no concerns" about the actions of accommodation staff, social workers or the police investigation, which she said had been "appropriate and proportionate".

She also noted that the council had begun to work with Tina with a view to providing support.

Sue is adamant more needs to be done to support young women like Tina, who find themselves homeless and in addiction.

She said: "Those supported accommodations, just providing a basic level of support and expecting these people to get on their feet, that just isn’t going to happen."

When giving evidence during the inquest, Sue claimed Tina had "unmet needs", stemming from childhood trauma - a view she still holds today.

"What is currently provided doesn’t work, but yet we keep doing the same things, so councils keep commissioning and ploughing money into services that aren’t working," she added.

A representative of the accommodation where the women were staying said it disputes almost all of the allegations made by the families.

They added that they provide high quality supported accommodation and that housing support does not include rehabilitation, treatment, education or any other support provided by external agencies.

They said while residents often have complex needs, they help them to take control of their lives and move on from homelessness for good.

They added: "Sadly, and despite the best efforts of all the organisations involved, some individuals are unable to accept the support offered or make unwise decisions.

"They too should be treated with compassion. We are proud of the support which we provide locally and will continue to help people to move to living independently."

A spokesperson for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council said the council commissions a number of services, which provide temporary accommodation for homeless people, adding: "These are extremely tragic cases and our thoughts are with the families of those affected.

"The Council also commissions a full range of support services to help people with different and complex needs ranging from substance misuse to domestic violence.

"We work closely with health and other specialist service partners, who often visit our commissioned temporary accommodation services, to encourage people staying there to access the support on offer."

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