Disabled man waits years for an accessible home in Bristol

ITV News' Jasmine Khan hears how disabled people are struggling to secure housing.

People with disabilities in the South West say their right to live in a community of their choice is being eroded by a shortage of accessible homes. 

The housing crisis has put pressure on councils' housing stock in recent years.

Local authorities typically allocate social housing taking into account each candidate’s practical requirements and their level of need, which ensures waiting times are fair.

However, disabled people say this is not necessarily the case when it comes to accessible or adapted housing. 

Two out of 33 councils in the region measure wait times for accessible or adapted homes, a trend that is somewhat consistent across the country according to research by Habinteg, an accessible housing association. 

Habinteg found that despite government recommendations, less than half of all local authorities can supply data on the demand for accessible housing in their area.

In areas where all the accessible housing stock is currently occupied, people requiring a new-build wheelchair-accessible home could have to wait up to 47 years. 

According to Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, of which the UK is a member, councils are obliged to house disabled people in a community of their choice on an equal basis with others.

So without tracking waiting times, it is hard to tell whether disabled people are being treated equally when it comes to housing. 

Sam Cornelius-Light was born in Chard, Somerset, and moved to Bristol to study at the University of the West of England.

Despite searching throughout his degree, Sam said he was unable move out of student accommodation because he could not find any wheelchair-accessible private rentals. 

When he graduated and decided to stay in Bristol to be close to his friends and his new job, Sam still could not find suitable accommodation.

After joining the Council’s waiting list for social housing, he waited more than two years for a home. 

Sam told ITV News: “It was really frustrating because I just wanted somewhere to settle.

"I'm guessing that lots of other people had to go through the same experience as me trying to find accessible housing. Its just a lot of hassle, a lot of unnecessary stress and hassle."

He spent months in hotel rooms, not knowing when he would be asked to pack up his stuff and move to his permanent home.

"In the hotels I was quite reliant on my PAs. I couldn't cook, I had to order takeaways, I didn't have my own space to work or relax in. I was just in one room and it felt very isolating," he added.

The Council offered Sam housing during that time, but he turned it down because it wasn’t "socially accessible" - meaning it was not in a community of his choice. 

Sam said: "The council did find a property for me but it was in Thornbury... They really wanted me to go, they were sort of pushing me in a way to go there because it was accessible housing, an accessible bungalow that was newly built.

"But, I was very stubborn and fighting against it because I knew how far out it was and how isolating it would feel being in the middle of nowhere.

"Funnily enough when I did decline it and they accepted that, the bus that went to that area to and from Bristol was actually cancelled."

Sam added: "That was a well-fought battle really just to say it's not just about buildings and physical accessibility...I am happy to compromise on somethings but in terms of social accessibility it's more difficult for me to accept."

Dr Theo Blackwell lives in Penzance and is a disability equality researcher at Bath Spa University. He told ITV News: “Disabled people are just not thought about, it seems to me.” 

During his work as a researcher, Dr Blackwell interviewed a young couple, one of whom was a wheelchair user and the other used crutches. 

Dr Blackwell said: "They lived in a property that wasn't accessible to them, so every day he'd come to his property, get out of his wheelchair and have to shift around the property on his bottom, and they lived there for two years while they were waiting for the council to find them somewhere... And that's the case for lots of disabled people."

"In Cornwall, we've got one of the highest populations of disabled people in the country. It's one in five in Cornwall rather than one in seven which is the national average.

"So, we just need more accessible properties in Cornwall than anywhere else and there's simply not enough being built down here."

He added that black and brown people, as well as queer people, are more likely to have to compromise on their community of choice to get an accessible home.

Dr Blackwell said: "I know somebody who works for a charity. He had a client who was a young black man and every time this man left his property he got abuse thrown at him and he got abused just walking down the street.

"He wasn't made to feel welcome there and people used to throw things at his house, he had his windows broken.

"He wasn't made to feel welcome in his community and that made his mental health conditions so much worse.

"Out of choice, people would not choose to live in those situations. But, if that's the place where the only accessible property is located then they might get moved into that area, which is not an area they're going to feel safe happy and welcome in."

Sam and Dr Blackwell both said that they want to see accessible housing become more of a priority for local councils.

Sam said: “Councils need to take more of a strong approach when it comes to accessibility and make it really clear to developers that it is an important aspect because it can save actually money in the long run and that’s something that councils always want. 

Dr Blackwell added, “A community of choice means you get to choose and decide where you want to live when you want to live there - for lots of disabled people this isn't the case because there's such a small amount of accessible housing stock.

"So, it's very important that people get more housing built so people get to choose where they live in the communities they're going to thrive in."

Sam and his cat Barry are now settled, but 124,000 disabled people across the UK are still waiting for a home within a community of their choice.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.