Pregnant abuse survivor 'scared' in shared housing

A pregnant domestic abuse survivor has said she had to share bathrooms with intoxicated men in a council's temporary accommodation.

The woman, who had to flee her home with her young baby, said she was placed in shared, mixed accommodation with no private washing or cooking areas in Northumberland.

She said she was chased down the corridor by an intoxicated male, was forced to barricade herself in her room, and said there was no separate bed for her child.

Northumberland County Council said it had offered the woman the opportunity to move from her current property and was working closely with her, with a plan to relocate her to permanent accommodation in the coming weeks.

The woman, who is being kept anonymous for her safety, said she was "scared" after "an intoxicated male resident confronted and pursued me down the communal corridor".

"I was forced to flee and deadbolt myself and my sleeping baby inside our room," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"There are zero private infant amenities inside our room, forcing me into shared spaces alongside unvetted adult males simply to wash my baby and sterilise bottles."

The woman also said her baby was being put in an unstaffed building where "hallways persistently smell of heavy drug smoke".

"Victims should never be placed in shared accommodation," she said.

"I'm not the only mother in this situation. There have been mothers here before me and there will be mothers here after us," the woman said.

Responding to the comments, the council said the "safety of all victims of domestic abuse is of paramount importance and we are committed to providing as much support as possible".

"In this case we are working closely with the resident, through our homelessness and housing teams, and the plan is she will be relocated to permanent accommodation in the coming weeks," it continued.

A spokesman for the council said the woman had access to out of hours support should she need it.

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