Newham family face eviction from eight-year Dagenham home

Karen Jiminez and her family are being thrown out of the ‘temporary’ home they’ve lived in for eight years. 

She was handed an eviction notice on October 14, warning her they would have to leave on November 8.  

Karen has submitted a homelessness application to the council, but it advises it can take 20 days just to respond. 

“I don’t know what to do, we have six days left and we don’t have a house for my kids,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). 

“This is too much, it’s a very hard situation. It’s not only hard for me but for my kids, my kids are really, really sad. 

“They say ‘mummy, what’s happening?’.” 

A Newham Council spokesperson said it has been working with Karen to find "alternative accommodation to minimise disruption to the family at this distressing time".

"Arrangements have been made for temporary accommodation for the family and to take care of storage arrangements for personal belongings whilst we assist with a longer term solution," they added. 

Karen Jiminez with her youngest child. Picture: LDRS (Image: LDRS)

The family-of-four have been living in temporary accommodation for nearly a decade after Karen originally applied to Newham Council as homeless. 

Newham found Karen temporary housing outside the borough - in Dagenham - through a private landlord and she has been living there ever since. 

Karen claims she has not moved up a housing register band in Newham, or offered social housing, since 2014. 

Private renting isn’t an option, she says, because it has is too expensive for Karen, who works as a barista. 

She said: “I’m still working part-time, we don’t have the money for a house.  

“That’s why I contacted Newham because we need their help...I’m really scared.” 

Karen’s 12-year-old son is deaf and attends a specialist secondary school in Barking that caters for children with learning disabilities. 

Karen Jiminez's son, who is deaf. Picture: LDRS (Image: LDRS)

She said: “He’s really happy now because when he started it was difficult for him, he was feeling like he was in the wrong place.” 

Karen added: “This is very hard for me because we need to find a new school where he can find new friends.” 

Campaign group Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth (HASL) said Newham has a duty to provide suitable temporary accommodation for the family. 

HASL member Liz Wyatt told the LDRS: “It’s absolutely unacceptable that a homeless family who have lived in temporary accommodation for eight years are now facing the trauma of being made homeless again. 

“Central government’s huge cuts to social housing and their refusal to invest in the high-quality council homes that Londoners need has meant that it’s becoming more and more common for families to face multiple evictions and years of homelessness.” 

Liz added: “Too often local authorities do not take their responsibilities for their homeless residents seriously enough – families are not treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve."