Mum and five kids evicted by Birmingham City Council to 'ready home for another family in need'

Kelly Rees urged council to review decision to evict her family from temporary Alum Rock home 'without notice'

A mum and her five children were evicted from their temporary home to make room for 'another family in need', Birmingham City Council said. Mum Kelly Rees received an email to say her locks had been changed, with the family given a week to clear their belongings.

The 36-year-old mum 'fled abuse' in Wales, opting to move to Birmingham with her five kids, aged between two and 17, to be closer to her baby's dad for support. But after being kicked out of their temporary housing in Alum Rock, the homeless family-of-six are squeezed into a bedroom at her ex mother-in-law's home in Balsall Heath.

They were evicted in May when the council claimed they had 'reason to believe' the mum had 'abandoned' the property. The authority told BirminghamLive processes had been followed to ensure it could be "made available for another family in need."

READ MORE: Homeless kids ask mum 'where will we sleep now' as family-of-six evicted from Alum Rock council home

Ms Rees has since hit back, insisting she had not breached any contract to be evicted as the family made sure they slept at the house every night between September and May. Branding the eviction 'unfair' and urging the authority to review its decision, she claimed the council knew about 'mould, damp and bug-infested carpets' from a visit - yet did not act to resolve issues 'affecting their health'.

In an update, the mum said she had made contact with her MP in an attempt to push for a review of the eviction. Before a visit from the council in September, she said the family would occasionally spend a night away from the 'damp' property when the childrens' asthma worsened.

Her daughter also began suffering from a skin condition from 'bugs in the carpet' at the property, she claimed. In September, the family were visited at the property, where a housing officer was said to make note of the mould as she photographed the issues.

They were told they needed to "look like they were staying there" - or face losing the property. But Ms Rees claimed despite the issues of damp being documented nine months before their eviction, nothing was done to resolve the problem.

Amid fears of eviction, she claimed they would drive from Balsall Heath - where her kids attend school - to sleep at the temporary property 'every night' until May 17 - when they were informed of the lock change. A statement from the council read: “The council takes the welfare of its citizens seriously and understands often families who are experiencing homelessness can be particularly vulnerable.

Inside family's temporary home with 'damp, mould and bugs' before eviction

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"Temporary accommodation, which is provided by a third party, is subject to building safety compliance checks before a family is placed there, and if issues such as damp and mould are reported they are escalated immediately.

“The council has a responsibility to maintain standards across its temporary accommodation, whether it is owned or provided by a third party. It also has a responsibility to ensure its limited stock is used for those families who are owed a duty to be housed. As an individual family’s needs will change over time, we will regularly review whether there is still a housing need.

"If the circumstances of the family have changed, or the property is no longer being used as their primary home, we will follow processes which will ensure the property can be made available for another family in need. In the case of this family, we can confirm due process was followed.”

Have you been affected by this? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com