Bev's stark reality of finding accommodation
“I’ve tried applying for about 30 different properties but as soon as they find out you’re on universal credit, they don’t want to know.”
Those are the words of Shrewsbury grandmother Bev Robinson, a woman who was taken in off the streets by a hotel. She laid bare the stark reality of finding accommodation when you have been homeless.
Former taxi driver Bev is one of several people who had been sleeping rough that have been taken in at the Prince Rupert Hotel in Butcher Row.
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Bev, 52, has been faced with a brick wall of landlords not wanting to give her a chance because of her financial situation.
She has been offered places out of Shrewsbury, but needs to remain close for her family.
“I don’t want to go out of Shrewsbury. I’ve got grandkids and I need to be close to them. I’m hoping to get a place of my own so I can have them round and look after them,” she said.
Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council are currently working with outreach groups to find places for people to stay, and thankfully for Bev and her fellow guests, hotel owner Mike Matthews has assured them he will put them up while they are trying to find somewhere.
Bev, who has been staying at the Prince Rupert for a month, said: “It’s helped being here. It’s like a family. There’s more of a routine and you’ve got a clean bed to sleep in every night and meals every day. You can have a bath, watch telly and meet other people.”
