Man, 79, who spent five nights sleeping rough in Piccadilly Gardens told he's 'not eligible for housing'
11.05.2022 - 14:55
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A homeless pensioner who spent five nights sleeping rough on Piccadilly Gardens has been told he is not eligible for housing from the council he used to work for.
The 79-year-old - who walks with two sticks due to painful arthritic gout - describes the nights he spent sleeping in Manchester city centre as ‘absolutely dreadful’. He is currently living in a B&B thanks to a local charity which is using public donations to put him up.
But when the native Manc - who has never been homeless before - presented to Manchester Council, he was told they had no duty of care as he has not been habitually resident in the UK.
The pensioner says he feels ‘betrayed’ by the local authority he was an employee of for years. “I worked for the council for four years in the 1980s, as the Lord Mayor’s attendant, a porter and security, and this is the way they treat me. I was a good employee. It feels like a betrayal of total loyalty,” he says.
Manchester Council says this man’s situation is ‘unique’ but he cannot be accommodated under housing legislation as he does not meet the criteria of being a habitual resident of the UK. He has been referred to social services and the council says it will fund his bed and breakfast accommodation while a care assessment is carried out.
The pensioner says there has been a ‘tremendous amount of effort’ put in by staff at homelessness charities, Mustard Tree and Coffee4Craig - who have been using public donations to accommodate him, have taken him to hospital and helped him appeal the decision.
“They have been unbelievable,” he says. “If it had not been for them, I think I would be dead by now."
Describing his time sleeping rough last week he says: “It was dreadful. Absolutely dreadful. Very cold. One day was
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