'Council pushed us away, making us feel worthless'

A couple who were found living in a tent in Brighton say the local council "pushed" them 20 miles (32km) away, making them feel "worthless".

Scott and Tina became homeless in May 2024 and were initially placed in an Eastbourne hotel but are now living in a caravan with no electricity or running water.

Scott said Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) were "not interested" in them and had "no empathy", despite Tina having grown up in the city.

In a statement, BHCC said it was "operating within the constraints of a national housing crisis" and aimed to place households within or near the city but out-of-area placements were sometimes unavoidable.

On Monday, the deputy leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, Peter Diplock, said placing vulnerable people that far outside the city was leaving people to "to sink or swim" in a corporate strategy of "out of sight, out of mind".

His comments came after the deaths of two homeless men who were placed in emergency housing in the town.

The two men, aged 38 and 60, died just over a week from each other in separate incidents at a hotel.

Scott and Tina were also housed in an Eastbourne hotel but that tenancy was terminated after nine months due to disagreements with the hotel owner.

Despite their current predicament, Scott said they were "better off than a lot of people" who were having to sleep in doorways.

But he said there was too much homelessness in Eastbourne.

"Eastbourne is just full of homeless people and when you actually speak to them rarely any of them are from Eastbourne, they're from Brighton, Worthing, they're all from way out of town.

"Someone should have a roof over their head where they can clean themselves, cook for themselves. We can't do any of that," he said.

The couple visit the Matthew 25 Mission drop-in centre in the town most days to get food and support.

He said: "Without these people providing this service, I don't think we would survive.

"It's more than just a food place... they do the washing, you can get advice, you actually relax, you have a safe space and know someone's going to sit there and listen."

Tina added: "If services like this didn't exist then there wouldn't be anywhere for us to go. We struggle as it is to charge phones so that we can get hold of people like doctors."

Meanwhile, Scott said Brighton council "don't give you five minutes to even listen to you.

"It felt like I was worthless. "They don't even have any empathy."

After Scott and Tina were found living in the tent just over a year ago, the StreetLink service, which connects people living rough with local services, put them in contact with BHCC to arrange housing because of Scott's type 2 diabetes.

Scott said BHCC "didn't really help us. They moved us miles away to Eastbourne and pretty much never contacted us again until I kept pushing and pushing for a conversation."

He said that conversation ended a week later "when some person just decided that we didn't deserve a house".

An obstacle for Scott and Tina to be given a home was that they had rent arrears from a property they lived at in Durham two years ago.

Scott said: "Brighton made it very clear they're not interested, even though they've decided we have priority need, we have local connections and I have health needs.

"We do have rent arrears from Durham, but, you know, loads of people are in debt in this country."

Tina said she grew up in Brighton and did not have any family in Eastbourne.

"The only person I have to talk to is Scott and sometimes it gets a bit lonely," she said.

"I do speak to my dad, but obviously it's not the same as going to see him [and] I don't have the luxury of funds to go there and spend time with him.

"He's the only parent I have left."

Scott accused the council of "ticking boxes" and "pushing" the homelessness problem away.

"They're pushing people further and further away to Eastbourne, Worthing, wherever they can shove people because they can't deal with them properly themselves.

BHCC has been approached for comment about Scott and Tina's situation.

In a statement on Monday, councillor Gill Williams, cabinet member for housing, said the authority was operating within the constraints of a national housing crisis" where "the demand for housing far exceeds supply".

She said where temporary accommodation was necessary, "we aim to place households within or near the city. However, due to limited availability and affordability, out-of-area placements are sometimes unavoidable.

"These decisions are never taken lightly, and we work to ensure that placements are safe, supported, and communicated appropriately."

The council extended its deepest sympathies to the families of the two men who died in Eastbourne.

It said it was awaiting the outcome of the coroner's report, which it would "consider carefully to inform any further improvements" to its approach.