A FATHER has spent the past 18 months searching for a new home – but has been left with no suitable accommodation after feeling “abandoned” by his local council in the Scottish Borders.
Connor Rose, 42, has taken care of his daughter Archer, 13, who has autism, all their life. He has also been the sole carer for his mother Mary Scott, 84, for the past 14 years.
In late 2020, Rose received a notice that his landlord was selling their home in West Linton and it meant the end of the Rose family at the property. A family friend has offered to buy the home for the Rose family but they must raise a 25% deposit – with a GoFundMe page now set up to this end. “People shouldn’t have to rely on the kindness of friends to do the council’s job, but it’s the last straw for us,” Rose told The National.
He was left “feeling ill” after receiving notice the home would be sold. He said: “I thought I was going to throw up. The first couple of days I managed to keep it a secret from the family.”
Rose immediately started looking for suitable accommodation, but 18 months later he fears his family will become homeless. Rose’s efforts to find a new home have been a struggle due to rising house prices and the difficulty of finding accommodation suitable for his family’s needs.
He registered for rehousing lists, used social media and even went out with flyers that called for help.
Rose said the past 18 months have “been hell” for the family: “I keep thinking we’ve hit rock-bottom, then rock-bottom collapses and we fall further down.”
The Rose family home has been a great fit for the needs of both Archer and Rose’s elderly mother.
“My mum has extremely bad arthritis in both her knees and hands. Mum and I support each other, though,” Rose explained. “The house is on one level, it has a garden that’s enclosed and a good place for Archer to play. It has handrails to help mum get outdoors and an easy to access shower for her to wash in. Mum is familiar with the house and feels safe here. Really Archer is similar.”
Archer has severe autism and is home-schooled with the help of Rose’s mother. Change is incredibly difficult for Archer but the family has found support and community in their village. Rose said: “Archer also goes to our local riding for the disabled centre, they’ve ridden there since 2016 – it’s a major source of support and happiness for them. Losing that would be quite devastating. In our village people know Archer and are genuinely fond of them.”
When he and Archer went to view a new home – a mobile home which was unsuitable – it left his child in tears “because it became too real”.
The family tried to reach out to the council and Eildon Housing Association for help but quickly lost hope.
Rose said: “I assumed they had homes adapted for disabled people but in truth it became quickly apparent that there were very few bungalows and most of what they have are single-person homes. The person I was dealing with often left me feeling as though I was foolish.”
They hoped that their council might consider a “buy it back” scheme which allows local authorities to step in and buy properties for larger families or families with complex needs.
Rose went as far as to speak directly with Eildon Housing Association’s director of property assets, Neil Wilson-Prior.
“They did apply but failed to get the full amount. I felt blamed for the price of the house, like I was being difficult rather than trying to keep my family together,” Rose said, adding that Eildon suggested putting his mum in a care home.
After contacting the homelessness team at Scottish Borders Council, the Rose family were offered accommodation at Broomlee Court, an over-60s development, which Rose described as “so wildly unsuitable they withdrew the offer”.
Rose’s doctor wrote to the council and Eildon to raise concerns for the family’s welfare, highlighting their medical needs and that the family were suffering from severe anxiety at the risk of being made homeless.
Rose received an allowance from the council but said it “doesn’t cover rent in the Borders” and that “there doesn’t appear to be an appetite to change it”.
Now, Connor is running out of time to save his family from homelessness. “Our landlord has been great but we don’t have a lease anymore,” he said.
The landlord has requested the home by the end of the summer.
Connor added: “He knows we are working as hard as we can to leave”.
The GoFundMe page has received generous donations but is far from reaching its goal. Rose said: “The response has been wonderful. Every donation means the world and moves us closer to being secure in our home.
“Mum is absolutely overwhelmed at friends and strangers being so generous and caring about us, caring that we have a future as a family.”
Eildon chief executive Nial Istephan said the group “sympathise with the circumstances the Rose family find themselves in and regret that we have not been able to offer them a solution so far”.
He added: “In this circumstance, the specific needs of the family and the desire to remain in the current location have made it difficult to offer suitable alternative accommodation in this small settlement at the current time. However, as properties turnover they are offered to households in greatest need who can make best use of the properties available.
“There is absolutely no blame attached to people experiencing homelessness or being threatened by this situation.
“The social rented sector provides affordable homes on secure tenancies that are available ‘in-perpetuity’. However, tenants of private landlords have fewer protections – albeit they have improved over time.
“The Scottish Government has recently consulted on ideas to level the playing field in this regard and provide greater tenant rights for those people living in the private rented sector. We support these efforts and look forward to future action in this regard.”
Stuart Easingwood, director of social work and practice at Scottish Borders Council, said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases but would encourage anyone who is homeless to liaise with our Homelessness team for advice and assistance.”
To donate to the GoFundMe visit www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-roses-escape-homelessness
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