A heavily pregnant woman said she was stuck in a mouldy flat that was so small her children had to eat on the floor - and her pleas to the council to be moved fell on deaf ears.
Latasha Smith, 34, is just weeks away from giving birth and had made multiple calls to the local authority to ask for help, saying her flat is overcrowded and in disrepair.
She said that her living situation is taking a toll on her mental and physical health, and she cries in her bathroom most days, as MyLondon reports.
Croydon Council placed Latasha and her family into the one-bed studio apartment and only when Latasha was at her wit's end did they find her another place to live.
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Latasha, a former prison officer and carer, has to regularly clean toxic black mould from the windows however it keeps growing back. She says her windows are unable to open properly, which makes it difficult to ventilate the one room they share.
While the mum was in the toilet, she was horrified to find her toddler playing with the black mould on the windowsill. She presumes her daughter was mimicking her having to religiously clean the mould away.
Latasha said: "I sit down daily and break down, I try to be strong again and say, 'right let's get out', but it's not easy.
"There's no space to do anything. This is no way for a single mother to watch their children go through this kind of stuff, my daughter cries and says, 'mum, when are we getting out of here?'
"It's not fair for my youngest, she can't even explore in her own environment, there's no space for her to explore. Croydon Council put me here and that was it.
"They put me here and forgot all about me."
Latasha says she has received little to no help and was 'blanked' by the council on one occasion after she told them in January that she was pregnant and could not continue to live there.
She said: "I don't know where they expect me to put my baby, they are aware - I told them when I was pregnant, but they blanked me.
"No one replied to me, no one answered me. I don't have anyone else, so when I'm trying and keep getting dragged down it makes my job harder as a mother to my girls - it's not fair."
Latasha said she has not had a working shower for eight weeks and has had to rely on using her neighbour's shower with her teenage daughter while her two-year-old is washed in a small bucket of water.
Her cooking hob only has one working hob ring due to a previous leak within the ceiling that has damaged the electrics. While she says she is too scared to use the oven because it is faulty and smells of smoke every time she uses it.
Latasha says she wishes she could cook healthy food for her children from scratch but has to provide them with takeaways or ready meals instead because it is the only option.
She added: "Am I asking for too much? A running shower so I can wash my children? A cooker to cook so we can eat and space to eat where we can have a table? Basic stuff, just basic stuff we're asking for. I'm not even asking for luxury stuff."
Despite sending multiple emails to the council, Latasha and her family are still living in the temporary accommodation provided by the council.
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After MyLondon first contacted the council on Thursday, May 26, it was confirmed on Friday, May 27, the family will be rehomed.
A Croydon Council spokesperson said: "Our team has found a new home for this family [on Friday, May 27] and the family will now be relocated as soon as possible.
"We sincerely apologise that they have not felt supported in their home and recognise that, in light of national housing demand, families are sometimes left in temporary situations for far too long.
"It is unacceptable that we have left them feeling ignored. The Council is committed to making sure all our residents and families are treated with respect and empathy when dealing with our services."
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