‘I probably would have given my son up without help from a baby bank. No one else supported me’

A mother feared she would have to give up her baby after fleeing domestic abuse into homelessness.

Monica, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, sought help from her local council to place her in temporary accommodation while she was pregnant.

She has been living in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation since March 2024. She claims that the conditions and facilities were so poor that she feared she worried she would not be able to care for her baby.

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“It’s been a lot of challenges to my physical health,” she says. “I’m asthmatic and having to share the toilet with numerous people, I’ve been treating infections back to back. But it’s a roof over our head. When I’m drained and overwhelmed, I remind myself that I’m not sleeping outside under the bridge with my child.”

The temporary accommodation she has been assigned is a “tiny room”. When a cot was put into it, there was “barely any space to move around”.

There are also no laundry facilities, meaning that Monica has to spend around £60 each month at a laundrette to keep their clothes clean.

Monica, who is from Ghana, has no family in the UK and no support system. She came to this country on a work visa but her ex-partner did not allow her to work and the visa was taken away. 

She would like to stay in the UK and find work so she can secure a better future for her family, but she currently has no recourse to public funds so cannot access benefits or social housing. She relies on food bank vouchers for meals for herself and her son.

“The feeling of isolation is a lot. You’re far away from your family. You are just in a tiny space where your son wants to play around, but there’s barely any space for him to move,” Monica says. “You are so emotionally drained. You are dealing with your emotions and then your son is throwing tantrums because they can’t play inside. They have to be stuck on the bed most of the time. That makes it more overwhelming and a lot more emotionally challenging.”

The latest official homelessness statistics show that around 176,000 children are now living in temporary accommodation in England, a record-high figure.

It is believed to be harming their health. More than 100 children died with temporary accommodation listed as a contributory factor to their death between 2019 and 2020, according to the National Child Mortality Database. This includes 76 babies under the age of one.

The government has set out an ambition to end homelessness – including reducing the numbers of people living in temporary accommodation and ending the unlawful placement of families in B&Bs beyond the six-week legal limit. 

Alison McGovern, minister for homelessness, previously said: “It breaks my heart that B&Bs are tragically contributing to the deaths of children. We must and we are improving the whole system, so every child can get the best start in life.” 

But campaigners fear it is not yet enough, calling for improved standards of temporary accommodation and better support for pregnant women experiencing homelessness.

The All-Parliamentary Group for Households (APPG) in Temporary Accommodation called for improved standards of temporary accommodation and better support for pregnant women experiencing homelessness. 

This includes ensuring families have access to cots and other safe sleeping options, as this is not believed to be routine practice, despite it being included in statutory guidance.

Matt Downie, chief executive at Crisis, previously said: “No child should have to grow up without a safe place to call home, let alone lose their life as a result of our broken housing and homelessness system. It’s deplorable and, crucially, avoidable.”

Monica received support from baby bank charity Little Village, after a referral from her midwife. They delivered a bundle of items while she was pregnant, including nappies, baby clothes, toys and books. The charity continued supporting her after her son was born too.

“Every three months we get a referral and they send us all these baby bits,” Monica says.

“Before, I didn’t know how I was going to manage because we were under the no recourse to public funds. We still are under no recourse to public funds, so we don’t have access to benefits, which makes it even more difficult when it comes to finance. So Little Village has really saved me.”

She adds: “I don’t know what I would have done without those baby bits. I probably would have given my son up.

“It makes me feel sad I got to that point where I had to think of that option,” Monica says. “I’m glad I didn’t because I would have really regretted it. He’s my best friend and the only person I have other than myself here.”

Visit Little Village’s websiteto find out more, including how to donate.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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