A MOTHER has made a desperate plea for her homeless daughter to be given social housing after she found herself living in "horrible" conditions in a hotel.
Sandra Thomas’ daughter - who we have been asked not to name - is currently holed up in the Holiday Inn near Cardiff Airport, where she is not allowed her own cooking facilities and cannot even open windows.
Ms Thomas’ daughter, who is 22, suffers from depression, and anxiety, and was made homeless after breaking up with her boyfriend in Pontypridd.
She came back to Barry to be near her family, but Ms Thomas says her daughter cannot live with her due to her own OCD issues.
Ms Thomas’ said her daughter had a bright future, attending Bryn Hafren Comprehensive, then going to Cardiff and Vale College and University to study public services. But she dropped out when her depression got too much.
The tiny hotel Ms Thomas' daughter has been trapped in for months
‘The toilet smells, the bathroom has no ventilation, she cannot eat’
Conditions in the hotel are so bad that Ms Thomas’ daughter cannot eat in the room, with the toilet, which she says smells bad, right next to her bed.
The hotel is used as temporary accommodation for those who are homeless.
This adds to the woman's problems, as she explained to her mother there can be difficult characters in the rooms next to her who intimidate her.
Ms Thomas claims one roommate, who was homeless, was found dead in his room - two days after he had died.
Ms Thomas' daughter says she cannot eat because the toilet is so close to her bed
'It is horrible'
Ms Thomas, 57, says her daughter cannot take it anymore.
“The hotel is making her mental health worse,” explained Ms Thomas. “There’s a lot of men shouting and screaming in the other rooms.
“The toilet smells, the bathroom has no ventilation. She cannot eat with the bathroom right by her bed. It is horrible.
“If I am cooking something tidy I ask her to come on up. I suffer with OCD, we clash with our mental health problems which is why she needs her own space.
“My daughter is capable of looking after herself she just needs her own place. They (the council) just keep saying something will happen – I am scared she is going to take her own life.”
The windows cannot be opened
Turned down accommodation on offer
The Vale council say the Thomas' have turned down at least one offer of accommodation, and that the housing team has also offered additional support, and the family is in contact with a mental health links worker.
Ms Thomas says they turned the offer down was because the accommodation offered was supported living in Penarth, which her daughter does not need, and that she needs somewhere close to her family.
Sandra Thomas, pictured, is pleading for her daughter to get a place of her own
‘Hugely sympathetic’
The family has been in contact with Vale MP Alun Cairns who says he has tried to get answers from the council.
“I am sorry to hear about the situation,” said Mr Cairns.
“I have also had other people living in the Holiday Inn contact me about the living conditions and the lack of access to a fridge or hot meals and that they must share one microwave and toaster.
“After hearing of these complaints, I wrote to the council to ask about the human implications for the tenants, following the decision of the hotel not to allow them to use these facilities and additionally, to ask what the council is doing to support these residents?
“I am still waiting for a response.”
IHG Hotels & Resorts, which runs Holiday Inn, was contacted for comment, but had not responded as the Barry and District News went to press.
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