A SINGLE mother evicted from her home and forced to live in a hotel at taxpayers' expense has finally been housed by her local council.
Lisa Bowman, 33, now lives in Widford, Chelmsford, but the situation has not been completely resolved for her.
"It's only temporary, I could be here 24 hours or a year, but there's a fast turnover. The last woman who was here left after a week-and-a-half," Miss Bowman said.
"I was expecting to get a bedsit but I've actually been given a two-bedroom property, which is great because I can finally cook properly, bath Alfie and store our belongings.
"We can start doing normal things that we couldn't do before.
"But I don't know how long it's going to be so I can't settle down. Alfie can crawl around and have a bath without hurting himself. I can store food properly as well."
Miss Bowman was forced to move out when her landlord decided to sell the property.
But with nowhere to go she had to move into the Miami Hotel in Chelmsford, where she shared a bed with her son for six weeks, before finally being given temporary accommodation on May 14.
Miss Bowman could not afford to move into another private flat after leaving her job to have her son and was relying on milk vouchers, child tax credits and maternity pay, which has now stopped, to survive.
Her dilemma divided our readers, with scores of people writing in or leaving messages on our website to have their say.
"It was heart-breaking watching my son suffering every day and to see him change," she said. "He became so frustrated – he even bit me really hard on my finger and nearly drew blood.
"He was just getting really angry and he never used to be like that – he used to be a perfect, happy little baby.
"He's got very clingy because we spent so much time in one room, he gets upset when I leave the room to go to get something.
"Hopefully, he can get back to normal soon once we get a proper routine," Miss Bowman added.
She has even taken her fight as far as the Prime Minster – writing to Chelmsford MP Simon Burns, Duncan Lumley, councillor for Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park, as well as David Cameron himself.
Miss Bowman said: "I won't let this go, you'll do anything for your kids. I've lost a stone just from not eating properly."
A Chelmsford City Council spokesman said: "Banding is based on need rather than the time a household has spent on the housing register. The time it takes to secure permanent accommodation is dependent on a number of factors, including how many suitable properties are available and how many other people are bidding on those properties. This changes on a weekly basis.
"It is common practice to move a household out of B&B accommodation as soon as temporary accommodation becomes available."
