Newport mum living in unfinished hotels after made homeless

Penny Peterson, 29, and her children, Hunter, six, and Willow, three, are currently living in what she describes as "completely unsuitable accommodation" at the Roman Lodge Hotel on Ponthir Road in Caerleon, with no means of cooking or heating any food. 

The family were officially made homeless on June 24 after Newport Council had refused to arrange housing for them following their previous landlord in Ringland providing a year's notice that he was selling the property and they would have to move out. 

Penny Peterson has been made homeless with her son Hunter (Image: Penny Peterson) Miss Peterson said: "I know the landlord told the council in plenty of time, but they refused to do anything until the day we were told we would have to leave. Bailiffs came round, and started taking our stuff - I expected all that, but it was still really embarrassing." 

The family then had to wait for around five hours at the council offices, only to be told they would be sent to a bed and breakfast in Abertilery, despite Miss Peterson having medical conditions which means she has to see a doctor regularly and could not be that far from her surgery, or had means to travel that far.

She said: "I explained that moving to Abertillery wasn't medically possible, and I was just told I was making myself voluntarily homeless by refusing a roof over my head. 

"I already didn't have a lot of money for food, but they just didn't care."

Daughter Willow keeps asking 'when we can go home' (Image: Penny Peterson) Eventually, Miss Peterson was able to get to Abertillery, only to find a week later that she was told she was being moved again and would have to leave the hotel immediately. 

Since then, they have been moved to a number of other hotels in Newport and Cwmbran, and their only contact with the council is a weekly call to be told they must leave their current accommodation. 

The family are currently being housed in the Roman Lodge Hotel in Caerleon, which Miss Peterson says resembles a "building site" and doesn't have "a microwave or hob", or any means of cooking food.

Penny now feels she is 'a terrible mum' as she can't provide a house for Hunter, six, and Willow, three (Image: Penny Peterson) She said: "There's ladders and building waste everywhere, so it's really dangerous. We've also seen people clearly drunk and drinking in the hallway, and I've heard that this place is being used to house people who've just come out of prison.

"It's a really scary situation and I don't feel it's safe at all for me with my health or my children. We think my son might have autism, so he's really struggling with all this moving around and not having somewhere permanent. 

"My daughter is too young to understand what's happening, and keeps asking if we can go home, and I don't know what to tell her."

The accommodation currently resembles a 'building site (Image: Penny Peterson)

 Miss Peterson says she has now run out of money after spending it on cold food and takeaways to ensure her children have something to eat, but without means of heating food, the family have not eaten for days.

"I feel like a terrible mum - I just don't think I can do this anymore. All I want is to provide a better, safe life for my children, but I can't even do that. They're telling me they're hungry every day, and there's nothing I can do.

"I'm on to the council almost every day explaining why this is not a suitable place for us, but I just get ignored. All I've been told is that this weekly moving could go on for a year or longer." 

Newport City Council did not respond to a request for comment.