A MAN who has been living in homeless accommodation in Rhyl for the last 14 months has pleaded with Denbighshire County Council to help him rehome his family.

The man, who asked not to be named, was made homeless with his partner and their four-year-old daughter, who has autism, in July 2023.

Having lived a “happy life” prior to that, he and his family have since endured a “nightmare”, he said, and have been relocated to different temporary accommodation by the council on three separate occasions.

He said to their ordeal has also been to the detriment of their mental health, with both him and his partner prescribed medication to treat depression and anxiety.

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Rhyl mum pleads for help finding home after more than a year of homelessness

‘Depressed’ Rhyl mum pleads for help as family face homelessness

The man said: “We’ve been passed from pillar to post. We’re getting nowhere.

“The thing we found hardest was the council giving us no reason why they were moving us on (to different homeless accommodation. We just get told: ‘You’ve got to go by 12.00, and this is where you’re going to’.

“It’s really getting on top of us now. A few weeks ago, I couldn’t leave our accommodation without shaking. It really does affect you, and you can’t get the counselling you need.

“People don’t realise how hard it is to live in temporary accommodation. You always feel like you’re living a fake life, because it’s not how you would (normally) live.”

The man claimed that, during their time in temporary accommodation, he and his family have been in the company of drug users, who his daughter calls “zombies”.

An opportunity to move into a house in Prestatyn earlier this year also fell through, which has left him and his family feeling “stuck”.

He urged the council to help them find “somewhere we call home”.

“It’s been absolutely horrible. She (daughter) just wants a home.

“We would just like a a two-bedroom apartment; our own place, with a room for our daughter, so we can just get ourselves settled.

“At the moment, it feels like we’re constantly waiting to be moved to another temporary accommodation.

“You feel like you can’t even unpack your clothes, because you’ll have to put them all away again (and move), so you feel like you’re living out of binbags.

“It’s a nightmare. I’m absolutely fed up of it, to be honest.”

A Freedom of Information request earlier this year revealed that, in 2023-24, Denbighshire County Council spent a grant of more than £7million to address housing issues.

As of 2023, there were more than 300 Denbighshire households in emergency or temporary accommodation.

This year, there have also been multiple instances of “homeless camps” being set up along Rhyl’s promenade.

In response to the man’s comments, a spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases.

“However, we would encourage them to share any concerns directly with us.”

Denbighshire County Council spent its Housing Support Grant for 2023-24 in the following areas:

  • Private rented sector access schemes – £212,548.00
  • Rapid rehousing/housing-led services - £207,973.00
  • Emergency accommodation provision - £835,610.02
  • Enforcement, investigation or compliance with housing legislation - £7,412.00
  • Activities designed to promote and publicise compliance with housing legislation - £1,000.00
  • Floating support - £3,189,516.00
  • Temporary supported accommodation - £1,605,325.00
  • Refuges - £350,453.00
  • Non-statutory Housing Support Grant-funded posts - £364,612.00
  • Other homelessness prevention projects - £435,303.00
  • Other - £146,783.00