At 75 years old, Susan Curtis wishes to enjoy a life marked by comfort and dignity. Unfortunately, she finds herself homeless and struggling to meet her basic needs in a cramped hotel room in Romford, east London. The current state of homelessness is alarming, with rough sleeper numbers rising significantly since 2010, reaching 3,898—an increase of 120% since that time.

Susan faces numerous challenges; she has no proper cooking facilities, suffers from lung disease, and needs a hip replacement. The looming threat of becoming completely homeless weighs heavily on her mind. “I don’t like being here; I feel hopeless and anxious about the possibility of being thrown out,” she shares.

This unexpected turn of events has been difficult for Susan. Until August, she resided in a rented maisonette filled with her belongings and her cherished cat, Charlie. However, her landlady sold the property, forcing her to leave after living there for 13 years. “It was shocking,” she recalls. “I had to put all my furniture into storage. As an artist, I lost several large paintings I created myself.”

Living on a state pension and disability benefits while contending with soaring rents in London made finding another rental impossible. “Housing agents won’t accept me,” Susan explains. Seeking assistance, she turned to her local council for help.

Local authorities are obligated to provide housing for the homeless. However, with around 183,000 people living in temporary accommodations across London, the small hotel room was the best that Havering Council could offer her. The only food preparation option is a microwave positioned near her single bed. “Feeding myself is nearly impossible; I mostly have fruit and biscuits until I can visit my daughter for a proper meal,” she states.

With no sink in the room for washing dishes or herself—since the shower requires a large step that Susan cannot manage—she relies on others for laundry help. Fortunately, the hotel’s proximity to her daughter Emma’s home provides regular access to hot meals and companionship.

Susan is uncertain about how long her situation will last and feels trapped with no clear escape route. Currently on Havering Council’s waiting list for permanent housing alongside 2,500 others, she worries about being forced into another inadequate living situation or ending up on the street.

Despite needing sheltered accommodation, she believes she is at the bottom of the priority list for any openings that may arise. Moving in with Emma would violate tenancy agreements and could lead to their eviction, which Susan wants to avoid—especially as Emma is undergoing cancer treatment.

Havering Council acknowledged Susan’s situation stemmed from an eviction by her private landlord—a growing issue in their community—and stated that securing sheltered housing could take up to a year due to high demand and limited availability.