A disabled woman who spent Christmas alone and unwell has spoken of how a litany of issues with her flat as well as the removal of communal facilities is making her social isolation even worse. Barbara Hainsworth, 63, claims she and her fellow residents at Ada Court in Maida Vale, West London, feel they have been “left to die” by the company managing the homes.
She said the complex in which she lives has been hit with a series of problems over the last two years, including a broken lift that left her unable to leave the property or wash her clothes for more than two weeks. The housing trust which oversees the accommodation, Central and Cecil Housing Trust (C&C), took so long to fix the lift that Ms Hainsworth was admitted to hospital after falling unwell before it was functioning again. She said: “It feels like we’re just waiting for Godot. We’ve just been left to die. And I’m not at that age that I’m prepared to do that yet.”
Ms Hainsworth moved into Ada Court four years ago. She had to leave her previous home, she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), due to her landlord deciding the property was to be pet-free, posing a problem for Ms Hainsworth who lived with her dog. Facing potential homelessness, Ms Hainsworth said it was her support worker who suggested Ada Court, a housing complex providing sheltered accommodation.
According to Ms Hainsworth, for the first couple of years, Ada Court was a pleasant place to live. However, since C&C, which manages the homes, joined housing association Aster Group in January 2022, Ms Hainsworth claimed things have gone considerably downhill.
“There used to be things going on, there used to be coffee mornings, lunch groups, outings and things like that which no longer take place,” she said. “We used to have a hairdresser that came there on Fridays – all that sort of thing. There was a lovely sort of living room area where people could congregate, and they’ve taken all of the furniture out of there.”
The issues go beyond the removal of activities and spaces, Ms Hainsworth added. “It’s all a big mess really. The whole place is disgusting, it’s running alive with cockroaches and bedbugs. Little by little they’ve reduced everything that made that place a nice place to live.”
A spokesperson for C&C told the LDRS the trust is aware of the bed bugs, and that it has a treatment programme in place, with the situation slowly improving. Residents can get involved in a range of activities at Ada Court, including things like Zumba and singing groups, they added, saying they run activities and trips off-site based on interest and demand.
Housebound
In early November, Ms Hainsworth said matters became worse when she was unable to leave Ada Court for more than two weeks due to a lift being out of action. Living on the second floor, Ms Hainsworth said she is reliant on one larger lift to get out, as it is the only one which will accommodate her mobility scooter. While three other lifts are available, she said she cannot use them on her own. The LDRS witnessed Ms Hainsworth struggling to get into the smaller lifts when visiting Ada Court.
“So I have to use the service lift, and I have been doing so since I moved in there,” she said. “But apparently…the service lift was vandalised on the first floor. Because it was vandalised, they were in no hurry to fix it. So effectively that made me housebound. I couldn’t leave the second floor.”
Ms Hainsworth claims during this time, she struggled to speak to anyone working for C&C in the Ada Court office to understand when the repairs would be carried out. She said she tried to explain she needs to take her dog, a 14-year-old Staffy, out for a walk, but to no avail. Ms Hainsworth also told the LDRS she was unable to wash any of her clothes during this period, due to the launderette being on the ground floor.
Asked about the problems with the lift, a C&C spokesperson said: “We’re sorry for the recent issue with our service lift and understand Ms Hainsworth’s concerns. The welfare of our customers is extremely important to us, and our team is available on site every day at Ada Court. Customers can also get in touch in several ways, including calling the office number, their emergency call lines which are fitted inside each home or by emailing the team.”
They added: “While the lift in question was not working, three other passenger lifts were available which are large enough for our customer to access with their mobility scooter and a member of staff helped her to use them when she asked for help. All four lifts at Ada Court are now fully operational.”
‘Waiting for Godot’
Before the lift was fixed, Ms Hainsworth was taken to hospital after suffering a fall due to becoming light-headed. She is now out and back home after spending more than three weeks at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, though must remain an outpatient for the rest of her life, due to the discovery of a blood clot on her lungs.
Ms Hainsworth said upon returning to Ada Court, she continued to struggle to speak to anyone at C&C, spending Christmas alone as planned but struggling with ill health she didn’t anticipate. However, she has since said she has heard from the Trust, which asked about her hospital stay.
A C&C spokesperson confirmed this, saying: “We have spoken directly with Ms Hainsworth. She has assured our team that she has no outstanding issues. We have reassured Ms Hainsworth of the best ways to get in touch with the team if she has any concerns in the future.”
On her experience over the last couple of years living at Ada Court, Ms Hainsworth said: “We are just being pushed away. We’re not cared about anymore basically. It feels like we’re just waiting for Godot. We’ve just been left to die.”
Cllr Gillian Arrindell, Lead Member for Air Quality and Disability Champion at Westminster City Council, who has been in touch with Ms Hainsworth regarding her recent issues, said she “was very concerned when I saw her pleas for help on social media. It is very important that providers of sheltered accommodation such as Central and Cecil Housing Trust take their responsibilities seriously, and that residents are able to get the support that they need.”
