A wheelchair-bound father from Sidcup has spoken of his 'living nightmare' and fears he will be left outside in the cold over Christmas due to a broken lift.
Steven Garratt, 24, of Jubilee Way moved in to a specially adapted flat in Athena Apartments with his wife Kimberley, 21, and two-year-old son Riley in October last year when a painful, degenerative form of osteoarthritis left him confined to a wheelchair.
He says the lift in the apartments, run by Gallions housing services, has been vandalised 10 times in the past year, leaving the young father with no way of getting in to his second-floor flat.
Steven Garratt
He told News Shopper the pain of sitting in the cold for hours on end has caused him to break down in tears as he fears having to sleep in his car or stay overnight in hotels, where he cannot use the toilet.
He said: "It's a living nightmare.
"When it breaks the engineer normally takes between three and four hours to arrive so I have to sit in the cold until they say whether they can fix it.
"The last time I sat in the car in tears because of the pain.
"Sometimes it will be broken for three days which means I can't go home.
"One time I was offered a hostel on my own which was ridiculous as my wife is my full-time carer and I have been given a hotel where I couldn't use the toilet."
Mr Garratt, who is also father to five-year-old Charlie, said he feels "trapped in his own home" when the lift breaks.
He said: "If it's going to break I'd rather be in the flat but it makes me feel like a prisoner in my own home - you can't plan anything.
"On my son's fifth birthday all he wanted was to go bowling so I stayed in bed for days to make sure I would have a good day for it and the lift was broken.
"My mum had to take him with my wife and his brother but he couldn't understand why daddy couldn't go.
"It was heart-breaking."
The distraught father has applied to be moved in to a ground floor flat but has been told by Peabody, which runs Gallions, there are no suitable properties.
He added: "It means I could be stuck here for another two years by the time it all goes through.
"As it gets colder, you worry about not being able to get back in.
"It is miserable, it is frustrating."
Athena Apartments, Jubilee Way in Sidcup
A spokesman for Peabody said: "We have arranged hotel accommodation for Mr Garrett whilst we carry out repairs to the lift at Athena Apartments.
"We recognise the property does not fully meet Mr Garrett’s needs and are working to secure alternative accommodation for him and his family.
"This may take a little longer than expected due to the specific needs involved, however we are treating this case as a priority."
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