October 11 marks twelve months since we reported the plight of Robert Carver, a gay man living in Hove, suffering from a degenerating life limiting condition.
For the last six years, Robert Carver 32, has been living in temporary council accommodation. His second floor one bedroom flat is accessed by 28 steps but has no lift. During the last 12 months his condition has continued to deteriorated considerably, and the illness now affects his speech considerably.
Robert told Gscene at the time: “I am a paraplegic, with no use or feeling in either of my legs. I started suffering from this disease five years ago. The disease is so rare that a formal accurate diagnosis is not available, but is most likely to have been caused by a brain virus.”
For the past three years, Robert has been unable to walk or use his legs and remains “trapped” in his second floor, temporary council accommodation, with a steep, narrow staircase, which is clearly totally unsuitable for the needs of someone who cannot use their legs.
When Robert has to leave the flat for hospital appointments he is dragged across the floor by his carer and bounced down the steep staircase, often hurting himself in the process.
When he returns to the flat after medical appointments, he has to be pulled step by step up the stairs, by his carer then dragged across the floor because the flat is too small to accommodate the use of a wheelchair.
Robert’s situation was originally brought to public attention when ITV Meridan ran a news story about Robert’s plight on October 12, 2016.
A spokesperson for Brighton & Hove City Council at the time said: “We are aware that Mr. Carver’s condition has deteriorated and we also recognise that his current accommodation is unsuitable. We’ve recently acquired some emergency accommodation with wheel chair adapted units and were hoping to move him in on an interim basis in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately there is an acute shortage of accommodation available that is suitable for his needs.”
Following that statement Robert was offered a property in Whitehawk which was not wheelchair accessible and said to be unsuitable for Robert by his occupational therapist and a studio flat in Windsor Court that had no second bedroom for a carer and described as unsuitable for housing vulnerable people by Caroline Lucas the MP for Brighton Pavilion.
Larissa Reed, Brighton & Hove Council’s Executive Director for Neighbourhoods, Communities & Housing, acknowledged to Meridian News on September 22, 2017 that Mr Carver had “significant care needs” but that the Council had been “clear all along” that his care needs don’t mean that he should have a two bedroom flat to accommodate his carer and they want “to work with Mr Carver to find him a suitably adapted one bedroom property.”
Meanwhile Mr Carver, who is HIV positive, is incontinent and needs round the clock care. As of July 26, 2017 he has been diagnosed by his consultant clinical psychologist as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which relates to his neurological presentation with this diagnosis. In his medical opinion, the consultant recommends the best way forward is to rehouse Mr Carver in a two bedroom property with 24 hour care to support his needs, an assessment Mr Carver’s occupational therapist, specialist nurse, GP and hospital consultants all agree with.
The next stage in the campaign to get Mr Carver rehoused into suitable accommodation comes on October 11, when his case will be raised in the House of Commons.
In the meantime Mr Carver and his supporters have set up a charity called Still Human UK to help people in similar situations challenge similar injustices.
For more information and to make a donation to the charity, click here:
You must be logged in to post a comment.