An Aberdeen mum-of-two has been left homeless after losing her flat in a fire three months ago.
Carri Macinnes was pregnant with her daughter when the fire broke out at the Clifton Road property on July 22.
The 26-year-old was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
But agencies were unable to provide emergency accommodation, forcing Miss Macinnes and her 10-year-old son Jayden to bunk with her mum.
As well as coping with losing their home, Miss Macinnes and Jayden had to come to terms with the loss of their seven-year-old dog, Mack. The bullmastiff cross malamute husky got out of the burning flat, but later died of heart damage.
Three months on, Miss Macinnes is still fighting to find a new home so she can rebuild her life with Jayden and her five-week-old daughter Araya.
“It was horrible,” she said. “I’ve lost everything. My son and I left with just the clothes we had on, that’s all we’ve got.
“A Grampian Housing officer came to the property and told me they had nowhere for me to stay. The council also told me they had no temporary accommodation so me and my son had to stay with my mum, which was overcrowded.
“I was sharing a bed with my mum and my son while I was pregnant.”
‘I’m being told I’m not a priority’
Miss Macinnes had lived in the Grampian Housing Association (GHA) property on Clifton Road for five years before the fire broke out.
As GHA is unable to provide temporary housing in any situation, Miss Macinnes was referred to Aberdeen City Council’s homelessness service.
She added: “I was given keys to temporary accommodation which had blood all over the walls, the lights didn’t work, there was no heating and the locks didn’t work. The council pretty much told me to deal with it.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “We have been in touch with Ms Maciness over her housing issues and are working to support her secure an appropriate home”.
The cause of the blaze has not yet been established but the mum-of-two believes it was caused by a faulty wire or socket, which she claims she had previously reported.
“It wasn’t my fault I was made homeless with two children,” she said.
“I’ve been waiting for months for a property to become available, but I’m being told I’m not a priority.
“They’ve said there are other people they’re considering for the property over me, even though I’ve been told for months that the minute something came up that was suitable, I’d be offered it.”
Changing circumstances
At the time of the fire, Miss Macinnes was not eligible for a three-bedroom property, but since the birth of her daughter her “circumstances have changed”.
However, although she is now eligible through GHA, they can’t consider her application for a permanent home while the city council is still trying to find her somewhere temporary to stay.
Miss Macinnes is also battling some health issues, and had a C-section as a result.
She said: “I’ve been in and out of hospital since having my daughter, I’m actually going back into hospital because my kidneys are failing and my bladder is damaged, while dealing with the stress of all of this as well.”
No homes ‘readily available’
A GHA spokeswoman said: “We take the health and safety of our tenants extremely seriously. In this case, the cause of the fire is not yet known.
“We encourage all tenants to take out contents insurance to cover all eventualities and we understand that the tenant has insurance in place and the claim is being processed. There are no reports on our records of a faulty wire/socket being reported.
“We are aware that the tenant has been dealing with Aberdeen City Council homelessness service for temporary accommodation as this cannot be provided by Grampian.
“Unfortunately, the options for Grampian to offer alternative accommodation were restricted due to the tenant’s request for a larger house in the same area. We regret that Grampian does not have a larger house readily available in this area.
“The tenant did not have priority for a three-bedroom property at the time of the fire but the circumstances have now changed.
“Currently the tenant is being considered for a suitable house from another housing association which means she cannot be considered for any other larger Grampian properties that may become available until the outcome of the current application is known.”
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