Torry residents face “living out of boxes for months” as they’ve been told to pack up their belongings despite concerns they may not be moved into new houses until the end of the year.
When the scale of the community’s Raac crisis became clear, the local authority said it expected everyone to be in new homes by the end of the summer.
With this in mind, people have been told to pack up all their stuff so they are prepared to move at a moment’s notice.
But Aberdeen City Council now tells us it can’t give a fixed timescale for rehousing all tenants due to the large number of people affected.
Some Balnagask tenants say they have been given “conflicting” information from the local authority, and face months living in limbo.
Torry Raac tenants left to ‘wait and see’
Single mum of four, Marie Edwards, told The Press and Journal that she had been told she could be stuck in her home until December.
The shock revelation came as the young family are still waiting to get their first offer of alternative accommodation from the council.
Marie explained: “The deadline for getting us all moved out was July, but now they are saying they might not meet that goal and it might be Christmas.
“I’m sorry, but with four children you can’t be expected to live six months out of boxes and upside down.”
The Torry mum also wanted more clarity and help from the local authority as she feels there is a lot of confusion around the matter.
Marie added: “If they told us we wouldn’t be moving until June or ‘we’ve got this property but you can’t move until then’ it would be so much easier.
“We’re confused about the situation, how do you explain that to a ten, eight, six and four-year-old?
“The council could support us a lot more than they are. They are saying there is help, but where?
“From my point of view I don’t feel that there is that support, you are just sort of left to it and have to wait and see.”
What does the council say about this?
At the moment, Aberdeen City Council claims it doesn’t have a specific target date for rehousing all of its tenants.
A spokeswoman refused to comment on the specific claim that relocations could take all year.
Its latest Raac information found online states: “Given the number of affected tenants and the requirement to undertake a needs-assessed rehoming exercise, the council is unable to commit to a fixed timescale for rehousing all our tenants.”
The local authority is carrying out repairs on empty homes within its housing stock to ensure they are ready for rehousing.
These properties will only be offered to Balnagask residents once they are brought up to letting standard.
However, the council says it will “communicate and bring offers to tenants as soon as possible”.
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Torry residents need ‘clear and realistic’ move dates
Torry councillor Michael Kusznir attended a community council meeting earlier this week to learn more about the situation.
Residents who went along mentioned that they had “half packed up” ahead of a potential move but some are still awaiting confirmation of a flitting date.
The Conservative member told The Press and Journal that he has approached the housing team for more information.
Mr Kusznir said: “Having heard about a potential delay in the deadline for tenants moving out, I have asked the lead council officer for clarity.
“It is important that affected residents have clear and realistic move dates.
“To be in flux and living out of packed boxes will only add to the stress of residents, which I know is already happening.”
Torry Raac crisis forcing mum and kids out of ‘dream home’ they waited six years for
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