Grenfell Survivor Still Living In Hotel Two Years After Tragedy - EXCLUSIVE
14 June 2019, 07:19 | Updated: 14 June 2019, 07:31
LBC has discovered one bereaved survivor of the Grenfell Tower fire is still living in a hotel two years after the tragedy.
Bobby Ross lived on the 15th floor and his father Steve Power was one of the 72 people killed in the disaster.
The 29-year-old was offered a new home by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council last Spring, but it took nearly a year for them to get it ready.
Bobby said “I thought this was going to be my new home, I picked everything from the new carpet to the colour of the walls.”
But, when he tried to move in, he found a series of problems, including rodent droppings all around the backdoor, damp, and water flooding through the bathroom lights.
That is a fire risk, and he’s now refusing to move in, as he’s too scared.
He says he’s now living in the same hotel the Council placed him in immediately after the disaster, saying it has had a significant effect on his mental health.
He told LBC: “I don’t go out. Usually I have the blinds closed. Usually I just stay inside, I don’t really want to see anyone. I don't go out, I don't want to do anything.
"It's just spiralled me more into depression."
He also says he can’t properly move on, and mourn his Dad, while his life is still in flux. He added: "I haven't had the time to grieve, I've had to keep it going and deal with all these problems.
"Once you get your place, that's when you get the time to grieve. I haven't had that time."
Theresa May has been criticised for promising all survivors would be rehoused in within 3 weeks of 14th June 2017.
Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “We have been working hard to make the properties we bought for bereaved, survivors and their families into a place they can call home, working with them to do so in incredibly complex circumstances.
“This hasn’t been simple – it was never going to be. We had experienced housing officers making this clear to people two years ago. We are nearly there, but we will not be rushing the last few families to meet artificial deadlines. There is currently one household in a hotel, and 184 families have a permanent home.
“Council staff have never stopped caring and never stopped working, and this will continue to be the case when every family is in their new home and starting to rebuild their lives, and we are working with our colleagues in the NHS who will be crucial for this long-term effort.”
