A concerned daughter says she fears her mother could ‘become a prisoner in her own home’ if she is not moved to a more accessible property.
Jacqueline Rennie is hoping to have her mother, Patricia Stevenson, relocated from her top-floor flat on Glenraith Road in the city’s East End after her mobility declined following recent health difficulties.
The 70-year-old, who has lived at the property for nearly 20 years now, is said to be unable to get up and down the stairs in the building without the support of her daughter and grandsons.
Jacqueline explained that if her sons are unavailable, her mother cannot get out of the house.
She said: “It’s got to the stage now that I think she’s just given up and obviously I don’t want that.
"If I come up to get her with my sons one of us has to walk in front of her and two have to hold on to her to get her down these stairs.
“If my boys are not available it means she can’t get out. In 2021 she was on the road to recovery from cancer when she got a blood clot and lost the circulation in her right leg.
“She was rushed to hospital and they had to take an artery from her left leg for the blood to flow to the other leg.
“In 2023 we got the news that she had cancer again. She had to undergo surgery in December but there were complications during this.
“The surgeon didn’t realise that the previous procedure had been done and cut through it. So it was like going back to square one with her legs.
“Going up and down these stairs on a daily basis is impossible for her.”
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After the surgery in December Jacqueline says she contacted a housing officer at Wheatley Homes requesting to have her mother moved to a ground-level property.
She also got a letter from the surgeon at Glasgow Royal Infirmary stating he had concerns over her living situation given her mobility.
Wheatley Homes told the Glasgow Times that they have offered Ms Stevenson eight properties between 2021-2022 but these were refused.
However, Jacqueline claims her mum was recently told there are no available and suitable homes in the Craigend/Garthamlock area.
She added: “They (Wheatley) say they don’t have any properties in the area. My mother has two sisters that stay here.
“I did try to get her to Barmulloch where I live but because I work it would mean she’d be by herself all day whereas if she’s in the East End her sisters can support her.
“We know some houses have stairs in them but we could get her a chair lift. I just feel she has not got any quality of life.
“It’s not suitable for a 70-year-old to be living like this. I can’t give up. If I do then she is going to be a prisoner in her own home."
Ms Stevenson’s local MP Maureen Burke has also been involved in the issue.
She said: “Ms Stevenson is one of many people across Glasgow facing a horrible situation due to a lack of good quality, social housing being built.
“I am disappointed that she has not yet been relocated to a better-suited home, but will do all I can to ensure she gets a positive outcome.
“Glasgow has declared a housing emergency and it’s about time the SNP get their act together on this issue - warm words aren’t enough, it’s time for action to ensure Ms Stevenson and thousands of others can live without fear or anxiety.”
A Wheatley Homes Glasgow spokesperson said: “We’re in regular touch with the family and are doing everything we can to help.
"We made several attempts to contact the tenant and eventually reached them in August. We have already given the tenant a priority banding for rehousing to a home which meets her needs.
"The tenant has been offered eight ground-floor properties since 2021, all of which were within the areas she indicated she would want to live.
“As soon as a suitable ground-floor property becomes available in these specific areas, she will be encouraged to make an offer for it.
"Unfortunately, there is a very low turnover of ground-floor homes in these areas. We’ll continue to work closely with the family to look at all other options, including registering with other landlords in the city and private rents.”
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