Ealing Council Accused of 'Ghosting' Homeless Family
Locked out of temporary accommodation without any warning
Henry Construction went bankrupt in 2024. Picture: Facebook
April 22, 2026
Tsgae Berhane and her son Damien Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon
A mother and her 11-year-old daughter from Ealing came home from buying school uniforms to find the locks had been changed on their emergency accommodation without warning.
The family became homeless and were forced to fork out for a £100-a-night hotel room and live out of a single suitcase after the unexpected ‘eviction’ earlier this month. The family claims Ealing Council stopped paying their housing benefit which was funding their accommodation in an Uxbridge B&B, after they rejected a housing offer 24 miles away.
Tsgae Berhane, a mother of two, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she felt pressured into accepting the offer, and was not given a proper explanation of the consequences of rejecting it.
Throughout the interview with the LDRS, Tsgae’s son Daimen, 25, who also lives with them, acted as a translator. He says throughout the housing process he has had to do this, something he says Ealing Council was aware of – but Tsgae says she was not offered a translator when offered housing in another borough.
Tsgae said, “They make you scared, like the way they pressure you, the tone and language they use… say things like ‘you have to go to this one’, you have kids, you have to go, if you don’t have anything you have to accept it’.”
In the UK, if someone rejects an offer of housing – whether too far away or otherwise unsuitable – the council can end their legal duty towards that person or family if they believe the refusal is an ‘unreasonable’ one.
Tsgae moved to West Ealing in 2010 and began working as a carer, a job she still maintains. She began renting from a private landlord, however was given a ‘no-fault’ eviction notice – soon to become illegal – in 2017 when her landlord wanted to repossess the home.
As a result, Ealing Council placed Tsgae, her son Daimen who was 16 at the time, and her then-two-year-old daughter into a B&B in Hayes, where they stayed for four months – breaching the legal six-week limit. In February 2018, the family were moved into a flat in West Ealing as temporary accommodation – they lived here for seven years.
In September 2025, the family were issued with a no-fault eviction for a second time as their landlord decided they wanted the property back. Tsgae was forced to put all her belongings into storage and waited with her family on the street until 5.30pm when Ealing Council offered them a single room in the Uxbridge B&B, with a shared bathroom and kitchen. This was their home until the ‘eviction’, again despite rules stipulating that family stays in emergency accommodation like B&Bs should legally last no longer than six weeks.
In December 2025, Tsgae says a housing officer called to offer a three-bedroom temporary accommodation. Initially, Tsgae said she accepted because she thought she heard him say ‘Northolt’ which was within a workable distance for her job and her daughter’s school.
However, when she received an email to confirm, she discovered the property is actually in Ilford – almost 25 miles from their previous Ealing home, school and job. She rejected the offer as it would make it impossible for her to keep her job as a carer.
It was at this point she says Ealing Council discharged its duty towards the family and notified Tsgae of her right to review the decision. Within days, Tsgae appealed and submitted a letter from her daughter’s school detailing how important it is that she remains in the school.
The Head Teacher wrote to Ealing Council stating, “She is one of our most vulnerable children that we are concerned about, with her emotional health. She has been in a good place with her mental health for a while.
“She has made good friends and I feel she is very stable at the moment. I feel that a move to Romford [Road in Ilford] will be a serious step back in, not only her mental health, but in her education. We have put a lot of work in to help [her].
“She only has a few months left at [the school] and we would strongly recommend that she does not leave the school before July. We are concerned about her transition to high school, so we will be putting in extra support for her. If she cannot attend here, that support will not be put in place for her, as the new school would not support her. They would not know her as we do.”
Ealing Council told the family no such request for review was received, despite the family receiving an automated email receipt from the council which has been seen by the LDRS. During the following four months in the Uxbridge B&B the family say they received no contact from Ealing Council, however the uncertainty took a toll.
Tsgae tearfully told the LDRS, “I wake up every night, I have to share a bed with my daughter, because she keeps asking me, ‘sorry, why is our life like this mummy?’ Why can’t we have a home? I can’t sleep, I have been to the GP last time, they gave me sleeping tablets.”
Suddenly, in April 2026, ten weeks after the review was lodged, Tsgae says Ealing Council stopped paying the housing benefit that covered the cost of the Uxbridge B&B. The family say they were not told this would happen, instead they found out from the increasingly unhappy B&B owner.
Whilst out on a Saturday buying school uniforms, Tsgae and her daughter come home to find the lock to their room had been changed and they were left on the streets. The family were forced to sleep on the floors of friends’ houses before eventually having to pay almost £100 per night for an emergency hotel and storage.
Damien, Tsgae’s son, claims the family were effectively ghosted by the council. He said: “There was no communication of them telling us this [accommodation in Uxbridge] would stop.
“What was disturbing is that for months we didn’t hear from our housing officer once. We didn’t even know who our officer was.
“When we called the Ealing Council they told us that Hillingdon had to deal with us, and Hillingdon told us Ealing had to because they had a duty…
“It’s draining every day seeing your mother cry, seeing your sister cry and ask what’s going on. It’s not a nice feeling.”
The LDRS contacted Ealing Council inquiring about the circumstances. Within 24 hours of the contact, Ealing Council resumed their duty and placed the family in a hotel in Hayes.
Just four days later, the family received a call from a housing officer, offering a viewing of a potential a temporary home in Harrow. The family say they are now awaiting a formal invitation via email to avoid any confusion around the offer.
An Ealing Council spokesperson said, “We are sorry to hear about the situation that this and their family are in. Over the past few years, we have seen unprecedented demand for temporary accommodation. We are now temporarily housing around 3,000 families, at a huge cost. Increased demand and reduced supply have jointly made our borough one of the least affordable places for housing in London. In response, we’re actively expanding the number of affordable homes available, by directly building themselves ourselves, by securing them at other developments through our planning system, and by buying homes to let to council tenants.
“We are carrying out a statutory review of the family’s housing situation, which is ongoing, so we cannot comment on the details of the case until it has concluded. We have provided the resident and their family with accommodation, which they will receive while the review takes place. We will let them know the outcome of the decision as soon as it has been made.
“We will always do what we can to find the most suitable accommodation for our residents, however, the lack of options available to us often mean a compromise has to be made.”
Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter