Homeless families facing ejection to make way for Beyoncé fans

Up to 30 homeless families are facing removal from a Travelodge in Enfield when Beyoncé concerts take place at the end of the month. The removal comes after the local council failed to extend the families’ bookings as per a report in The Guardian.

The families’ rooms have been booked by concert-goers who are attending the Beyoncé Renaissance world tour. The Grammy award-winning artist is scheduled to play five nights at Tottenham Hotspur stadium between 29 May and 4 June.

The families are being placed in alternative temporary accommodation whilst their rooms are in use as a result of the local council’s failures.

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Roughly 100 rooms are booked by the local council to house homeless families and individuals. Some rooms are shared between four or five people.

This is not the first time the families have had to move into other temporary accommodation. Travelodge rooms can only be booked for 28 days at a time, and families were reportedly told that the council would often wait until the final day of their booking before making another one.

The move from the Travelodge into the temporary accommodation has been incredibly disruptive to the families with some children missing school because of it.

Collette Collington, 42, has been living in the Travelodge since the beginning of May with her four-year-old daughter and twin two-year-old sons, who have autism. She was told that she would be moved to a Travelodge in Hertfordshire on the 25 May and not return until 4 June.

‘I don’t sleep as it is but this is very distressing.’ Collington told The Guardian, ‘It’s not good for me, my mental health and for my two youngest children who need stability because of their additional needs.’

After her private landlord increased her rent, Collington was made homeless. ‘The biggest shock for me was coming in here and seeing all the other families. I thought I’d be the only one but then you come here and see this,’ she said.

An Enfield council spokesperson said in a statement: ‘in the event that Travelodge is not able to offer rooms for individuals and families, we will do our utmost to find other suitable accommodation with as little disruption as possible.

‘We recognise that hotel accommodation is not ideal for families which is why we continue to lobby for national action to address the fundamental shortfall of affordable housing.’

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