Former teacher Sofia Cox says she has been left homeless on the streets of Liverpool and claims she was treated with "zero empathy" by local services and charities. The Whitechapel Centre, Liverpool's principal homelessness charity, disputes parts of her account.
A sudden loss of housing benefit
Sofia Cox, 59, originally from Dorset, was a secondary school teacher in England before moving to Dubai, where she taught for the last decade. She returned to the UK earlier this year after the outbreak of war in Iran and the Middle East and following a violent incident at the school where she worked.
On her return, she initially lived in Northamptonshire, where she claims she was financially exploited before losing her housing allowance. She came to Liverpool in September on the recommendations of a long-standing family friend and because she believes the city is the best place to establish an AI Music business she hopes to launch.
But when she arrived, Sofia said she suddenly found her housing benefits had been wiped based on when she left her last property, leaving her with no money for accommodation. She told the ECHO: "I didn't realise I was going to lose my housing benefit when I came to Liverpool, I also thought I would have access to my teacher's pension, which I have been unable to access. So I would have easily had enough to put down a deposit on a flat and a first month's rent. I never came here wanting to be a burden on the system."
A night on the street grows more possible
Realising she was in a new city with no money, Sofia was forced to appeal to family and friends on her birthday in September to pay for a short period in an AirBnB property. She also began applying to Liverpool City Council for housing help. When that money ran out, she said she had no option but to walk into the Whitechapel Centre and register there.
She said she was triaged and told to expect a call from Liverpool Council. "They called me after I left the centre and told me I would have to go to Bedford, a place I lived 10 years ago and where I have no connections with and no money to get to. Then the woman on the phone hung up on me," she said.
Sofia said she was told to leave the charity and call the same helpline numbers she had already called. She said a staff member told her there were two possible placements for her and that she would call back shortly - but she never did. She continued to call from Liverpool Central Library, where she had holed up for the day.
She added: "I rang the Whitechapel centre again. By this point it was dark and I was scared. I had specifically said I was afraid to be out alone with all my luggage at night. They said someone would come out and assess me but gave no time frame. The library closed at 8pm so I was out on the street with my luggage."
Around 8.30pm, Sofia said she was visited by two staff members from the Whitechapel's outreach team, who asked more questions about her circumstances. She claims after the discussion the men went to their car, came back and said they couldn't help her. "They drove away and left me at around 9pm, with my luggage, on the street, in the dark, outside the Central Library. I dialled 999 and asked the police for help. They told me to ring the council or the Whitechapel Centre," she said.
Disputed account and council response
This account is disputed by The Whitechapel Centre, which said the outreach team offered Sofia a stay in their night assessment hub on the provision that she would be funded to travel out of the city the following day, but she refused. For her part, Sofia said she has nowhere else to be "reconnected" to.
The Whitechapel Centre also said that when assessing Sofia earlier, they advised her of potential issues due to her lack of local connection to Liverpool. A council homelessness assessment would come to the same conclusion.
In a last desperate attempt to stay off the streets, Sofia sold jewellery given to her from her grandmother to pay for accommodation. She said she felt she had been treated with "zero concern or empathy by those who are employed to care", labelling that moment in Liverpool as "one of the most traumatic experiences of my life."
She added: "The whole system needs replacing. I am not an addict, I had a career and a house. I am actually so resourceful and so if I can end up homeless on the streets, anyone can. Andy Burnham says he wants to eliminate rough sleeping, well they need to revamp the whole system. It needs to be connected and coherent and easily accessible - because when you are in survival mode this is just impossible."
Despite her experiences, Sofia said she is determined to stay in Liverpool and has been heartened by the kindness of Scousers. She said: "Strangers have been really kind, I really want to stay here and be part of Liverpool." She is currently trying to crowdfund enough money to retain accommodation and is hoping to raise awareness of her music, created under her artist name of Rubberband.
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: "We can't comment on individual cases but government legislation requires us to assess applications against a number of criteria, including their links to the local area. People are advised not to travel to another place they have no substantial links with, and voluntarily giving up or abandoning accommodation is also advised against. We'll always provide additional advice and guidance where necessary even if we do not have a duty to accommodate."
A spokesperson for The Whitechapel Centre said: "Sofia Cox attended for an appointment at our assessment centre on 30th September, following telephone contact with our Outreach Team. Our centre is a busy environment but we work hard to make it a safe environment for everyone who is waiting to be seen. Almost 70% of clients accessing our services are male. Had we known Ms Cox found difficulties with this environment, we would have looked for an alternative room and space."
"Our Housing Advisor met Sofia and completed an assessment to establish her housing related support needs. We advised Sofia of the steps through homeless services, including referral to LCC's Housing Solutions Service for a Homeless Assessment and the process that would follow. Through our assessment we foresaw potential issues relating to local connection and advised Sofia of this. We completed a Duty to Refer to Liverpool City Council's (LCC) Housing Solutions."
"We would have given Sofia the numbers for Housing Solutions, Always Help Available. Also, we often tell people about using the public buildings such as the library if they are waiting for a call back as it's a safe and warm space. Whilst at our assessment centre, LCC rang providing the outcome of their Homeless Assessment and decision about local connection. Sofia was unhappy with the call and immediately left our premises."
"As Sofia has said, she was seen by Outreach that evening. They discussed options, including offering the Night Assessment Hub subject to reconnection the following day. Sofia refused reconnection. She advised she had an AirB&B for the night. We have not had further contact with Sofia."
