Sofia Cox, a 59-year-old former teacher originally from Dorset, has said she was left homeless in Liverpool after moving to the city to set up an AI music business, claiming she was shown "zero empathy" by social services.
Ms Cox taught secondary school in England before moving to Dubai, where she remained for a decade. She returned to the UK after the war in Iran and a violent incident at her new school, settling initially in Northamptonshire before deciding to move to Liverpool.
Loss of housing benefit and pension access
Ms Cox told the Liverpool Echo she came to the city on the recommendation of a longtime family friend and believed Liverpool was the best place to establish an AI Music business. She arrived in September only to find the housing benefits she had previously been receiving were wiped. On top of having no money for accommodation, the former teacher said she has also been unable to access her teacher's pension.
She said: "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."
Council and charity response
Ms Cox turned to friends and family on her birthday in September to fund a brief stay at an Airbnb, and applied to Liverpool City Council for housing help. After registering with the Whitechapel Centre, Liverpool's principal homeless charity, she was triaged and, after receiving a call from the council, informed she would have to live in Bedford. She said: "I was triaged there 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 described being told to wait in a room full of men at the Whitechapel Centre, with one man high on drugs, and said there was no separate waiting room for women. She was eventually told to leave and call the same helpline numbers she had tried before, with a staffer saying there were two potential placements, but they never called back.
Left on the street at night
After trying the Whitechapel Centre again, Ms Cox was seen by two outreach staff. She claimed that, following a discussion, the men went to their car, came back and told her there was nothing they could do. She said: "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."
The Whitechapel Centre disputes the account, saying outreach staff had offered her a stay at a night assessment hub, providing she'd be funded to travel out of the city the day following. Ms Cox said there was nowhere for her to be "reconnected" to, as centre staffers had told her the lack of connection to Liverpool could cause issues for her.
The former teacher said she sold jewellery handed down from her grandma to pay for accommodation, proceeds from which she is currently living off. She said she feels she has been treated with "zero concern or empathy by those who are employed to care" and described the moment she was left with her bags as "one of the most traumatic experiences of my life".
She said: "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 said 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."
Ms Cox said she is nonetheless determined to stay in Liverpool and commended kind strangers who she says want her "to stay here and be part of Liverpool". She is now trying to crowdfund money for accommodation, while raising awareness of her music, which she creates under the moniker Rubberband$.
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said they were not able to comment on Ms Cox's case, but advised people who may find themselves in a similar situation to seek help with the council that is most likely to owe them. They said: "The Council cannot comment on individual cases. However, when considering a homelessness application, the Council must apply the relevant statutory tests, including eligibility for assistance, homelessness, priority need, local connection and intentionality. The outcome of these assessments determines what duties, if any, a local authority owes to an applicant. Anyone seeking homelessness assistance is advised to approach the local authority that is most likely to owe the relevant accommodation duty, rather than travelling to another area where that duty may not apply."
The spokesperson added: "Each application must, however, be considered on its individual circumstances and in accordance with the Council’s statutory responsibilities. Where an individual is choosing to relocate to another area, it is advisable to ensure that settled accommodation is available before taking steps to relocate. This can help reduce the risk of becoming homeless in an area where there may be no longer-term accommodation duty owed by that local authority. Under homelessness legislation, voluntarily giving up or abandoning accommodation would be advised against. Where a person deliberately leaves accommodation that was available to them and which it would have been reasonable for them to continue to occupy, this may affect the homelessness duties subsequently owed by a local authority. This is not an automatic conclusion: the Council must make appropriate enquiries and consider the individual circumstances of each application before reaching a decision. The Council will continue to provide advice and assistance in accordance with its statutory homelessness duties."
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."
