A MOTHER and her son may end up on the streets after being told that the council aren’t able to continue housing her family.

Samantha Morgan, 48, from Hove, and her two children are currently living in temporary accommodation but have been told by the council that they are not able to find them a permanent place of residence.

They are currently staying at The Wardley Hotel in Hove and their rent is being paid for by social services.

Ms Morgan said: “I am on benefits so I had no way of getting a private house and the only reason I went private at first is because I had to leave London." She said she had leave due to problems in her life there and for her own safety and had no choice but to rent privately.

“I then ended up with rent arrears from the private accommodation that I knew nothing about until an estate agent came to see me at the property, ending up with me being given an eviction notice.

“This is what made me and my family homeless and I then took myself and my children to the Brighton and Hove City Council for help as I have no family or friends I can live with.

“They then put us all in temporary accommodation in Hove, saying it could take up to 18 months to re-house us and we have been here now for five months for them to tell me they cannot help or house me and my family because I made myself intentionally homeless.”

Ms Morgan said she was told by the council to contact social services because her 16-year-old daughter, Brooke is still a dependent and also on a college course that has two years left before completion.

Her daughter was told by social services that she may now have to either go into foster care or live in a youth hostel called The Foyer.

Ms Morgan said: “It is completely wrong to make a child go and live on her own when she has a loving mother and a brother to help her grow and nourish her, which they are taking away.

“My 19-year-old son Callum and I will be on the streets because they will not pay for us to stay in temporary accommodation.”

A council spokesman said: “In general terms, decisions about whether someone is deemed to have made themselves intentionally homeless are based on national housing regulations.

“Council housing teams do not have the same legal obligations to support people deemed to be intentionally homeless as for those people who are not.

“Where we have a duty under housing legislation to offer people temporary accommodation, we always do so. Similarly, whenever we have a duty under social care legislation to offer people support, we always do so.

“When households with dependent children under the age of 18 are at risk of homelessness or where there are concerns for the child’s welfare, our children’s services have a duty to ensure that the child’s welfare is safeguarded.

“Our children’s services team is committed to keeping families together wherever it is safe to do so because we believe that is what is normally in a child’s best interests.

“Offering advice to people with housing issues can be one way of achieving this but we would not suggest foster care as a way of resolving a housing issue.

“In general terms the council does not have the same duty of care for children aged 18 or over living with their parents who are at risk of homelessness as it does for children who are under 18.