I find it very difficult to understand the thought processes of Brighton and Hove City Council and its civil servants managing the homeless situation in Brighton.

Councillor Jack Hazelgrove's letter (July 15) concerning the B&B conundrum seems to be oblivious of the real issues facing the homeless and the scores of agencies helping them without thanks or support.

Last year, I lost my employment and accommodation following a stroke, which left me with amnesia and epilepsy. I suffered two major seizures which made me damage a vertebra. Having lost my memory, I wasn't able to look for a new job.

I was put into temporary accommodation with my partner, who tried to look after me as much as he could.

However, with up to seven fits a day and absences which meant losing track of where I was going, what I was doing or knowing where I was, meant I was vulnerable.

I ended up staying indoors for most of the time during the four months I spent waiting to hear the council's decision on whether it considered me appropriate for priority housing in Brighton.

With support from my GP, neurologist, adult epilepsy nurse specialist, consultant neuroradiologist, consultant neuropsychologist, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, consultant physicians, who provided evidence and support for my invalidity, I had submitted a vast amount of medical evidence about my condition to the council.

After four months in a small bedroom, sharing toilets and baths, being woken by fights, breaking windows and being asked for drugs, I received a letter telling me that the council had reviewed my case and was going to make me street homeless as it thought I was able to cope.

I spent two nights in the back of a van and then five nights on the floor at a friend's. The unsung heroes of the Brighton Housing Trust, who were representing me, asked the council for a review.

After representations from the BHT and my GP, the council agreed to put me back into temporary accommodation on my own, leaving my partner to fend for himself. I was told this would be for one week only.

I went to sign the papers at the council offices and had a fit while trying to complete the forms, after waiting nearly two hours and being told they were not going to help me.

I went into temporary accommodation and tried to take my life by taking a massive overdose. I was found the following day by my partner unconscious on Hove seafront.

I was rushed to hospital and then spent a week at the fabulous Eastbourne intensive care unit. I was returned to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton to recover fully.

At discharge, the council decided it was sticking to its decision and I was discharged to go back on the streets.

The council's representative offered me a ticket to Swansea to stay with my parents (84 and 74).

I didn't accept.

The council then offered me temporary accommodation until it completed its review. The review officer asked if I had suffered any other illness following the suicide attempt, as this might support my case.

I had crushed my thoracic spine again; I had damaged my lumbar further so I can't sit down without pain or lie down comfortably. I had excruciating pain in both arms caused by phlebitis and I had ripped open a previous hernia repair.

I am now waiting to hear whether the council's medical adviser is going to change her mind and accept that my condition makes me a priority case.

I am now being advised to look at the council's Fresh Start programme and move away from Brighton, leaving my partner and my medical and psychiatric support system.

I am sure this doesn't tally with what Coun Hazelgrove suggests. Perhaps he should take a closer look at what is actually going on in the homeless units.

I don't know what will happen next but I am looking into what legal recourse I can take against the council for its handling of my case, which contributed to me taking a massive overdose and the subsequent stress, which exacerbated my epilepsy and depression.

-John Stephenson , Hove.