A former rough sleeper claims he lived off takeaways after moving into a property without a cooker last year.
Mathew Hatch-Diespecker, aged 29, said Fortis Living failed to refit his kitchen.
He claims that left him with a shoddy kitchen with a layout that doesn't allow him to install both a cooker and a washing machine.
He says he ate fast-food for five months until he managed to install a cooker, and is still living without a washing machine.
You used to live on the streets. Isn't this better? I'm pretty sure you didn't have a cooker and a washing machine next to your park bench either!
Mr Hatch-Diespecker, of Rodborough Drive, Worcester, said: "It's making me feel down about everything.
"The kitchen is meant to be the heart of the home and if the heart is not working properly how's the rest of the body meant to work properly.
"When I moved in a year ago I was told I was due to have a few things updated in my house. None of it has been done to date.
"They said the kitchen was meant to be fitted up-to-date within two months of me moving in.
"I am frustrated that they have failed to provide the correct layout as it means I am unable to have both a cooker and a washing machine."
The sheer ingratitude is enough to make you weep. Or kick something.
He added: "Before I got the cooker in I had to get food every day, it was costing me money and it was an inconvenience. I had to pretty much live off takeaways."
Luckily, Mr Hatch-Diespecker was able to get a cooker from his father, who lives in Thailand, in October.
However he still has no washing machine.
He said: "My grandmother's currently helping me do washing. She collects it from me.
"If I can't get in touch with her I have to go to the laundrettes in town and it costs me about £2.50 per load. It's too expensive."
What else do you have to spend your money on then? Oh, wait, my mistake.
OUR money!
Mr Hatch-Diespecker, who suffers from epilepsy and fibromyalgia, was made homeless in 2013, after suffering a mental breakdown and falling behind on rent.
He said his current situation is playing on his mental health.
I'm pretty sure their must be far more deserving cases out there. Perhaps another spell of rough sleeping would adjust his attitude somewhat?
Should buy a cheap microwave, I cook most of my vegetables these days in a microwave steamer. Doesn't sound very grateful of his Granny's laundry help too. My little teeny, tiny violins broke otherwise...
ReplyDeleteOur first few months living in the yUK, with three small children/babies, we couldn't afford a washing machine. So we washed everything in the bath....became quite a 'family game' , the kids loved 'treading' the washing clean (and their little legs and feet sparkled afterwards too). Somerfields (remember them?) did a fucking amazing 'Handwash' Laundry powder and even to this day , despite washing machine with more computing power than the Moon Shot and despite genetically engineered laundry gels and plasmas , our washing has never been as clean as it was in those bath tub days.
ReplyDeleteSo colour-fast at 30C me totally unsympathetic to his plight.
I do have some sympathy, social landlords can be the pits, as they run everything on a shoestring (government cuts!) and mental health issues can drag you down. I would have looked for a good private landlord who would take benefits (yes, there are some around) and moved. Easy for me to say though...
ReplyDelete:o)
An electric frying pan, kettle and a toaster probably is all he needs. I made damn good meals for three years using just those! They’d fit on top of a front loading washing machine but nothing wrong with buckets or a bathtub. Lazy sod.
ReplyDeleteIt always seems that the characters in these stories do tend to show a complete lack of initiative and enterprise, I suppose that is why they are at the bottom of the pile to start with. Everything that happens to them is always someone else's fault and, as a consequence, someone else's responsibility to sort out.
ReplyDeleteStonyground
"My little teeny, tiny violins broke otherwise..."
ReplyDeleteI didn't even bother to get mine out!
"Somerfields (remember them?) ..."
Yes! Most are ASDA now. Shame.
"It always seems that the characters in these stories do tend to show a complete lack of initiative and enterprise..."
Because it works!