TWO brothers have won the fight to stay in the family home they shared with their mum after she lost her battle with lung disease.
Mandy Smith was aged 51 when she passed away in January, nine-years after being diagnosed with emphysema, leaving
sons Baily, 17, and 11-year-old Cameron, who both cared for their mother throughout the course of her illness, completely devastated.
The brothers were both adamant they wanted to stay in the Rugby bungalow, owned by Bromford, which they had shared with their mother since 2013.
But due to the tenancy type and the age of Bailey it looked likely they would lose their Woodruff Close home and have to move in with their grandparents.
But Bromford officer Claire Brindley-Taylor, along with colleagues, was determined to support the boys’ bid to stay in the bungalow, and fought a three-month campaign to find a way round the issue.
Claire said: “I remember when I first visited the Nan, I honestly couldn’t see a way that Bailey and Cameron could stay but I knew it meant so much to them and was adamant that there must be something I could do.
“After much discussion with colleagues, housing benefit and the family, we discovered that there was actually a clause where we could use our discretion and offer Bailey – as the eldest – an Equitable Minors Tenancy dependent on him being able to claim income support.
“After going backwards and forwards with appointments at the job centre, phone calls to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and asking for mandatory reconsideration after our first application was refused, I’m delighted to say Bailey was awarded income support as well as a backdated payment of housing benefit which allowed us to keep them both where they belong.”
Bailey, who is studying a construction course at Rugby College, was delighted.
He said: “It has meant the world to me that Bromford have helped us keep this home and we’ve already been decorating the place to pay homage to our mum – it feels like she is still here with us.”
Grandmother Diane was equally pleased.
She said: “I don’t know where they would be right now if they hadn’t been able to keep this place and poor old Cameron would have been devastated.
“All the neighbours love them and they have that support network in place, as well as us popping down every fortnight. It could have had a catastrophic effect on their mental wellbeing and I’m just so grateful to Bromford because it was absolutely the right thing to do.”
Football-mad Cameron is still at school nearby, while Bailey continues to flourish under his new-found responsibilities which include making home improvements and completing the weekly shop.
