Tain mum’s heartfelt housing transfer plea over daughter’s health plight backed by Easter Ross MP
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A ROSS-SHIRE woman has won the backing of an MP in her heart-breaking two-year plight to live closer to the hospital her daughter depends on.
As things stand, single mum Shona Mathieson faces a 70-mile round trip by bus from her home in Tain to Raigmore Hospital with daughter Melissa (13), who suffers from severe eczema.
The Albyn Housing tenant of the Easter Ross town’s Sutherland Crescent faces having to make that trip up to three times a week.
The bus takes around an hour and 20 minutes each way and her daughter often faces extreme discomfort making the journey, inevitably missing huge chunks of school at an important juncture in her education.
Ms Mathieson said: “My daughter has been in and out of hospital since she was two and has missed so much school.
“It’s breaking my heart and I don’t know what else to do.”
Her doctor has backed her case to live closer to Raigmore Hospital and she has been trying to get a transfer from her three-bedroom home in Tain to the Highland capital for the past two years.
While Albyn cites “massive demand” for social housing in Inverness, Ms Mathieson has built a strong case for a flit on medical grounds with support from her doctor, social worker and local MP, Jamie Stone.
The late councillor Alasdair Rhind also offered his support.
Ms Mathieson added: “Melissa will never be done with hospital and I’ve been unwell myself. My other daughter, Emily, is on the autistic spectrum and needs watching too.”
She describes Melissa’s severe flare-ups as “hell on earth” and shared a screenshot of a heart-breaking phone message from her daughter which simply reads: ‘Mum my skin is on fire’.
She has a small support network in Inverness and argues that a transfer would also free up a family home in Tain.
Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone said: “It is really disappointing that Albyn Housing is dragging its feet with Shona's case.
“This is a huge problem affecting three people's livelihoods, wellbeing, and health, and yet the solution is so very simple. It is frustrating to see this family suffer when they could be helped so easily.
"In this day and age, it is atrocious that our local healthcare facilities don't have the provision to treat Shona's children.
“It is also atrocious that our public transport is so reduced - if running at all. With all this in mind, Shona has more than enough grounds to be moved to Inverness into a house that suits her family's needs, so it's about time Albyn Housing got a move on.
“These children should be in school. Their futures are on the line."
An Albyn spokesperson said: “Our goal is to ensure that our tenants have access to suitable housing. We work closely with partners like NHS Highland to assess individuals’ needs and, where possible, allocate housing accordingly.
“Although we cannot comment on individual cases, it is important to recognise the massive demand for social housing, especially in Inverness. We will continue to work closely with tenants to support their needs with the housing that is available.”
Asked about the well-supported strong case built up by Ms Mathieson, he said: “Although we cannot comment on individual cases, as partners of the Highland Housing Register we use a points-based housing allocation system that takes into consideration a number of factors including homelessness, medical requirements, housing conditions, overcrowding, care and support needs, and independent living."
According to the Highland Housing Register - the joint waiting list used by all the registered social landlords on the Highland mainland - in the central area of Inverness there are 177 on the waiting list for 3-bedroom homes. But there are only 55 3-bedroom properties in total. In the last year only three of these have become available for re-let.
Ms Mathieson has lodged more than 10 letters from a variety of sources supporting her case to Albyn.
