A DISABLED 50-year-old woman and her son have become homeless, resorting to living out of her car and showering in gyms.

Reshma Patel had been living in council provided temporary accommodation in Chaucer House, Southend, after she was evicted by her private landlord.

She was unable to afford the rent after splitting with her partner.

But she claims she was kicked out of the temporary home on March 24 after Southend Council declared her “intentionally homeless”.

Ms Patel, who has been living out of her car – leased to her at a discounted rate through the motability scheme – suffers from lupus and fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread pain and extreme tiredness.

The mother-of-two, whose daughter is at university, says she and her 18-year-old son have nowhere to turn; they cannot go to her mother’s house as she is suffering from cancer and they fear her son, who works, may infect her with Covid-19.

“It’s been so hard, I cannot put it into words,” she said. “I have immense shoulder and back pain. To make things worse it has gotten so cold.

“Not being able to make a cup of tea, have a bit of toast in the morning, the small things like that. It makes life so hard.

“We have had prostitutes come up to the window and other homeless people, it’s frightening. We have been stripped of our human rights and are going to a nearby gym to shower when we can.”

Ms Patel is calling on the council to help her back onto her feet.

She said: “They have left a disabled woman, who is unable to work, on the street to fend for herself. How is that okay? You wouldn’t leave a dog on the road.

“I cannot find private rental accommodation and no one will take me so what options do I have?”

A Southend Council spokesman said: “Whenever families are in circumstances like this, the council will always seek to support them as best we can and within the national legislation we follow. Whilst we cannot talk about specific circumstances, this can include offering temporary accommodation and support to help people get into more permanent accommodation through access to the rent deposit scheme for example.”

They added: “Our Housing Solutions Team works around the clock to prevent homelessness happening in the first place, assisting hundreds of people and families who are threatened with or made homelessness.”