22-06-2025
Grieving mum told 'move 200 miles from city' as she mourns loss of beloved husband
A grieving mum vowed to live in a tent rather than split her family up - after Birmingham Council identified a new home for her nearly 200 miles from the city.
Mum-of-four Geraldine White was stunned to be told she was a potential match for a new home in Hartlepool after her family were forced out of their previous privately-rented home.
They had to quit the property in Nechells as they mourned the loss of Geraldine's husband Martin, who died days into the the New Year.
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Despite being bounced between a hotel in Walsall, a hostel in Tyseley and even a night sleeping rough in their shed, Geraldine refused the move to the north-east, which would have only included her and her youngest son.
But she said a council worker still tried to tempt her - telling her: 'You'll be by the beach'. The authority denied a formal offer was made but said "all-time high" demand for homes in the city "severely restricted" what it could offer.
"I'd rather buy a tent and camp on a piece of grass," Geraldine said. "All I have left is my family.
"It's breaking my heart. We haven't been able to grieve properly. I've lost my home and my husband and If I wanted to sit beside his grave, I'd have to travel all the way down from Hartlepool."
Of the Hartlepool offer, a journey of some 187 miles, she said: "The woman was very abrupt, I said I couldn't move there because it was nowhere near my family, my son's school.' She said: 'But you'll be by the beach.'"
Geraldine said the upheaval around their housing meant her children, aged between 17 and 33, had been 'unable to grieve' their beloved husband and father, who died after setting himself on fire.
The couple had been celebrating with a friend and two sons when the harrowing incident took place.
She recalled: "I saw was a ball of smoke and saw him standing there. He'd got a lighter and set himself on fire."
Warned of a four-hour wait for an ambulance, the family rushed him to hospital themselves but nothing could be done and he died on January 3.
Geraldine said "nobody knew" why the incident took place. But she stressed it wasn't suicide.
"We were in a rented property, we were trying to save up and move somewhere. We were trying to find somewhere smaller."
While the family were arranging Martin's funeral, bailiffs turned up at the property as the landlord was served a High Court writ.
She said: "We had to get out that day. We had nowhere to go.
"Me and my daughter slept in the shed that night. The next day, we went to a Travelodge in Walsall." Now, the family are bidding on three-bed homes where they can "all be together".
She added: "I'm not asking for a fancy house, we all want to be together.
"The stress is mounting. There's only so much you can handle. I'm trying to stay as strong as I can because I'm trying to sort things out. But everywhere I turn, I'm hitting a brick wall.
"We're such a close knit family, with what's happened it's made us even closer. The trauma we've been through, we just want some normality - whatever normal is."
Birmingham City Council said: "The country is in the grip of a severe national housing crisis and demand for accommodation in Birmingham is at an all-time high.
"The accommodation shortage severely restricts what options we can offer to people in need, and we know many people across the city are in difficult situations and facing a long wait for a home.
"The council's housing service looks at all options for suitable homes and we focus on matching families to properties which are both affordable and provide a positive environment for them, meeting their specific needs.
"Geraldine was initially placed as a potential match for a property outside Birmingham, however after discussions with the housing team, it was determined the property was not suitable, so an offer was not made. We understand Geraldine is in a difficult situation and are working with her to find suitable housing for herself and her family."
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