00:00I am trying to move. I need to move. I'm a prisoner in my own home.
00:07Denise O'Toole has lived at her current house on Trench Lane in Sevenoaks for three years,
00:12and she says it was supposed to be her forever home. But after a life-changing accident in 2022,
00:17when she fell down her stairs, it left her with limited mobility. She says she needs somewhere
00:22more accessible. I broke my back, so I had T3 and 4 birth fractures to my spine. I broke my breastbone,
00:36shattered the left-hand side of my face and deglubbed my head. It's like I can't cook.
00:44I can't even put washing in, because I'm not able to get the washing downstairs.
00:52After leaving rehab, she realised the house was too small for her needs. But following her husband's
00:57death from sepsis, any potential move was delayed, and she's been stuck in her home ever since. And
01:03she wants to move as soon as she can, with her lack of independence making daily life difficult.
01:08Today's a lovely day. I can't just go and sit in the garden.
01:11I have a coffee in the garden or anything, you know. I'm now having to go back into counselling
01:19because I've not come to terms, I've not had time to come to terms with how my accidents impacted me.
01:27And it's not just her mobility issues that make finding a new home difficult,
01:31it's also the system. If she wanted to find a new flat to live in, she'd first have to bid on it,
01:36then fill out an application form, and only once that form is successfully accepted,
01:40can she then go and see the property. Now once she sees the property, she has to make a decision.
01:45Is it suitable for my needs? If it isn't, she'd obviously have to turn it down.
01:49She can only do that three times before being taken off the waiting list.
01:54A spokesperson for housing developer Clarion said, Ms O'Toole currently holds the highest level of
01:58priority on Tunbridge and Mallingborough Council's housing list. But due to the significant pressures
02:03on social housing availability, securing a suitable property has taken longer than hoped.
02:07The priority date on her housing application was October 2022, and Denise worries that with her
02:12condition worsening over the years she's been here, all of the effort she's put into her rehabilitation
02:17will be wasted. For her, finding a new suitable home isn't just about getting her independence back.
02:23I have to rely on people to assist me, which is a lot on my children and friends. But, you know,
02:34I just, I need to get my life back. I have no life.
02:37Finn McDermid for KMTV in Tunbridge.
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