A “TRAUMATISED” mum-of-two had almost all of her possessions binned by her landlord.
Shellie Mullen sobbed after irreplaceable photos of her kids, her grandad’s war medals and even her family’s birthday certificates were taken to the tip.
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The 34-year-old had been in the process of moving out of her Places for People-owned property in Cramlington, near Newcastle, when she noticed her belongings had vanished.
Shellie and her son, 15, and daughter, 17, left the flat for a “fresh start” in September last year, but didn’t plan on fully moving out until January 2022.
While temporarily staying with Shellie’s mum, the Mullens were placed on a council priority list for being rehomed, while still paying rent in full by Universal Credit.
But when Shellie went to pick up the final bits for her new home, things quickly turned into a “living nightmare”.
Shellie told ChronicleLive: “When we found out we’d finally secured a new property in Newcastle in January, I went with my family to pack up our things.
“To my horror – the place was completely empty. I broke down on the spot.”
Shellie was subsequently told her items had been taken to the tip as the housing provider believed the home had been abandoned.
“My whole life was gone,” she said. “Thousands of pounds worth of stuff and so many memories lost.
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“Furniture is replaceable, but I can’t stop thinking about our pictures, wristbands from when the kids were born, my grandad’s war medals and our birth certificates.
“Nothing could be salvaged and I’ve had no help from the company since.”
Place for People claims Shellie was asked to empty the property in December, but was later told contact had been made through her mother who has dementia.
She alleges she then tried to call the housing provider but could never get through.
A GoFundMe page has since been set up to help raise money for Shellie’s new place.
‘MY WHOLE LIFE WAS GONE’
A spokesperson for Places for People said: “We are sorry this situation has caused upset at a difficult time.
“We have been in contact with Miss Mullen since June 2021, and most recently in December, when we asked Miss Mullen to empty the property.
“We extended the dates to allow Miss Mullen to move her items after her tenancy had ended, before we arranged for the property to be cleared.
“We have been in touch with Miss Mullen to explain the actions that were taken to keep our homes and customers safe.”
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