Man who had stroke victim to Croydon Council housing crisis

Sebastian Skorzewski, 47, said that despite eight months of gruelling rehab, he was left unable to walk or use his left arm.

But Croydon Council has failed to find him a permanent home with suitable disability adaptations.

“I’ve lost everything,” he said. “I feel bad because nobody will help me. Nobody will do anything.

“For many years I worked for the city, paid my taxes, and if I didn’t have the stroke then I would still be working there. But now they treat me like rubbish.

“I have never asked for help. I didn’t have to. If you’re healthy, you can work. I would like to go back to work now, but my condition is too bad.

“I’m left alone to deal with everything – and you have to fight for everything. Even for a freedom pass, I had to fight Croydon Council for eight months. So I feel very sad.”

Sebastian, pictured before his stroke, moved from Poland to London in 2004 and spent 15 years working as a recycling truck driver in Richmond (Image: Sebastian Skorzewski)

Sebastian moved from Poland to London in 2004. He settled in Croydon and quickly found a job in Richmond, working for the borough's recycling contractor.

Sebastian’s job was driving the truck.

He did that job for 15 years – sometimes working a second job as well.

“For a couple of years I was working day shifts and night shifts,” he said.

But in early May 2021, during a day out in central London with his partner, he began to feel very ill.

“My partner said, ‘You have to call an ambulance’, but I said, ‘No, I don’t want to’ – I only go to hospital if I have a serious reason,” he explained.

“It got worse and worse. We got on the train and I said, ‘Okay, I think something is not right’.”

Sebastian said he began to feel seriously unwell during a day out at a park in central London in May 2021. It turned out to be the onset of a severe stroke (Image: Sebastian Skorzewski)

An ambulance collected him from a tube station and took him to the Queen Mary Hospital.

Aged just 45, he’d had a massive stroke.

He suspects it was an adverse reaction to a recent covid jab, but no health professional has ever reached that conclusion.

“It affected my whole body, from the shoulders down,” he said. “I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even eat or anything. I couldn’t pick up a glass of water. They told my sister I was lucky to be alive.”

He was transferred to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore for specialist rehabilitation, where he gradually improved.

“They treat people so well there,” he said. “It was a great service. It worked like a clock. I’ve never seen such treatment. I’m so grateful."

Unfortunately, they couldn’t cure him.

“I almost lost my life, but I didn’t give up. I kept fighting,” he said. “I can stand on my legs now – but I can’t walk.”

He has also lost the use of his left arm.

“I can’t hold anything,” said Sebastian. “Not even a fork. I have only my right hand.”

At first, Sebastian could not move his body at all - but he gradually began to get back some movement (Image: Sebastian Skorzewski)

His doctor has permanently signed him off work. He is largely confined to a wheelchair.

Eight months in hospital, unable to earn a living, saw him lose his privately rented flat.

He was discharged from hospital into “temporary” housing in Streatham and has been there ever since.

“It is two-and-a-half years since the stroke and I still don’t have proper housing,” he said. “They’ve left me in emergency housing and forgotten about me.

“My friends left hospital and got everything correct. But in Croydon, nobody wants to help you. Nobody wants to listen.”

He has secured legal assistance, he said, “But the council don’t answer emails, even from a lawyer.

“I worked for the city and never did anything wrong and all I want is to live somewhere clean, quiet and safe.”

Thanks to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, Sebastian can now stand on his legs, which he says his doctors thought would be impossible. However, he cannot walk more than a few steps (Image: Sebastian Skorzewski)

A Croydon Council spokesperson said: “Our housing department is going through a major transformation programme to provide a more responsive and respectful service to our residents.

“We are experiencing a huge demand for accommodation as part of a London-wide shortage, which means it is taking longer to secure adapted properties for our residents than we would like.

“We are actively seeking suitable accommodation for our tenant and will continue to work to meet their needs.”