ELDERLY residents in South Norwood sheltered accommodation say they are not going anywhere, despite Croydon Council pushing through plans to move homeless families into their block.
The cabinet's plan, in which families with up to two children will be placed at Tonbridge House, in Penge Road, was challenged by Labour councillors at a scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday.
The change from a retirement housing scheme to general needs temporary housing for homeless families with children is seen as necessary by the council to help ease the homelessness crisis in the borough.
But residents of the block, some of whom were at the meeting, feel they are being pressurised to move out of their homes.
Ex-paratrooper William Ramsey, 80, told the committee he felt he and his neighbours' human rights were being violated.
Speaking to the Advertiser, Mr Ramsey said: "Many people have moved here to spend the last years of our lives in peace but the council are trying to force us out.
"Well, we are not going to move and they can't make us."
Tonbridge House residents are concerned that children and the elderly will not mix well in a block of flats.
They are also worried about the type of people chosen to live in any vacated apartments.
Mr Ramsey said there had already been problems resulting from a decision a decade ago to move the age limit for residents to 55.
He added: "They moved in alcoholics and drug addicts. It was extremely distressing.
"They are trying to get us to move somewhere else, but how long will it take people at our age to get used to a new flat?"
Councillor Dudley Mead, cabinet member for housing, said that in an ideal world this action would not have to be taken but the council was "stuck between a rock and a hard place".
The council says it will place the families in the temporary accommodation at Tonbridge House for an estimated six to 12 months.
It needs the flats for the families because it will be heavily fined by the Government if it keeps homeless families in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks.
As of January 6, the council had 112 families in shared bed and breakfasts.
Sean Fitzsimons, a Labour councillor and member of the scrutiny committee, said he did not believe the options presented to residents in consultation forms were of any merit.
In answer to what they thought about the proposed change, 76 per cent of residents said they fully disagreed with it.
Mr Ramsey said: "Why did they bother giving us a choice if they weren't going to listen to us?
"We knew we weren't going to win but it was interesting to see that some of the Conservative councillors on the committee didn't agree with it but voted to put it through anyway.
"How can these people say they honestly care about helping society when they just do whatever their party says?"
Following the Labour call-in the committee voted four to three, along party lines, against referring the matter back to cabinet.
