A DISABLED woman who was forced to sleep on the floor of a police station for two months wants to reach out to other homeless people to give them hope.

Glynis Barber, of Lancaster Road, Leytonstone, became homeless with her two brothers after their house was deemed unfit to live in by the council.

While their brother Nigel, 48, secured a place in a hostel, Glynis and Keith, 47, stayed with a friend for 10 months.

After being told there was no longer any room for them, the pair ended up sleeping on the floor of Forest Gate police station for two months, while they waited for Forest Night Shelter to open in November 2015.

Ms Barber, 52, suffers from diabetes and arthritis and said this created problems when sleeping on the floor.

She said: “You never think it will happen to you and it took a while to sink in that we were homeless.

“After we couldn’t stay with my friend any longer the police said we could stay the night but we ended up staying two months.

“It was not very nice and I found it stressful.

“Getting up and down is quite difficult for me but I was grateful that we didn’t have to sleep on the streets.

“There were people in and out all night with different situations and people being arrested.

“There were mothers with very young children coming in late at night and it was very distressing.”

Ms Barber’s said when her home in Newcomen Road, Leytonstone, which was riddled with mould was deemed unliveable in October 2014, it took a while to sink in that she was homeless.

The siblings were born and raised in Leytonstone and had lived with their parents Geoffrey, who died in 2007, and Mavis, who died in 2009.

After 17 months of sleeping on floors, Ms Barber and her brother Keith were both given permanent accommodation in March 2016.

Last Christmas, while the night shelter was closed, the pair spent a week at Crisis shelter in Camden and this year they have volunteered to help out over the festive period.

Ms Barber said: “We had to carry all of our belonging with us all the time and it can be heart breaking walking around for hours every morning waiting for a library or the day centre to open.

“Now, when I see people on the streets it makes me realise I was not the only one to be homeless – it can happen to anyone,

“I had some bad days but I got through it I want to tell them to keep going, that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“I can empathise with what they are going through because I have been in their situation.”

For more information about Forest Night Shelter click here.