A father of two whose city home burnt down said he fears losing his job after he and his family were given temporary accommodation 40 miles away in Ipswich.
Helder Brazao, 33, was forced to move with his partner and their two children to the Suffolk town after their privately rented Derby Street home was totally destroyed during a fire earlier this year.
He is now facing a daily commute to Norwich for his job as a kitchen porter which Helder said is costing him £100 a week.
Initially the family had been told by Norwich City Council that they would be living in the Ipswich flat for just a few weeks.
But they have been in the property – which Helder describes as “very small” and “unsuitable” – for more than a month.
"We were sent to Ipswich with no kind of support," he said.
"And the council are not telling us how long we will be here.
"I work as a kitchen porter in Norwich so I have to commute every single day.
"Not only is this costing me £100 a week, but if I work late shifts then I don't get home until 11pm.
"I'm worried that I could lose my job.
"My mental health is not good, I'm not sleeping and I'm physically exhausted."
Helder's experience comes after Green Party councillors called for an "urgent review" into City Hall's spending on temporary accommodation.
The party claims that millions of pounds are being wasted on "insecure" shelter miles away from Norwich, often leaving people far away from their work and families.
"The flat we have been given is very small and we can't move," said Helder.
"My partner is a full-time mum and my three year old can no longer attend nursery in Norwich.
"We feel completely ignored."
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The city council said staff are helping "many hundreds of homeless clients" and all applications "must be carefully considered".
A spokesman added: "While we consider an application, temporary accommodation is provided by the council and sometimes households will be placed outside Norwich due to the current high demand for suitable properties in the city.
"Our team is processing Mr Brazao's homelessness application as quickly as possible, with our homelessness assessment officer on hand to answer any questions."
Green Councillor Amanda Fox, who has been helping Helder and his family, said: “As a councillor with first-hand experience of housing insecurity, cases like this feel very personal.
"When you don’t have a secure roof over your head, the last thing you need is being moved nearly 50 miles away from everything you know.”
Alex Catt, deputy leader of the Green Party group at City Hall, added: “Nobody should have to choose between having a home and keeping their job or being separated from their family, but this is the reality for many people when they are forced to accept offers of temporary accommodation outside the city.
"To make it even worse, these sometimes lack basic facilities.”
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