September 4th 2024.
My heart sank as I read the text from my landlord back in February. It was a familiar feeling that I had experienced all too often in the past. Once again, our family was facing the possibility of becoming homeless because our landlord had decided to sell the house we were renting. This was the fourth time in just 20 years, and the third time in the last eight. With seven children to take care of, the thought of finding a new home was daunting and stressful.
I met my partner Rob when I was just 21 years old. He was a single dad at the time, and we got married soon after. We were excited to start our family and welcomed our first two sons in 2000 and 2001. Our financial situation was stable, and we were saving up for a deposit to buy our own home. However, our plans were abruptly interrupted when we were evicted from our home in Lincoln in 2003. Our landlord had decided to sell the property while we were still living there. It was a devastating blow because we were so close to saving enough for a down payment on a house of our own.
The move not only left us without a place to call home, but it also drained all of our savings. On top of the usual costs of moving, we had to pay a deposit and lettings fees. It was a huge setback for our family. We were forced to leave because our landlord was retiring and wanted to live in the house himself.
As if things couldn't get any more challenging, our family grew in 2008 when Rob's 20-year-old daughter was unable to take care of her two children. We couldn't bear to see them go into foster care, so we took them in as our own under a residency order. A year later, she gave birth to twins, and once again, we stepped up to care for them. Our family was now seven children strong, and we were struggling to find a suitable home for all of us.
We managed to rent a bigger house in a village outside of Lincoln, but it wiped out our savings. We lived there until 2017 when our landlord gave us notice to leave because he was retiring and wanted the house for himself. We had plenty of time to prepare, but it was still a desperate and uncertain situation for our family. We tried to find a new home but were repeatedly rejected by private landlords because of the size of our family. Even letting agents laughed at us when we asked to view properties. We looked everywhere, even on Facebook, but we were met with scammers and false promises of homes for rent.
Finally, we turned to our local council for help. However, they informed us that in order to be eligible for emergency housing, we had to wait until we were evicted from our current home. The day of the eviction was terrifying, but we had no other choice. We had no idea where we would sleep that night, and all of our belongings were put into storage.
The emergency house we were offered was small and cramped, with two bunk beds in the front room, two small double beds upstairs, and a sofa bed in the living room for Rob and me. We had to pay rent for each room, which increased our monthly housing costs by 75%. On top of that, we had to pay for storage to keep our furniture since the emergency house was already furnished.
After 10 weeks of living in the emergency house, we finally secured a tenancy in another village outside of Lincoln. However, our rent went up twice within just six months of moving in. To make matters worse, the house was in a state of disrepair, and our landlord refused to fix any of the issues. The heating was constantly on, even in the summer, which led to high utility bills.
The constant uncertainty and upheaval of moving from one home to another have taken a toll on our family. My children are stressed, resulting in them missing school, not eating well, and experiencing frequent eczema flare-ups. As parents, Rob and I have tried our best to provide stability and security for our family, but it seems like we are always facing obstacles and challenges. We can only hope that one day we will find a place to call our own, where our family can finally settle and feel at home.
Ever since my children were young, stress has been a constant presence in our lives. It started with their eczema flaring up, making them itchy and uncomfortable. Then, it progressed to them missing school and not eating properly. It breaks my heart to see them suffer like this, and I do everything in my power to help them cope.
But when my landlord informed me back in February that he needed to sell the house we were renting, it was like a punch to the gut. This was the fourth time in 20 years that my family was facing homelessness because a landlord decided to sell their property. It seemed like we were always one step away from stability, but the rug was constantly being pulled out from under us.
It all started when I was 21 and I married my partner Rob, who was a single dad at the time. We were young and excited to start a family, and we were financially stable. We were even saving up for a deposit to buy our own home. But then, just three years later, we were evicted from our home in Lincoln because our landlord was selling the property. We were devastated, especially since we were so close to achieving our dream of homeownership.
Not long after, our family grew bigger when Rob's daughter, who already had two children of her own, was unable to care for them and we took them in as our own. And then, a year later, she gave birth to twins, who also joined our family. With seven children now under our care, we had to move to a bigger house, which decimated our savings.
We thought we had found some stability when we moved into a rented home in a village outside of Lincoln. But then, in 2017, our landlord gave us notice to leave because he wanted to retire and live in the house himself. We were understanding, but it left us feeling desperate. We tried everything to find another home, but were constantly turned down because of the size of our family.
The day of the eviction was terrifying. We had no idea where we were going to sleep that night, and our belongings were put into storage. The only emergency house we were offered was too small for our family, and it came with a hefty increase in rent and storage costs. It felt like we were being punished for being in a difficult situation.
After living in the emergency house for 10 weeks, we finally secured a tenancy in another village outside of Lincoln. But just 18 months after moving in, our rent was raised twice in six months. And to make matters worse, the house was in a state of disrepair, with mould and heating issues that the landlord refused to address.
Through all of this, my family has remained strong. We have faced numerous challenges, but we always find a way to survive. It's just heartbreaking to see my children suffer because of the constant instability in our lives. But we keep pushing forward, hoping that one day we will find a place that we can truly call home.
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