Homeless

They say the causes of depression can be things like losing a job, changes in your financial situation or changes to your housing situation; well as a family we were exposed to all three. I lost my job in the August of 2009, I was already diagnosed with depression in 2003 and living a hollow existence, feeling like I was in a different reality. I was on 40mg of flouextine at the time and was starting to have those feelings of losing control. Money was an issue even before I lost my job and I was already in debt up to my eyeballs and was doing my usual thing of living in denial. I wouldn’t open bills; to be honest I was scared and that was just making the situation worse for both my pocket and mood. I received endless calls from creditors and developed a fear of answering the phone - something that has remained with me to this day.

I started to claim jobseekers allowance, but my private landlord wasn’t happy to have a tenant who claimed benefit so she served me with a notice of repossession. This stated that I needed to be out of the house by the 31st December. I didn’t know anything about housing law and to me that meant we had to be out of the property on that date. I tried to find somewhere else to live privately but faced the same problem each time, the letting agencies all wanted deposits. 

We went to the council who seemed to be apathetic about our situation. I completed a housing application but it was continually stressed that I should find somewhere privately because otherwise we would have to live in a bed and breakfast. Now I have four children, three of which were under the age of five; I still ponder how that would have worked!

November came and the Housing Options Team, who still seemed uninterested about our situation, started to try and hook us up with private landlords , and it seemed to me that they didn’t consider us a priority due to us still having a roof over our heads. The first house we visited was behind a railway line, but severe depression and rail tracks don’t mix, and each place we visited was unsuitable, from two bedroom flats to properties with no heating. Unable to find a suitable house for my family, I was advised by PACT to register a homeless application. It was from this point that the housing officer started not to take my calls. In addition to this, my illness was not being acknowledged because I wasn’t with the CMHT (Community Mental Health Team) at that point, even though I had supplied letters from my talking therapies CBT counsellor and my GP.

Christmas Eve came and I managed to get hold of the housing officer, who informed me she was on half day and wouldn’t be back until after the New Year public holiday and I would have to go to the council office on New Year’s Eve to speak to the duty housing office. Don’t forget, at this time I believed I was going to be out on the street on New Year’s Eve; I remember the cynic in me saying “well at least we’ll see the fireworks”. It was only at this point that I was made aware that we couldn’t be removed from the house unless the landlord went to court and applied for an eviction order. I was furious that she hadn’t informed us of the process from the beginning and my mood was deteriorating due to the stress and worry of the situation.

After Christmas we contacted Shelter who took us on as a client and took over all correspondence with the council. The landlord applied for an eviction notice which took place in February 2010 and we were granted a 6 week stay before we had to leave the property. I took letters from my IAPT therapist and GP to the hearing and explained the implications on my health to the judge. It was also at this point that the housing officer sent a letter warning us that she believed we were intentionally making ourselves homeless by not accepting the private properties she had arranged for us and if this was decided at an upcoming meeting then we wouldn’t be entitled to housing. I passed the letter to Shelter who sent a legal letter in reply explaining the definition of homeless and if they decided against us then we would be able to pursue through the courts. I wish I had been there to see the housing office read the letter; it would have made me feel a whole lot better. In March 2010 we moved into a Housing Association home with a lovely big garden for the kids.

This whole process was too much for me to handle and the whole saga made me sick to my stomach. I was having regular panic attacks and darker moods with suicidal thoughts but this wasn’t acknowledged by the council or the CMHT until things had got really bad.

I wrote this to give information on the process of being evicted, becoming homeless and my experience of the council when I was in crisis. My advice would be to involve as many agencies as possible. Always use Shelter as this is their area of expertise, and if you have children get PACT (Parents And Children Together) involved; They give good advice and introduced us to Shelter.

Never forget that you’re not alone in this.