Issac and Shona’s story
Issac and Shona sought refuge on a bus each night to gain some sleep to help them keep their jobs after they lost their home as part of a no-fault eviction and couldn’t find new accommodation they could afford…
Imagine having to use a bus as a bedroom…
A council lettings team referrer got in touch with us for urgent support for a couple who were in desperate need.
Issac and Shona are both in their early sixties. They had been made homeless after a no-fault eviction on their rented property.
Issac works in hospitality, but his zero-hour contract means his work is very sporadic – sometimes he works full time, and sometimes the hours he is given are much lower. Shona was also working in hospitality.
After losing their home and without family and friends who could help, the couple had few options for getting some sleep in order to be able to work the next day. Their solution was to ride the night bus on the longest-distance routes around the East Midlands each night. Their day involved working, finding some cheap food, going to the bus station, then exiting the bus at 5am each morning to go back to work.
Issac and Shona hoped to find accommodation, as they didn’t want to go to a hostel, but they couldn’t locate anything available that they could afford. The couple used the money they had to pay for a hotel room each Sunday night in order to shower and get some proper sleep, but the reality of the situation was horrendous and Shona soon found it impossible to maintain her employment. Unsurprisingly, having been surviving on bread and soup for weeks, both became unwell and suffered from anxiety and depression.
The couple made an application for Universal Credit but this wasn’t accepted, due to the hours that Issac sometimes worked. In a desperate situation that they knew they couldn’t continue, the couple sought help and were moved to a hostel, but they found the chaotic nature of the accommodation extremely challenging and upsetting.
Their support worker was passionate about doing all they could to help the couple after the horrendous time they had been through and has recently found them a suitable tenancy. We were approached for help with some essential items to help the couple return to a reasonable standard of living – something they had suffered without for some time.
Thanks to your support we have been able to provide the couple with the items requested; a cooker, a fridge freezer and a washing machine. These items are now helping Issac and Shona to settle into their new home and their dignity, health and wellbeing is improving after such a traumatic time.
"It’s fantastic to see all the ways the community comes together to improve the lives of people in need. From undertaking challenges, to dress-up days, quizzes, raffles and cake-bakes, to donating, setting up a regular gift, volunteering or spreading the word, it all helps to ensure people living in hardship are warm, safe and fed and have the basics in life that we all deserve."
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