Homelessness: Evicted grandmother now sleeping rough in park

In the mornings, Heidi returns to the flat to shower, warm up, and have some breakfast while her daughter is taking the children to school, and then tries to get some sleep.

With about £10 left in her bank account she is now struggling to afford the bus fare to go to local food banks on which she has started to rely.

At the end of the month, Heidi will receive her £270 in benefits and her new reality is dictating how she spends that money.

“I’m sitting here thinking, ‘Is this going to be my life now?’. OK, right, when I get my money I have got to invest in long sweatshirts and thermals. I’m already catering for a life out here.”

As of March 2023, the number of people on the waiting list for social housing in England stood at nearly 1.3 million, the highest since 2014.

Meanwhile, the number of no-fault evictions by bailiffs, where landlords can ask someone to leave their property without having to give a reason, rose by 49% last year compared with 2022.

Thurrock Council told the BBC that it has nearly 5,000 people on its waiting list for housing. It says many local authorities across the country are struggling, as demand for housing outstrips supply. It said it is continuing to work with Heidi “to help her find a way out of this difficult situation”.

“We are supporting her to find a suitable home, and we have offered advice about her rights and the financial support available,” it said.

Polly Neate, from Shelter, told the BBC that with private rents the highest on record and few genuinely affordable social homes available, her organisation is seeing more and more people like Heidi “tipped into homelessness every day”.

“Sleeping rough is deeply unsafe, with people under the constant threat of harassment and violence. It can also lead to a rapid deterioration in people’s health due to the combination of extreme stress, being out in the elements and not being able to eat, sleep or access toilets and showers easily,” she said.

Heidi can now apply to rent other council properties, but is in a low priority band. The council will also partly fund a deposit for a private rental – but she says that these properties will probably be snapped up by other tenants faster than the council can authorise the money for her.

In the meantime, she hopes to secure temporary housing which will give her a bit of stability and security – and then start looking for something more permanent.

“I just want peace of mind,” Heidi says. “My own key, my own roof, my own home.”

Photography by Phil Coomes