Sarah’s story

Sarah ended up living 25 miles from her school when her family were evicted.

Things started to go wrong for Sarah’s family when she was 11 and they were evicted because their landlord wanted to sell the house. Sarah, her mum, dad and two younger brothers began a series of moves down the housing ladder, first to a B&B and then a hostel.

When the hostel closed down, a friend gave them temporary refuge at her home in Minehead. There were nine people in a two-bedroom house. Sarah had to do her homework on the floor of the bathroom, the quietest room in the house.

When the family was forced to move from here, the children went off to school not knowing where they would be going to bed that night. Sarah became seriously worried about her mum, who was suffering severe anxiety and depression, and her little brother, who was frightened they would be taken into care. She couldn’t concentrate at school. That evening, facing a night on the streets, the family called Shelter for help.

Our caseworkers advised them to go to the neighbouring local authority in Taunton. After Shelter threatened the council with legal action, the family were found temporary hotel accommodation.

Sarah’s school was then 25 miles away, meaning she faced a three-hour round trip every day. But her greatest worry was still her mum, and how the extra stress of moving yet again was going to affect her already fragile mental health. Sarah spent nearly three critical years of her education moving from hostel to hotel, with her family under massive stress. She said herself that her behaviour at school started to go downhill.

After two years and eight months of being homeless, the family found a landlord who took them on as a private let. They finally have some stability and hope of building a better future.

Families can be evicted even if there are vulnerable children in the home.

Names have been changed to protect anonymity. To protect the identity of our clients, models have been used in photographs.

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