Member

Rachel is a mum in Portsmouth North with four children, two of whom have SEND. She was given a section 21 notice by her private landlord before Christmas and asked to leave on 8 January—a no-fault eviction with no reason. The cruelty of the timing is shocking. Had the previous Government enacted their 2019 manifesto, Rachel would not be in this situation. She has since been informed by the council that she could be waiting for five or six years for a property that meets her needs, and she is now facing living in costly temporary accommodation that will not meet her children’s needs. In addition, the housing team at the council have warned her that, as too few houses have been built in the city over the past decade, she may be housed in a different area—away from her children’s schools, away from her support network and away from her job.