‘We’re a wreck’: Pregnant mother-of-two reveals she has been living in a TENT in the woods for a month with her family after struggling to keep up with rent amid cost-of-living crisis
- Sasha Osborn, from Lincolnshire, has been living in a tent for the past month
- She was told her children couldn’t stay with her and they have been separated
- READ MORE: Homeless boy, 8, cries with joy after learning his family has a house
A pregnant mother-of-two has revealed how she was made homeless and forced to live in a tent after falling behind on rent.
Sasha Osborn, 31, her partner, and two children, aged seven and ten, first became homeless in November, and has been living in a tent for the past month.
The factory worker, from Lincolnshire, could not keep up with rent payments as her wages were but to a quarter of her usual pay when she was off sick with Covid.
‘People with kids should not be thinking about where their kids have got to sleep from one night to the next,’ she told BBC Look North.
‘Like people who are on drugs sit at home on their a***s all day, have social workers that help them keep their kids and help them with their housing,’ she said through tears.
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Sasha Osborn, 31, has been living in a tent with her partner and two children, aged seven and ten for the past month
‘And Boston Borough council help people who are addicted to drugs, they put them in all these houses.
‘There’s all these houses for single people or couples but there’s nothing for people with children.’
Sasha, who recently found out she was nine weeks pregnant, her partner and her children – one of whom has special educational needs -have been homeless since November, after they were evicted from their home.
They were initially placed in a hotel in Skegness, which was 20 miles away from where she worked.
The family-of-four were then moved into a multiple occupancy hostel for half a year, but Sasha said that this site was unsafe for her children.
However, Boston Borough Council said that the family became ‘homeless intentionally,’ and that they had ‘the means to pay the rent and chose not to’.
A couple of days ago, they pitched their tent in a family member’s back yard where they had access to facilities, such as running water.
Due to a change in circumstance, Sasha and her family had to leave and pitch the tent up in a woodland
But due to change in circumstance, they had to leave and are now living in a woodland.
When they were located in the family member’s garden, the family were visited by social services and Sasha claimed the social worker said their set up was ‘lovely’.
She was also told that their situation did not ‘meet the criteria’ to get assistance.
Because she had access to running water and other facilities, her circumstance was described as ‘fine’.
Sasha said: ‘Routine’s gone out the window, especially now. When it’s ten o’clock at night, it’s still daylight outside, my children won’t sleep until it’s pitch black.
‘I believe I am entitled to support and housing, one hundred percent, my kids are entitled to it.’
The mother also claimed that she was told her children ‘must stay’ with other family members but says there are ‘safeguarding issues that are being ignored.’
The children have now been separated from each other, sleeping at two different houses with other family members, with the reporter adding the pair were ‘confused’ and ‘frightened.’
The mother-of-two claims that she was visited by a social worker who said her tent set up was ‘lovely’
Sasha admits that she has made ‘wrong choices’ in the past and said: ‘There’s just no loophole for anybody like me.’
Tara Jones, assistant director for children’s safeguarding at Lincolnshire County Council said: ‘We want all local children to be safe, so, even though we aren’t the housing authority, we’re working hard to support the family through this difficult situation.
‘This is a complex case, and we’re exploring all options to help get the family into suitable housing.’
A spokesperson from Boston Borough Council, said: ‘An investigation by Boston Borough Council found that Miss Osborn had the means to pay rent and had made the decision not to.
‘As a result of this, the Council provided temporary accommodation to Miss Osborn and her family until late May, which was considered reasonable based on her circumstances, to give her time to find somewhere to live.’
The spokesperson added: ‘Over 1,000 households either directly contacted the Council’s Homelessness Service or were referred to the Council during 2022-23 because they required advice or assistance.
‘Where possible, the Council prioritises preventing people from becoming homeless which can include reducing rent arrears, assistance to obtain private rented accommodation or social housing but if unable to prevent homelessness, temporary accommodation will be provided if entitled.’
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