Please Help My Four Children and Me Find a Permanent Home in Beccles 

For nearly a year, my four children and I have faced the daunting challenge of living without a stable home. My children are 13,5,4 and 3

 

We were forced to leave our previous residence following a harrowing period of domestic abuse. What I genuinely hoped would be a temporary relocation has turned into months of uncertainty, upheaval and instability. I didn't suddenly take the children and stop them from seeing their dad. He had to apply to see them which took us to November. They where very excited after their visit as he had shown them photos of new bikes he got them for Christmas. They never got the bikes.

On 14 October, following the court hearing, I was told that we would be back in court in seven days in relation to the Occupation Order. At that point, no safeguarding arrangements had been put in place for me and my four children to return safely to the family home.

I therefore said that I would stay at my parents' home for those seven days, believing that we would shortly be returning to court and that the situation would then be addressed.

Instead, those seven days became months.

We have now been without our home for 10 months.

What was supposed to be a temporary arrangement has become a prolonged period of uncertainty for my children and me.

Our family is currently living in temporary accommodation without a garden in flat, and the lack of a permanent home is having a profound impact on my children's education, emotional well-being and everyday lives.

 

The absence of a permanent home has disrupted the comfortable and settled life we once had in Beccles.

 

My children are settled in Beccles. Their schools, nursery, friends, activities and support network are all there. They know the community, their surroundings and the people around them. They have already experienced significant disruption, and I am desperately trying to protect what stability they still have.

 

At present, I have to travel by bus with the children between our temporary accommodation and Beccles so that they can remain at their schools. This is physically, emotionally and financially difficult, but I continue to do it because keeping the children in their schools and community is so important to them.

 

My children repeatedly ask me:

 

“When are we going home?”

and

“When can we go home?”

 

It is heartbreaking not to be able to give them a clear answer.

 

We need stability, not another upheaval 

 

The family home remains occupied, and following legal proceedings I have not been able to return there with my children.

 

I have continued to pursue every appropriate avenue available to me to try to secure a safe and permanent housing solution for our family.

 

What we desperately need now is somewhere that the children can finally feel settled again.

 

Moving us further away from Beccles could mean changing schools, losing friendships, losing access to activities and support networks, and creating yet another major upheaval for children who have already been through so much.

Beccles has always been a place full of support for us, and I urgently need help to ensure that this remains possible.

My children deserve to grow up in a stable environment where their education, friendships, relationships and overall well-being can be protected and encouraged.

 

Access to suitable permanent housing in Beccles would not simply give us a roof over our heads. It would give my children the opportunity to rebuild a sense of security, belonging and normality.

 

This is bigger than just our family 

 

Our situation also highlights a wider problem facing families who are struggling to find suitable and affordable housing.

 

Authorities and housing services in the Waveney area need to continue looking at practical solutions for families experiencing housing insecurity, particularly where children are already settled within a local community.

 

Greater collaboration with local charities, housing providers, support services and landlords could help create more opportunities for families in urgent need.

 

Increasing the availability of suitable family housing and exploring innovative solutions with local landlords could help prevent families from being forced further away from their children's schools, communities and support networks.

 

Our story is not unique.

 

There are many families experiencing the fear and uncertainty of not knowing where they will be living next, while trying to protect their children's education, friendships and emotional well-being.

 

This situation calls for urgent action and compassionate consideration.

 

Please help us find our way home 

 

I am asking the local authorities, housing providers and decision-makers to look at our circumstances and help us find a suitable permanent home in Beccles, or as close to Beccles as reasonably possible.

 

I am not asking for anyone to ignore the proper housing process.

 

I am asking for my children's needs, circumstances and existing ties to the community to be properly considered.

 

Four children should not have to spend their childhood wondering when they will have a stable place to call home.

They deserve security.

They deserve continuity.

They deserve the opportunity to remain close to their schools, friends and support network.

And they deserve somewhere they can finally feel at home.

Please sign and share this petition to help us secure a permanent home in Beccles.

 

Your support could make a real difference to my children and me — and help raise awareness of the wider housing difficulties facing families in similar circumstances.

 

Please help us find our way back to a place we can once again call home.

 

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