Young family who face eviction from rented Bristol flat have 'nowhere to go'

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A family from Bristol say they have nowhere to go after being handed an eviction notice at their rented flat in Bishopsworth.

Michaela Allen, 33, has missed a number of rent payments in recent years but now fears she and her three children will become effectively homeless as they cannot afford to rent anywhere else in the city.

She has been on Bristol City Council's house waiting list for nearly seven years.

Michaela said: "It's just not knowing where you're going to go.

"That's the hardest thing, knowing that you've got three children who could be going out on the streets with you." 

The family have nowhere to go when they are evicted Credit: ITV

Michaela is a single mother who works in retail. But after giving birth to twins two years ago she is now almost entirely reliant on Universal Credit.

She says her family have outgrown the two-bedroom flat where she shares a bed with her eldest daughter and keeps clothes in a suitcase as there is not enough space for a wardrobe. But this, she insists, is still their home.

Michaela said: "There's no way in Bristol I'd be able to privately rent. I can barely afford my gas and electric at the moment, let alone thinking about topping rent. It's just not an alley we can go down."

Bristol City Council are expected to intervene if they are evicted - but the council says there are now more than 16,000 people on its housing waiting list with another 1,000 families in temporary accommodation.

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Cabinet member for housing, delivery and homes Cllr Tom Renhard said: "Demand (for council homes) is soaring and you can only build it so quickly.

"We announced in January we are investing more in our council housing delivery programme.

"We've committed £1.8billion to build 9,000 new council homes over the next 30 years. We will deliver 2000 homes before 2030.

"We are also creating affordable housing through new developments. We have our own criteria for that - 20%, 30% 40% depending on where they are in the city.

"But we need stronger regulation and that can only come through national government reforms. What we need is more protections for people that are renting in the city so it is not so easy to evict people."