A 34-year-old woman’s story has gone viral after she revealed she was forced to move into the woods after losing her job.
Melissa Norman from Devon, England, found herself in a tough financial situation after losing her McDonald’s job and being left with no means to pay her rent $500-a-month rent.
After failing to pay for her hostel rent, the 34-year-old was evicted and ended up living in a small tent in the woods.
As the woman alleged, the Torbay Council was “not willing to help” her before she got evicted because she wasn’t homeless at the time.
“I moved into the hostel just before lockdown. I then got furloughed and lost my job at McDonald’s and didn’t have enough money to carry on paying the rent,” Norman explained.
As she added, she called the officials about her imminent situation just one day before she was kicked out of the hostel. However, they reportedly refused to take any action because she still had accommodation at the time of the call.
“Because I was housed at the time when I told them, they are not willing to help me,” Norman said.
“I have been in a tent for over a week. The council have told me I am on a waiting list but it could take up to one year to house me. I’ve worked since I was 16 years old, paid all of my taxes. I think it is disgusting.”
As the 34-year-old went on to urge the authorities “to open their eyes and put money into community centers,” she explained how she’s seen an increase in people who have been left without a home.
“It is not just me this is a wider problem. How can anyone get out of this situation when there is little help,” she added.
As the Torbay Council representative confirmed, the officials are currently “seeing a huge increase in demand for our Housing Options service.”
“Our team are working extremely hard to secure temporary accommodation for those who need it,” the spokesperson said.
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