Why the Net has the advantage in the ‘Undies world’
- Shopping blogger Emma Iannarilli
House hell leads to life in tents
Friday 8th June 2007, 12:44AM BST.
It looks like a refugee camp from Gaza or Kosovo. Small children and their parents huddle in three tents. The kids are clean, well cared-for and happy but the adults are almost in despair.
“People watching this carry-on must think we have gone mad,” says Lesley Harvey. “But what else can we do?”
Only a few weeks ago, the Harvey clan was a big, happy, extended Black Country family doing pretty well in three houses:
* In Tipton Lesley and husband Graham shared their three-bedroom house with daughter Debbie, 25, and a lodger.
* In West Bromwich Lesley’s daughter Helen, 29, and her 36-year-old partner Steve lived with their four children Mitchell 10, Kieron eight, Shennelle six and two-year-old Owen. Steve was a busy shift worker, Helen studying carpentry at Sandwell College.
* In Tipton, Lesley’s daughter Aimee, 23, was living with her partner Andrew and youngsters Ryan six, Rhianna five, Cerys three and ten-month Joshua.
And then a demand from the Child Support Agency dropped through the letterbox at Steve and Helen’s house. Steve has a son by a previous relationship and was paying an agreed sum of £25 per week in maintenance.
But the CSA wanted more. They assessed Steve for £300 a month.
“We just haven’t got that sort of money,” says Helen. “We told them we had four other children to care for and we were getting benefits.”
But they say the CSA would not relent. Unable to pay their bills, the family asked if they could move in with Lesley.
“They asked if they could stay while they got themselves sorted,” says Lesley. “I turned my dining room and living room into bedrooms.” Sandwell Council said because Steve and Helen had voluntarily given up the tenancy of a private rented house, they could not be granted housing priority.
Steve fell ill with depression and had to give up work.
In the meantime, Aimee was suffering severe post-natal depression. She failed to claim rent rebate and was evicted from her privately-rented home. After a spell in emergency accommodation she, too, moved back with Mom with her four kids and partner, Andrew.
“I was determined to keep the family together,” says Lesley.
But as 16 people crowded into the modest semi, she ran out of space. The solution, for the past month, has been three tents in the garden for the children and their parents.
“It was fun for the kids at first, but not any more,” says Helen. “We can hear everything. We have been up since 5.30 am today.”
Andrew says: “The kids seems to enjoy all living together, except when it’s time for bed. But it’s hard to sleep, especially now there’s a fair just over the park.
“Lesley has been great but I can see this is all beginning to get her down. It’s going to take a long time and a lot of co-operation from the council to sort it all out.”
Say Lesley: “We now have 16 people in the house. Sandwell Council could not care less and Social Services are not interested because the kids are not neglected.”
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Whats so wrong about this man having to support his child from a previous relationship and why has he gone on to have another four if he can’t afford to support them? Has he given up work because of depression or so he can shirk his responsibility. Sorry no sympathy, Get off your bum and get a job!!!
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I agree. I’m depressed at the thought of them living of my hard earned taxes.
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i get up every morning at 5 30 am i cant see any thing wrong with it i only got a little cleaning job, but i would not like to clean up after that lot 3 of the 4 adults chain smoke shame for the kids though
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If he is already in an agreement to pay £25.00 aweek the csa should be grateful he is paying and look at those who are not getting any at all, i think it’s a disgrace the way they are being treated.
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is it me or do these people not have to justify their right not to work any more. it seems they can give up their jobs and be paid for doing so. are all these people paying rent for the property they are now living in? or are they all living rent free? Iknow what my guess would be.
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this man has always supported his child. he has worked since leaving school until about four weeks ago. he has paid maintainance and also paid for clothes and holidays.after paying rent council tax and csa there was nothing left to feed his family. this left us below the minimum that the government says we are entitled to live on. get all the facts before you open your big trap
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I’m sorry but the council are quick enough to give immigrants a house and the benifits when people who were born in this country should be given top priority and they are not why??? and why shouldn’t MY BROTHER Andrew his partner Aimee and there children be entitled to a house. Everyone is quick to give an opinion without knowing all the facts.
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Thank you Susan for your comments. To the rest of you to set the record straight. Steve is not actually unemployed but sick, and there but the grace of God they say. So I hope you are never sick and have to claim benefits, because my husband and I would object that our taxes are used for that purpose. And although it is entirely my business, they do in fact pay towards electric, gas, water rates, tv licence, and also buy their own food. We are also quite capable of keeping the place clean ourselves and do not need help. As soon as they are housed they can get back to normal, get working and providing for their families properly. But extortionate private rentals leaves no money to do this.
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You cannot ignore a child and it’s needs if a relationship breaks down. If you take the decision and responsibility to have children then that is yours for life. If you don’t want that responsibility try using a condom !
£25 a week doesn’t go far when you have to feed and dress a child !!!
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c`mon Mr Geldof lets have a live aid for them………..
You do not get evicted for not claiming housing benifit, who writs this rubbish? You get a bill, then another one, then a final reminder, then a court hearing. She forgot rather a lot didn`t she?
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I wonder how many “economic” migrants with 16 member families would have to put up with the same, no doubt they would get priority!
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i think this country has gone absolutely bonkers, how can people in such ‘a caring society’ treat these familys this way, you can see from the article that these children are loved and cared for, these parents deserve to be treated with more respect, and as for some of the above comments, i can only presume that they come from people that were born with silver spoons or maybe they can only afford wooden ones ! ! !
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Why does any family in the modern age need 4 children. Surely its better to have fewer children and spread more time, money and support between them. Less children, easier too look after, makes sense.
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HERE HERE BEN
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why didnt the partner fill in the benefit forms if aimee was suffering depresion or do i see an underlying trend of the pair claiming seperately so he cant fill em in for fear of the benefits fraud squad investegating
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why since being together have niether of these families looked for further accomodation from private housing groups. there are a large amount of properties out there that will accept that these people will get help from dss. there are plenty of these articles in your own paper.
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to say that these people cannot work because thay are homeless is rubbish from the picture all the children barring the toddlers are old enough to be at school so why is it that none of the 4 adults work while the children are at school and the other parents are looking after the toddlers i work nights and my partner looks after my children and i privatly rent and have to scrape to find bills and csa for a child from a previous relationship. i manage to do this why cant they???? or do they just like to take my taxes.
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i feel some of this story has been missed out and maybe this family feels it can pressure the local council into housing them immediately. Although all members of both families have had ample chance and opportunity to establish other accomodation before moving into a family home. i also feel that suffering from depression doesn’t validate not filling in a form and neither does moving out of a privately rented home into another home therefore leaving themselves open for a long wait on the councill waiting list irregardless of the fact that both families have four small children. this problem is nobody’s doing but the parents of each of the eight children. All other avenues should have been explored such as contacting the csa to arrange a suitable payments each month, the same goes in aimee and andrews case they could’ve contacted the council and the private landlord and come to an arrangement. this is not an individual problem everyone should pitch in and sort it out for the kids upbringing. Aimee, helen, and andrew should be trying to find any kind of work even if it is 2 hours a day while the youngest children are at nursery. Nobody can live without at least 1 lot of steady income let alone support a family of four children.
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i have known helen and steve leadbeater for over 10 years ste is not a dole dosser or a scrounger he has always worked to support his family whoever said he should get off his arse and get a job should be strung up ste works really hard to make sure they can pay there bills. Least hes doing the decent thing and paying for his child from a previous relationship unlike some men no wonder he on the brink of a nervous breakdown wouldnt you be if you had to deal with all this lot.
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can i just make a statement here..you dont like the way things are..stop breeding like rabbits lol..its pretty simple..i know one guy who pays for his kids yet he still gets slagged down for it..some people want sympathy and attention when its not appropriate!!..hehe welcome to the real world!..im here..join me!!
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I find it increasingly difficult to see what makes these people think they are so important that they go rushing to a newspaper in the hope the coverage will push them to the front of the queue there ARE people in greater need of housing atleast both familys are together and the children looked after, theres plenty of people out there who dont even have that to fall back on so instead of complaining just wait in the queue like the rest of them!
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Isn’t it nice that there are so many sanctimonious and pompous people living around here? How many of you have actually met Helen, Steve, Aimee or Andrew and spoke to them? Thought not! They have my total support and that of my husband – and he is at sea for 10 months of the year working and paying taxes!!
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Well Monique, judging from your comments, one can only assume that you are employed by the Council!
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i think that these familys have brought this upon themselves they should of thought about there actions before they decided to leave there propertys or not pay there bills.why should they thibk the council should rehome them wen they are no differant to the other few hundreds of people on the waiting lists nothink makes them any more important. As for the depression anyone would be depressed living in a house of 16 adults and children and if they need the room they should ask the “lodger” to leave as family is more important.
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for your informantion bella i knwo both families and although hard to accept all the comments made are valid points everyone is entitled to their opinion!
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Isn’t this the same girl i see out at Chicago’s in Walsall every weekend without fail? Glad to see she’s coping well with her ‘depession’.
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hell if we cud all get a house from the council by sleeping in a tent in the garden we should all do it!
and as for not being able to afford a privately rented property wen u only had to pay a tenner a week is a very good deal wen i pay over twice than in a council property because i work is that fair?
and didnt helen and steve live in a council house paid for by the council and give it up to go private and the only reason the council paid for it was because “steve wasnt living there”
im sorry but this is there own faults everythink in life isnt free.
one good point is at least the weather nice so they dont get soggy at night but why does it show them living in tents wen lesey said she changed the dining room into a room for them?
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LOL Stevo – nice one. Lindsey Parker, I take it you work for the council, as you seem to know that immigrants get priority??? Please check your facts. Immigrants have to be granted asylum beofre they are entitled to social housing. and when they are they are likely to be placed in ghettoised, difficult to let areas.
Whats the bet that if this family were offered a 6 bed house in a rough area they wouldnt take it???? They should stop breeding so much. And as for being depressed about CSA payment….I should be depressed too….my ex owes me £8K!!!! – but i dont moan, i just get on with it. If I had to I would get two three jobs to make ends meet
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NICE 1 STEVO MAYBE SHOULD HAVE PAID THE RENT .IF THEY CAN AFFORD TO GO OUT EVERY FRIDAY THEY CAN PAY THER BILLS.MUST BE GETTIN TOO MUCH BENEFITS
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NO I DO’T WORK FOR THE COUNCIL ACTUALLY. SEE JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS BUT ISN’T THAT LIKE MOST PEOPLES COMMENTS IN HERE.
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The story given isn’t the full one some details av bin missed out.
The council won’t offer them a house is cause Andy has rented off the council be4 n never paid his council tax, or a few months rent yet he was working n could afford 2.
N the privately rented flat they were in previously bef4 deciding 2 move out they hadn’t paid any rent or council tax since xmas so they were being evicted anyway.
they seem 2 b more bovered bout getting drunk than paying there way in this world.
shouldn’t the kids cum first.
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Nice to see that priorities are in order….internet connection and computer what a luxury for someone supposedly skint and on the breadline. Sell the computer and drop the net you might just have a spare few quid for a deposit on a private let.
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stevo please get your facts rite aimee is not in chicagos every week!!she aint been for a while now.
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if you want to be technical me!!! its been about 2 weeks as of last friday but i see her there almost every week had wondered where she’d got to!
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why is everybody targetting aimee is it not helen who has 4 children by as many fathers surely with the maintenance recieved from 3 of these fathers plus the benefit she would have recieved aswell as steve’s wages they should have been more than able to pay the bills they say were their reason for giving up their privately rented accomodation.
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i know the father of three of the children who’s family was quite happy to look after them while the mother found suitable accommodation. however she said she would miss them to much. would it be better to miss them or have them living in a tent??
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i was asked to read this artical and must say im shocked at the witch hunting comments being left by people who really dont know the facts here. as i see it they should be offered somewhere to live regardless of there history with private houseing or council how in the 20th century can people be expected to live in tents in a garden its inhumman and crule and these children and there famillys deserve help not snid remarks off people who happen to have a home..
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why do people feel sorry for these families when they have brought it upon themselves nobody wants to pay their bills but this is something that has to be done.surely the partners family could find room for the children instead of leaving them in a tent in torrential rain storms.surely the children and grandchildren should come before the lodger
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if “emma” is so conserned about these familys living in these conditions through no faults but there own.
you should be the one who helps them as im sure if anyone else like me or you were in this situation these familys wudnt even bat an eyelid and would be the last to help
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well said teresa nice to see someone thinking of the kids because none of the adults in this story seem to give a toss.me and my husband both work full time to make sure the kids have a nice clean home to grow up in i wish we could afford to go out every weekend but we cant cause we dont scrounge off the social do we
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why dont these families do what everybody else does get off there arses and get a job then they could afford to get a place,without relying on hand outs all the time
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im sori 2 say bella bt i do nw the family unfortunatly they deserve everythin they got bin a long time coming even a tent is 2 gd 4 them
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