Today I have received notification that I will be receiving a letter to say that my landlord will be starting to take action in removing me and my daughter from our home. The reason why I have got rent arrears is this. I am at present receiving working tax credits as a self employed person.Every year Tameside Council are supposed to send me a request to update my situation. They didn’t send me the letter so I thought that they’d changed their system etc. My dad also died at around this time and as you can imagine I was upset and probably wasn’t thinking clearly.

I didn’t receive any notification that I owed any rent etc until I had a telephone call from my landlord Jigsaw Homes telling me that I owed quite a lot of rent. I made an appointment with my MPs office in the hope that they could help me with this. They did their very best but Tameside Council wouldn’t budge, they wouldn’t let me appeal this situation etc They just told me and my MPs office that basically it’s tough and I’ll have to claim universal credit to now receive any housing benefit.

Because of this I will now have to end my self employment because I won’t reach the minimum income floor and I’m equally devastated about this.

We moved into our home just over 11 years ago after spending a year in a women’s refuge after leaving an abusive relationship. My daughter would be heartbroken at having to leave our home as would I. It is our safe place and we love it here.

I have no family that I can as for help with my situation nor any friends that are financially able to help me either.

I’ve campaigned on behalf of others for years now, knowing that I’m only ever one step away from loosing everything and now it’s my turn.

I am looking for a full time job but so far I’ve had no success. I am trying to rectify this mess and this is a last resort.