Family of five on Universal Credit face eviction over unpaid rent

A family from Rotherham face being made homeless after being ordered to leave their home on Monday.

Parents Amy Winter and Joshua Thain, as well as their three children who live with them, are set to be evicted from the house on Brunswick Street, Thurnscoe over unpaid rent.

A judge ordered that the family must leave the house on January 31 following several months of missed rent payments but Amy and Joshua say Barnsley Council have been aware of the situation and haven’t helped. Both Amy, 26, and 27-year-old Joshua are on Universal Credit and live with Sky, five, Daisy-Mae, four and 18-month-old Lexi. Amy is currently five months pregnant and the couple have a fourth child, nine-year-old Macauli, who lives with Amy’s mum. Amy told the Huddersfield Examiner : “It’s that bad we don’t go out or anything because we’re worried. I’ve asked my family if they can help, they can’t help with accommodation because they’re only living in one bed and two bedroom houses. “The only person who is trying to help is my partner’s uncle but he lives down in Somerset.

 

“I think Barnsley Council need to get off their backside and figure out what they’re going to do, instead of just telling us one thing and next thing a different thing.”

The property is owned by Sanctuary Housing and the tenancy agreement was in the name of Joshua’s late mother Victoria Robertshaw, who died aged 45 in August after testing positive for Covid-19.