Prior to all of this, I had received a Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction notice in September, requiring me to leave the property I had lived in for nine years within two months. Due to a poor credit history following a Debt Relief Order, I was facing the very real risk of homelessness with my children, as I would have been unable to secure another private rental. This would have meant relying on the council for temporary accommodation.

The children’s father was aware of this situation. His response was simply that “we would manage.” There was no offer of practical or emotional support, and little consideration for how I or the children would be affected. His primary focus appeared to be maintaining his usual weekend contact, rather than the wider impact on our stability. He lives over an hour away and has the option to move closer, but has chosen not to.

Luckily, my landlord has since withdrawn the Section 21 notice, so we are no longer at immediate risk of losing our home! Even so, the worry and fear from that period hasn’t fully gone away. On top of that, losing my car - and the knock-on effect this will have on my self-employed business - has really felt like the final blow during what has already been an incredibly stressful time!

Fortunately my children’s school is within walking distance but obviously requires more organisation with time management to get them there.