A HOMELESS mum-of-six is ‘desperate for stability’ for her family after spending the last six months squashed into a temporary two-bedroom bungalow.
Roxanne James, along with partner, Jonathan Metalle, and their six children, were made homeless in May 2023 when they were forced to flee their council house of 13 years in Folkestone, Kent, after becoming victims of crime.
The whole family spent a year living with Roxanne’s brother in Sunderland while trying to find a council willing to take on a homeless duty of care for them.
Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) accepted that responsibility in June 2024, putting them up in one room at the Quarterz Hotel in Chester city centre.
They were there for two months before they were moved to a two-bedroom bungalow at the Limes in Northwich, where they moved on August 30.
The Limes provides supported living for homeless people, as well as those recovering from drug and alcohol misuse and mental health problems.
Roxanne James and her partner, Jonathan Metalle, with three of their six children (Image: Roxanne James) The family is on West Cheshire Homes housing list, where they have been awarded highest priority banding, but Roxanne has had no luck bidding on a permanent home.
Such a large family, with boys and girls aged seven to 16, needs at least a four-bedroom house, but these are few and far between.
Roxanne said she’s now ‘at the end of her tether’, and ‘desperate for stability’ for her children, who had enjoyed the same stable home all their lives until they were made homeless.
“My 11-year-old daughter is sharing a bedroom with her three siblings,” the 36-year-old said.
“She blames herself for us not having a home, as she was was the target of the crime we experienced as a family. She’s distraught.
“She tries not to make friends at school because she’s too embarrassed about them finding out we’re homeless and have been for two years.
Roxanne is ‘heart-broken’ after he 16-year-old son felt forced to move out to increase the family’s chances of finding a suitable permanent home (Image: Roxanne James)
“My eldest, who’s 16 and has ADHD and autism, has made the formal decision to move to Sunderland to live with his uncle.
“If he hadn’t, we’d need a five-bedroom house, but they just don’t exist.
“I’m absolutely broken-hearted over it.
“My partner and I are sleeping in the living room so my 14-year-old son can have a room to himself, though even that’s doubling up as a storage room for all our stuff.
“I’ve bid on four or five properties, but we keep coming second or third.
“I think it’s because in CWAC’s eyes, as they took over the duty of care in June, that’s when our homelessness began.
“We’ve actually been homeless since May 2023.
“It really doesn’t help.”
CWAC says finding a permanent, affordable home for Roxanne’s family ‘presents some challenges’ due to the size of house they need.
Its spokesman said: “Ms James has been presented with a number of housing options and has been awarded the highest priority banding on West Cheshire Homes.
“However, due to the size of the family, having a number of pets, and the scarcity of properties of the size and bedroom requirement she has, this can be a lengthy process.
“Large families often wait more than a year for a four-bedroom property via the housing register for social housing even when a high priority banding is in place.
“The current temporary accommodation in Northwich has two bedrooms but is a large bungalow and is a self-contained family unit with facilities.
“Due to a limited supply of large temporary homes, an alternative is not easy to find, and it was important we helped Ms James to move out of unsuitable hotel accommodation and into more appropriate self-contained accommodation.
“The allocated homelessness caseworker and temporary accommodation team continue to work with Ms James to ensure suitability of arrangements.”