Emergency housing: 'I miss my sofa the most'

Portsmouth has more than 500 households living in temporary accommodation, including hotels

Heather has decided to give up trying to wash clothes in a bathroom sink.

"It's really only big enough for a pair of socks," she says. "We have to accept it's a trip to the laundrette."

Heather - whose name we have changed to protect her - is one of many people in Portsmouth living in temporary accommodation. In her case, this means being in a hotel room.

This kind of provision is provided by local authorities for people who have been evicted by family, a landlord or fled abusive relationships.

The city council is asking the government for more money to help fund the rising costs of providing emergency housing, claiming it now faces a £5.6m budget gap.

'No fridge'

Heather's son came with her when they left her home.

They have been sharing one room for more than a week, with a kettle but no fridge, and no access to cooking facilities.

They could legally stay there for six weeks before being moved to a private rental or a council or housing association home.

"It means we have to eat out, or get takeaways or just buy food, make it and eat it immediately," she explains.

"That does get expensive. You can't keep anything fresh like milk, it just goes off."

Councillor Darren Sanders proposed a motion to lobby the city's MPs and the government for emergency funds at a meeting on Tuesday

She adds: "You're watching your money because it's got to last you for the month. You've got no facilities, you're just in a hotel room.

"We have no fridge, so you can't have milk or cereal, you can't make a sandwich. If you buy fruit you have to eat it there and then or it just goes off and in the bin.

"I cannot wait for marmite and melted cheese on a crumpet and just having a bath, putting my pyjamas on and sitting down on a sofa.

"That's one thing you really miss - a sofa. I miss a toaster and a sofa most."

But Heather, who continues to go to work every day, said however hard the situation, she was still "so grateful" to have a safe, warm place to starts her new life.

She also said she was "relieved" the council had looked after her.

A motion to lobby the city's MPs and the government for emergency funds to deal with a "temporary accommodation housing crisis" was carried at a full council meeting on Tuesday.

Councillors also voted to "join with other councils lobbying for a national settlement that is realistic in recognising the true scale of this crisis".

Portsmouth has more than 500 households living in temporary accommodation.

The authority said the costs had gone up 84% in the past year because the subsidies it gets back from the government are based on 2011 rent rates, resulting in it paying five times more in rent than it gets back.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said it had "inherited devastating levels of rough sleeping" and was providing another £233m to "help prevent future rises of families in temporary accommodation" across the country.

"This takes total spending on reducing homelessness to nearly £1 billion in 2025-26," they said.