A benefits mum-of-five is demanding a bigger home – so her children don’t have to SHARE a bedroom.
Unemployed Rachael Dower, 28, says her housing provider must upgrade her – as she keeps having kids and has outgrown her current property.
She has continued to grow her family despite having not worked in over ten years and always claiming benefits.
And now she wants a larger house so her children all have their own space.
The benefits-reliant mum lives with her partner Keith Birchmore, 29, and kids in a two bedroom home in Camborne, Cornwall, and says she has spent six months trying to move.
She says she feels justified in making the demands as it is “unfair” that her daughter, Antonia, 11, has to share what she describes as a tiny “box room” with four brothers -Blake, two, Keedan, nine, Rhys, eight, and Oakley, six.
She said: “I know people say it’s my fault for having so many kids but it’s what I wanted. We are just asking for an extra bedroom.
“We just want to move into a nice family home. It’s not family-like here. At the moment they are all in one box room and it’s not a good way for the children to live.
“I don’t mind the boys sharing but my daughter is approaching the age when she will be experiencing lady problems so it’s so important for her to get her own space.
“It’s not fair on my daughter and it’s driving me nuts. She has not got her own privacy. It’s not fair at all.”
Miss Dower has been asking Coastline Housing for a bigger home for half a year.
She says that she gets around £240 a week in total benefits and they currently have all of their rent paid for through housing benefit.
Miss Dower had previously been in £1500 rent arrears but claims that she was promised by the provider that they would find her a more suitable property once her payments were up-to-date.
But having cleared her debts at a rate of £85 a week she says she is still waiting for news of a bigger property becoming available.
She also registered with Cornwall Council’s Homechoice scheme in an effort to get a new home, but despite being accepted onto it after eight weeks of waiting, has yet to hear of a suitable property.
She added: “We moved here nine years ago and although we got into arrears two years ago, we paid it off and I presumed that this would allow for us to move into a new house.
“I’ve been told that Coastline doesn’t have a suitable property available.
“Even a three bed property would be an improvement as it’s not fair on my daughter having to share with her four brothers.”
“I don’t want to be here for another year, we wanted to be out by Christmas but that didn’t happen.”
Miss Dower added that she will look for work in the future.
“I did work – I worked in a riding school before my daughter was born 11 years ago. I do want to work,” she said.
The housing provider said that there were currently no homes available.
In a statement, Coastline Housing said: “We understand as this family has grown their home is now too small for their needs.
“Our lettings team is working with the family and Cornwall HomeChoice. We hope to be able to offer them a move to a suitable larger home in the not too distant future, when one becomes available.”
Keith works as a mechanic but doesn’t earn enough to mean they have to pay rent themselves.
