A couple from Canvey have pleaded for help with just days left until they are due to be evicted from their home.
Alan Downes, 38, and his partner Nicole Briddock, 36, live in a Bungalow on Thielen Road with Ms Briddock’s 18-year-old son Cameron but are now struggling to find a new place to live after their landlord decided to put their property up for sale last year.
It happened just days after Ms Briddock’s mother, who was the guarantor of the property, suffered a brain aneurysm which has forced her to learn to walk and talk again.
With Ms Briddock suffering from borderline personality disorder and Mr Downes, a former army veteran, recently homeless it has meant potential landlords of other properties have passed on the tenants, with the couple having until the end of this month to find a solution.
The couple have tried to find help from charities as well as Castle Point Council but say one of the only options left is to hope a new landlord willing to rent to them will buy their bungalow.
She said: “All the council are saying they’ll do is put me and my son in a one bed hostel, we’d share a room with two single beds. There’s nowhere for our belongings, they’re not bearing in mind me or my son’s mental health issues.They said Alan would have to make alternative arrangements.
“We’ve tried every possible angle we can think of. We’re not sleeping, we’re panicking knowing the bailiffs are going to turn up and we’re going to be homeless. I don’t know what to do, I’m at my wits end.”
Mr Downes added: “I need help, I don’t know what else to do. I’m going round and round in circles and I don’t know where else to turn.
“I know what Nicole’s mental health is like. I’ve tried to stop her so much from having a mental breakdown but this is unreal. I haven’t slept for weeks over this.
Responding the the couple's comments, a spokesman for Castle Point Council confiirmed they had been in contact with the family.
They said: "The Council has accepted a homeless duty to Miss Briddock, and upon expiry of her Section 21 Notice, she has been advised that we are able to provide temporary accommodation at any point to avoid the eviction process.
"Although Mr Downes has recently joined the application, we do require essential documentation such as proof of income and identification.
They added: "However this would not hinder any help and assistance we are willing and able to provide to Miss Briddock"
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