Broke carer forced to sofa-surf for years thanks to council house waiting list

Debi Lepley has been searching for a home for seven years (Image: SWNS) A carer has spoken of how her desperate situation struggling to find a council house as she can’t afford to privately rent. Debi Lepley, 32, said she is ‘losing to the will to live’ after sleeping on friends’ floors and sofas while waiting seven years for a place to live. She applied to South Ribble Borough Council for a two-bedroom home in 2016 to accommodate her and her disabled mum. She said: “I’ve been waiting for seven years, and for the past three years me and my mum have been holding out for a place together, so I can continue to care for her. ‘It’s starting to have a real effect on my mind, my mental health, and no one at the council can tell me that it’s going to get any better.’ Many Britons are struggling to afford their bills (Image: Getty) The mum and daughter looked at renting privately but the cheapest two-bedroom flat they could find was £850 a month, which was too much for their budget. For four years she was registered as homeless and during that time had to sleep on friends’ sofas. And in 2020, Debi moved into her 60-year-old mum’s one bedroom flat in a retirement complex, where she now sleeps in the living room. She said: ‘The situation is becoming intolerable and I can’t see a way out. I’ve never been higher than 80th place in all the years I’ve been on the waiting list. Debi Lepley has been searching for a home for seven years (Image: SWNS) ‘We don’t expect much. We would just like a two-bed place to share on a ground floor, but we’re not considered a priority. We don’t meet the criteria. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get a place. But what then? Where do I go from here? I’m losing the will and there doesn’t seem to be any real help out there. I feel lost.’ Her mum has a degenerative spine condition with several damaged nerves and discs as well as arthritis. Debi also has fibromyalgia and lives with pain throughout her body which often leaves her feeling exhausted. She said she bids on a council property as soon as one becomes available but has never been able to secure a place. The leader of the Labour-run South Ribble Borough Council, Councillor Paul Foster, blamed ‘cuts in funding’ for Debi’s situation. He said: ‘It’s a real consequence of the cost of living crisis and the cuts in funding to help people who are in need of support that we do see people struggling to access the accommodation they may need. “Waiting times for social housing properties vary, and while we wouldn’t comment on an individual’s circumstances, shortlisting is based on a criteria of bedroom need, banding, local connection and date of application, as all residents who apply for social housing are assessed in line with an allocation policy. “Although it is unusual for someone who is in need of support to be waiting for such a long time, cases can be complicated, however, we recognise that there is an acute shortage of housing.’ For the latest personal finance news, follow us on Twitter at @ExpressMoney_.