My 6-year-old son has been homeless all his life

Alicia was six months pregnant when she found herself homeless and standing in front of a derelict pub.

Having recently lost her father, alongside her grief came the heartbreaking loss of the home they shared. With nowhere to go, the local authority put Alicia in a hostel, then transferred her to temporary accommodation – situated above the grotty London bar.

Although it was meant to be a short-term solution for the mum-to-be, Alicia ended up spending two horrendous years in the damp, bed-bug-ridden flat, alongside her baby son Aeon.

Since then, the family have found themselves stuck in a vicious cycle of cramped, unsuitable, and unsafe temporary accommodation. It means that Aeon, now six, has spent the entirety of his young life classed as homeless, with Alicia tirelessly fighting for her family to have somewhere secure to call home since 2019.

‘I’ve been in survival mode for six years, and it’s had a huge impact on my wellbeing,’ Alicia, 39, tells Metro. ‘It’s also really affected my son. I just don’t want any of this done in vain.’

As tragic as their circumstances are, it’s sadly an all too familiar story with homelessness in England now at its highest levels since records began. Housing charity Shelter says there are 172,420 children currently homeless in temporary accommodation in this country. Meanwhile, a staggering 4.5 million children (nearly a third) are classed as living in poverty.

These conditions have been fostered by housing shortages, with private landlords charging premiums for often shoddy and ill-kept accommodation.

With the average price of renting in London thought to be between £2,218 to £2,712, this perfect storm of negative factors has resulted in families being and forced to live in shoddy, vermin and mould-infested environments to avoid being pushed out on the streets.

Recalling her first home above the pub in London, Alicia says:’It was disgusting. There were so many issues with damp and bed bugs. It was no place for my son to grow up.’

The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns meant Alicia and Aeon were forced to live above the derelict building for longer than anticipated, with the global crisis resulting in Alicia’s battle for better housing effectively left forgotten.

While the local authorities admitted they ‘neglected’ their duties at the time, the second accommodation the pair were placed in wasn’t any better.

‘I had drug addicts next door, and there was always fighting and knife crime near us,’ Alicia remembers. ‘The final straw for me came when other residents nearly burned our house down while myself and my son slept inside.’

Now in their third temporary housing arrangement, a block of flats owned by a private landlord, Alicia is still finding her family plagued by issues. The most pressing are mould and mice infestations, which have resulted in Alicia and Aeon developing health problems and effectively has rendered their kitchen unusable. Aeon has even been forced to go into hospital due to ongoing ill-health.

‘My son has breathing issues because of all the damp,’ explains Alicia. ‘There are moments when he stops breathing at night. I feel like I’m getting bounced around, and you start to feel forgotten.

‘We both have anxiety and keep our guards up. I’ve seen mice running all over the counters and I flinch whenever I hear a trap snap, as I have to deal with a dead mouse which has been decapitated with blood all over the floor.

Alison Hammond: ‘No one should have to live this way’

Recently, Alicia met with TV presenter Alison Hammond, who is working alongside Shelter in a short film that show the stark reality of homelessness at Christmas.

Alison was brought to tears when Alicia described the reality of her day-to-day, and the impact her poor temporary accommodation is having on her son.

‘Alison was amazing. It was nice to talk to someone who actually, genuinely cares – I really felt heard,’ says Alicia. ‘I know she has a son and is also a single parent, so she just made it super easy to share our story. It made me feel really confident to speak openly and raise awareness, and she treated us with real respect.’

Alison added: ‘No one should have to live the way Alicia and Aeon are living. 

‘Alicia still does everything she can to make Christmas special for Aeon, but behind the scenes it’s like a full-time job — chasing repairs, tackling damp, dealing with mice, sorting legal papers.

‘I’m supporting Shelter because they’re there for families like Alicia’s, giving them help and fighting for lasting change to end homelessness for good. Meeting Alicia and hearing her story really moved me — I just want to help and be part of the change we so clearly need.’

‘Every time I’m in the living room, I feel scared,’ adds Alicia. ‘I want to be able to go into the kitchen to make my son a nice Christmas dinner, but I don’t feel comfortable or safe in there. I don’t feel like I can be relaxed.

‘I have ongoing PTSD and feel like I’m spending most of my time fighting the system.’

Alicia has repeatedly reached out to her private landlord to make basic fixes to their accommodation – but to no avail, leaving the mum feeling dismissed and ignored.

‘The mould is just painted over, or they’ll send a pest control man that puts poison down but doesn’t really fix the underlying causes, she explains. ‘They’ve told me the mice are ‘coming through the window’, or fed me lines that seem dismissive.

‘Instead of presents for my son, I am having to get mouse traps and mould remover – although I can’t reach a lot of the mould myself.’

The uncertainty around Alicia’s living arrangements has meant that each of Aeon’s Christmasses have been unpredictable and haphazard, rather than a magical time for the young boy.

‘When you’ve lived in three different places since 2019, it’s hard to build routines or feel at home,’ explains Alicia. ‘The constant stress and anxiety, as well as the physical health problems, has taken an emotional toll on myself and my son – who does not deserve this at all.

‘It’s not just about having a roof over our head – it’s about my child’s wellbeing and ability to feel secure.’

Having reached out to the charity Shelter to get further support, an advisorhelped Alicia to understand her legal rights and guided her through her options for securing safer, more suitable temporary accommodation.

 Now, as the nights get darker, she feels more confident that she can focus on making Christmas as special as she can for Aeon.

‘I try and create small traditions, and we use arts and crafts to make homemade decorations. I try and get things cosy with blankets and lighting candles, and hide really small gifts or surprises for Aeon to create fun memories for him,’ she says.

‘I just want something to be done, and thanks to Shelter, I’m now not afraid to use my voice to make this happen. I’m not asking for much; I just want a stable home where my son feels happy.’

To support Shelter this winter, visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate