Blogs Reports

Omaze!


Reported by Miles

Published on Thursday, July 28th, 2022

Accommodation
Blogs Reports

Omaze!


Written by Miles

Published on Thursday, July 28th, 2022

Accommodation

I got an email the other day inviting me to win a dream house for a tenner.. by the sea, fabulous views, spacious yet airy, built with environmental beauty and consideration of the planet…. so was I tempted…. 👀

I wasn’t…. all I’d been looking for was a space of my own, reasonable rent, cos I had no real deposit, fair bills and not in a ghetto so my tenancy option was social housing somewhere in my city – apply online and follow simple instructions, easy!

That’s not actually how I got my current space – firstly I couldn’t afford private rental, I looked and was shocked at what was on offer, – damp, mould, 6×6 room, one light socket and a bulb, shared kitchen that will give me e coli at best, ventilation from the broken glass window – I’ve seen better places in third world documentaries.

I joined the local housing list, similar stuff, I waited forever, I persevered and in time, an email arrived with an offer for one I’d bid on so long ago, I’d forgotten the address. I went to view, it had potential once I’d looked beyond the blood-stained bare floorboards the previous tenant had left. I had pulled together the first month’s upfront rent bond beforehand, agreed to the tenancy and moved in.

This is where it gets interesting for me, – my social housing provider has been super helpful, some niggles and chasing, yet in eighteen months, how time flies, they’ve serviced my boiler so well its nearly made up of new parts, replaced my front door, and recently all my windows so now, I’m quite energy efficient, I’m careful with energy as there’s only me, I recycle nearly everything, I’m careful about using plastic, so I’m doing my little bit for the climate I feel.

I know I’m unlikely to own again, like I once did, but I love my space, I can make changes when funds allow, and without my social housing I don’t genuinely want to think what life might have been like.

So, as kind as the original £10 email invitation was, I don’t need sea views, spacious airy rooms – I have windows for that.

A happy social houser.

Miles

 

Written by Miles


I'm Miles, dad of two, lived in York for 33 yrs whose overcome homelessness and addiction to become a local reporter for Groundswell since 2020 sharing my experience and thoughts on various aspects of my journey.

Read all of Miles's articles

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