Published by The i Paper on 30 September 2026.
When I became homeless in July 2026, I was working full time as a mechanic, earning £33,500 a year and had a car. On paper, I had most of the things that should have given me financial stability.
But in Bristol, one of England's least affordable places to rent, finding somewhere new to live meant confronting deposits, upfront rent, commuting costs and the expense of surviving without a home.
In this commissioned first-person feature, I explore how a sudden family breakdown became 23 nights of homelessness, why having an income didn't make finding housing straightforward, and how the financial consequences continued even after I found somewhere to live.
