I was homeless and pregnant at 17 after sharing an overcrowded home with 9 people… then I got a new pad due to luck
A SINGLE mum has revealed how her life turned around after she found herself pregnant and homeless at just 17-years-old.
Kiki Mills, who is currently pregnant with her second baby, welcomed her first child in June 2022 and has shared details of her journey through motherhood on social media.
In a recent video, the 20-year-old has revealed how she managed to land a newbuild flat through luck.
However, she shared that the journey to having a safe home to raise her family wasn’t linear.
In fact, Kiki claims she wasn’t seen as a priority by her local council even when she was living in an “overcrowded” house with nine other people and later made homeless while pregnant.
“Even after I went homeless, they still had me on Band E,” she shared on TikTok.
“In Reading, where I live, they built loads of newbuilds and put my band up when the newbuilds were up to put me in one.
“But honestly, newbuilds aren’t all what they seem.
“You’ve just gotta make it your own and I would have honestly preferred to be in an older building than a newbuild.”
Kiki added in the comments that she “hates” her newbuild home because some of the people in her block “don’t care about the place and treat everything like s**t”.
British councils have a banding system to help them identify who is most in need of social housing.
It was introduced as part of the 2011 Housing Allocations Policy, with A being the highest band and E the lowest.
Band A is for those applicants who have the most urgent or critical housing need, while Band B is for those applicants who have a high priority housing need.
Band C is for social housing applicants who have an identified housing need, and Band D is for those who have an identified housing need but have a lower priority than Band C or do not have a local connection.
Kiki claims her council kept her placed on Band E while she was pregnant and homeless – the lowest priority.
Band E is for social housing applicants who do not have an identified housing need or a local connection.
It is also for applicants who have an identified housing need that meets Band D criteria but do not have a local connection.
Who is eligible for council housing?
You are eligible to apply for council housing if you are a British citizen living in the UK providing have not lived abroad recently.
Each council has its own local rules about who qualifies to go on the housing register in its area, but it is based on “points” or a “banding” system.
For example, you’re likely to be offered housing first if you:
- are homeless
- live in cramped conditions
- have a medical condition made worse by your current home
- are seeking to escape domestic violence
Once you are high enough on a council’s waiting list, it will contact you when a property is available.
Some councils let people apply at the age of 18, while others let you apply even sooner at 16-year-olds.
EU workers and their families and refugees may also be eligible.