Eileen O’Higgins arrived in Brighton last October with her four children and very little else. Fleeing from an abusive relationship, the council placed her and her children in bed and breakfast accommodation.
With only one bedroom, her teenagers, Dean and Jordan, slept in put-u-up beds in the cramped living area, while baby Erin and five-year-old Keenan slept in the bedroom beside her. There was little privacy and cooking in the tiny kitchen area was almost impossible with four children around.
While grateful to have a roof over their heads, life was very difficult. Without a permanent address, the children couldn’t enrol in school and the baby couldn’t get regular check-ups or start an inoculation programme.
Eileen was offered one of the first four-bedroom houses available under the Homelessness Project and the family moved in just before Christmas last year. Having a home has changed all of their lives beyond recognition.
Both Dean and Jordan sat their GCSEs this summer Portslade Community College and achieved straight A* and A grades in all nine subjects. The College considers them to be such worthy pupils that they have arranged for a taxi to take them to a local sixth form college to continue their Spanish studies
Dean was the only boy from a state school to be made a critic for the Brighton Festival and joined the school band. A representative from Southern Radio heard his voice on a demo disk after a radio workshop and has said he will be in touch.
Said Dean: “I have friends and a social life now. I am really surprised at the life I have got together. If anyone had asked me a year ago what might happen I wouldn’t have believed any of this would be possible.”
Jordon, who has joined Explorer Scouts and helps out with the children’s group ‘Beavers’, added: “Now I can relax, go to school and have friends round – it’s really nice.”
Keenan was considered to be autistic and have serious emotional problems but since moving to their new home his problems seem to have vanished. He now attends main stream school and is making rapid progress in all subjects. After school he attends various groups including Spanish lessons and sports activities.
Eileen said that she expected the house in Hove to be home for many years to come and is looking forward to bringing the children up there.