Caught up in peril as family are homeless through no fault of their own

TWELVE months ago, Miranda and Norman and her three young children were living in a comfortable rented house; she was studying for a degree, he had a full-time job, and the youngsters were settled at school.

-  WILLIAM TELFORD

Then their world was turned upside down, pitching them into a "limbo" of homelessness, illness and misery.

"It's been one of the most stressful years of my life," said Miranda. "It's frustrating. You feel powerless and judged."

Today, Miranda and Norman are able to tell their story as part of The Herald's series on the city's homelessness crisis. Their tale is an example of how factors such as a shortage of rental accommodation, rising rents and the spiralling cost of living are moving average city families ever closer to the precipice of homelessness.

For Miranda and Norman, the nightmare began in late 2022. They were living stable and comfortable lives in a three-bedroom house in Portsmouth - then one day a previous partner arrived at the family home brandishing a "meat cleaver".

"We'd had a fairly nice life up to that point," Miranda said. "Then things imploded."

The couple, whose identity has been changed, decided the safest thing to do was to move, after taking advice from a domestic abuse worker. They settled on Plymouth, where Miranda could complete her degree at university, Norman could find work in the building trade, and Miranda's three children, aged between five and 10, could be schooled.