A couple has shared how they ended up in “hidden homelessness” for six months with their toddler, with rent prices crushing their finances.
Daisy and Will Bevis had previously owned a successful gym studio in Reading, but were forced to move when their landlord terminated their contract in late 2024.
Deciding to make a fresh start in Dorset, they moved with their then-two-year-old daughter to start a new life by the seaside – opening a new gym in Christchurch that May.
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But while their business was steadily growing and building a client base, finding a home for the family of three that was affordable proved impossible.
Eventually, they moved into a motorhome after “exhausting all other options”, where they didn’t have a shower or proper cooking facilities.
“It was cold and damp, like living in a grey tin can,” 32-year-old Daisy told Whats The Jam.
“We had no running water, no toilet or shower, no cooking facilities – at one point we had no lights either as the electrics stopped working.
“I couldn’t turn the tap on to fill up a glass of water if I was thirsty in the night – these tiny things can change your life.
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“The lack of cooking facilities was also a big challenge.
“We only had an air fryer at one time and our fridge was an old-fashioned, mini fridge.
“We lived on a lot of rice and sausages and porridge oats, which was miserable.
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“It affected absolutely everything.
“There was no separation between the stress of homelessness and family life because we had nowhere to switch off from it, and we also had no extra money to spare.
“We were trying to make life as normal as possible for our daughter, but even basic things became difficult.
“Showering, cooking, keeping warm, having somewhere for her to play and simply having a safe, comfortable place to sleep became things we had to think about.
“As a mum, I found that incredibly difficult.
“I could cope with a lot personally, but knowing that my daughter didn’t have the home environment I wanted for her was heartbreaking.
“I found it to be very isolating, because I couldn’t find many stories like ours that would inspire me to keep going.”
Because they couldn’t shower at home, the family had to take their daughter into work to use the showers there, which she hated.
Daisy and Will declared themselves homeless with the council before moving into a friend’s holiday home for a few weeks and then sleeping on another friend’s living room floor in January.
The council supported them to apply for Universal Credit that same month, which proved difficult because they didn’t have a permanent address – and, for the same reason, they could not register with a GP.
Daisy said: “Hidden homelessness is where you have no fixed permanent address, so you could be in temporary accommodation, living in a vehicle, on a friend’s living room floor or temporarily staying with family with nowhere else to go.
“It honestly feels really scary; it’s the most stressful and unwavering experience because you just don’t know what’s going to happen next.
“There’s no roadmap; everyone’s story is different and it’s not entirely clear what yours is going to look like.
“Our family supported us in the way they could but our friends were the ones to really help.
“I think that it was concerning for them too, and they saw what we were going through and what we needed; they stepped up.”
That included letting the family sleep in their homes, and at times they spent periods sleeping in friends’ living rooms – including over the Christmas period one year.
All the while, Daisy continued to search for properties for the family to rent, but “sky-high” costs made it difficult to find anything in their budget.
After receiving support from the council, they were able to settle in private rented accommodation in February 2026.
Daisy is sharing their story in support of homelessness charity Crisis’ new ‘Home Can’t Wait’ campaign, which aims to highlight how a lack of affordable homes, and rising rent and living costs, mean thousands of people are waiting for a settled home.
As such, the charity is calling on the government to make private renting more affordable, and boost the number of social homes.
Daisy said: “When people think about homelessness, they think about rough sleeping, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“People don’t see the tens of thousands of people living in temporary accommodation, going to work or school every day.
“There’s a lot of shame attached, and misunderstanding.
“Claiming benefits comes with huge stigma too – people would tell me ‘just get a better job’, but it’s not that easy.
“It was incredibly frustrating and quite hurtful [to hear that].
“I was working. My husband was working. We were running a business and trying to build a life for our family.
“We both work full-time and have always worked extremely hard.
“Running a business doesn’t mean you automatically have financial security, especially when you are trying to build something from scratch.
“The idea that the answer was simply to ‘get a better job’ completely ignored the reality of what was happening with housing costs.
“I think people sometimes assume that if you are working hard enough, you can always work your way out of financial difficulty.
“But when your rent takes such a huge proportion of your income, there is only so much you can do.
“It also made me realise how little people understand about homelessness.
“You can be working full-time, running a business and doing everything you possibly can, and still find yourself without a secure home.
“The criticism was difficult because I knew how hard we were working behind the scenes.
“I think that’s one of the biggest misconceptions I want to challenge: being homeless or needing support does not mean someone is lazy or isn’t contributing.”
Daisy is calling for a systemic and immediate change to prevent other people from ending up in the same position.
That included lifting the freeze on housing benefits, building council houses, bringing rent prices “under control”, and having information about the support available more easily accessible.
Now they are back on their feet, and life is finally able to get back to normal.
Daisy said: “It feels incredibly emotional.
“Having a secure home has changed everything for us.
“I can look around now and appreciate things that I previously took for granted, having a kitchen, a bathroom, somewhere warm to sleep and knowing where we will be tomorrow.
“But I don’t want our story to just end with us getting a home.
“The experience completely changed the direction of my life and that’s why I started my page on Instagram @southcoastmum_.
“I use the page to talk openly about hidden homelessness, the cost of living and the reality of trying to raise a family when money is tight and I’ve gained over 20,000 followers in four months.
“I want people who find my page to understand that homelessness can happen to ordinary working families, and that there is so much more to homelessness than rough sleeping.”
Daisy is also fundraising for homelessness and support organisations, developing her own sustainable tote bags, with part of the proceeds going to charity.
She added: “Ultimately, I don’t want people to look at our story and think, ‘Thank goodness they got out’ – I want them to think, ‘What can we do to make sure other families don’t have to go through this?’
“Home is the foundation for everything.
“Although it was a difficult time and I worked extremely hard to find us somewhere to live, I understand that six months is a really short period of time to be homeless compared to other families who are trapped in temporary accommodation for years.
“That’s why I want to make a change: not for us, but for others.”
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