Homeless Buxton dad sleeping in the woods pleads with council to get him somewhere to live

Jason Husband was living in a shared flat in Buxton but two years ago the landlord told him he was being evicted under a no-fault eviction. He stayed with friends but it was not a long term solution so bought a tent.

The father-of-one says the bad weather ruined his tent and he is now sleeping on a bench in the woods.

He said: “I was trying to make it work, I’ve kept my job, I'm doing everything I can. Private landlords reject me when they find out I don’t have an address and the council haven’t done anything to help me in two years.

“I’ve recently suffered a mini heart attack from the stress of it all and that’s when I realised this can’t go on.”

Jason works as a chef at the Red Lion in Bakewell and relies on lifts to get him to and from work.

He said: “I was honest with my boss and told him what had happened and he let me keep my job and I was sleeping in a tent but the bad weather has ruined that so I’m on a bench in Grin Low Woods now and it’s the most horrible thing in the world. I hate it.

“I have an eight-year-old son and I do see him but it's only ever for a couple of hours and we just wander around Buxton town centre as I have no where to take him.

“I don’t do drugs, I don’t have a problem with alcohol but every time I apply for a council house I’m told I’m not in sufficient need and I don’t qualify which is ridiculous I just want somewhere to live.”

A High Peak Borough Council spokesperson said: “The council assesses homeless cases in line with the Code of Guidance and prevailing legislation, taking into account all the facts available to us at the time a homeless presentation is made.

“We would encourage Mr Husband to contact us if his circumstances have changed in order that a new assessment of his needs can be made.”