Sharon is a headteacher. Despite the income that the job provides, her financial situation is precarious as not so long ago she and her daughter were living in a friend’s shed, after she had returned from working abroad as a teacher and had no property to return to after her relationship had ended.
While she was able to secure a job offer thanks to her career history, it was 80 miles away and she lacked the finances to secure a deposit on a rental property nearby, making it impossible to accept the job and risking leaving her stuck as a homeless parent.
The idea that someone working in the education sector, especially in a leadership position, could be homeless is a sobering one. Yet Polly Neate, the CEO of Shelter, says this is a reality that many face.
“It’s a tragic fact that even professionals working in education are caught up in the UK’s housing crisis with many feeling the pinch, struggling with poor housing and some even facing homelessness,” she says.
This is particularly true when some salaries that teachers receive often do not stretch very far.
Becky is now a key stage 3 English teacher, yet when she started as a teaching assistant, she also had to work weekends in a department store to ensure she had enough money to provide for her children. “The pay wasn’t great so it was several years of quite hard struggle,” she says.
For Carl Hanser, a caseworker at the charity Education Support, such stories of teachers facing tough financial situations and the risk of homelessness are not unfamiliar.
“There are a number of reasons why it can happen […] from a change in circumstance such as a relationship breaking down to benefit allowances changing and not providing the level of financial support that’s needed.”
He notes, too, that landlords requesting that a tenant leaves their property is a common situation that can affect people drastically, especially if they can’t find something within budget that suits their requirements before they are evicted.
Homelessness support
It’s easy to understand how those suddenly facing this reality could feel overwhelmed by the situation, but there are organisations that can help.
“We would always recommend contacting Shelter in these situations,” says Mr Hanser. “People think they’re just a homeless charity but they are also able to help make sure you are aware of what your landlord has to do in order to evict you or take possession of the property.”
Neate says that getting in touch with Shelter as early as possible is key: “Whether you have a problem with eviction, benefits, a tenancy or poor conditions, it’s always best to get advice early.”
Or it could be that debt is a major problem, leaving people at risk of rent or mortgage arrears. Hanser says people should look to deal with this in practical ways, rather than letting the situation get worse.
“We usually see problems that have got really bad so we try to promote a message of ‘act before this occurs’ - act on your rent arrears, for example. Most landlords would rather receive something than nothing, so give what you can, don’t just skip it altogether,” he says.
There are organisations that can help with debt, too. One is Step Change. It specialises in helping people with debt issues, including providing tools that help to assess an individual’s financial situation, such as its 60-second debt test. It urges people to get in touch if they feel they need help.
“Even if you don’t think your situation has reached a point where you’d need help yet, seeking financial advice may allow you to avoid problems down the line,” a spokesperson adds.
Financial help for teachers
Sometimes what is urgently needed is financial input. This is where the Education Support charity aims to help by providing finance to education staff for everything from a deposit for a property to covering a month’s rent if an unexpected cost has arisen to fixing a vital white goods item, such as a washing machine.
Hanser’s advice is for people to get in touch early if they feel they may need help so there’s time to understand the situation and get finances in place.
“Sometimes we have people contact us at the last moment when things are needed instantly, but they may have known the situation was developing for a while, so it’s harder for us to get funds sorted in short time frames. We will always try, of course - but the sooner we are contacted the sooner we have a chance to help,” he says.
For Sharon the help from Education Support meant she could afford the deposit on her new home, enabling her to take the new job and set up a new life. “It was fantastic to get that support,” she adds.
Given her experiences, Sharon is open and honest with her staff about her story and the services that can help. This may sound brave and others who find themselves in a similar situation may not wish others to know, which is understandable.
However, Hanser says that, unless the relationship with a school is particularly bad, staff should be prepared to be honest with someone they trust. “It does depend on the context but we would usually always recommend talking to your school to let them know the situation you are in,” he explains.
Becky says this was something she was able to do and it made the situation a lot more bearable.
“When you are going through certain things you can feel quite ashamed and not want to talk about it or feel you might be judged,” she says. “But a good school or senior leadership team will listen and understand and provide whatever support they can.”
Ultimately, the key point is to tackle things head-on and look for the support and services that can help ease the burden of what will be a stressful and unsettling time.
Education Support relies on charitable donations for its work. If you can, donate to its Christmas appeal to help it continue to be there for teachers and other education professionals.
