Birmingham: Family of 10 on living in three bedroom house

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Cherie Forrest, 33, husband Darren moved into the home with their three eldest 10 years ago but since then, their brood has grown to a family of 10. However, they have now been on the council’s waiting list for a bigger property for three years.

It’s really difficult, we can’t fit everyone in. We’re all living on top of each other

Cherie Forrest

The parents have even had to take a bedroom door off its hinges to fit enough beds in the house for their six daughters and two sons to sleep in, reports Birmingham Live.

Photos show the crammed conditions in the property in Chelmsley Wood, West Midlands, and these have been worsened recently by mould and a leak from the upstairs bathroom, which caused the ceiling underneath to collapse.

Speaking from the property, mum-of-eight Cherie said: “It’s really difficult, we can’t fit everyone in. We’re all living on top of each other.

“We’ve been waiting for near enough four years now (for a new property). It’s difficult when there’s 10 of you in one little house because you’re always tripping over each other.

“We’ve got my three youngest daughters sleeping in my room – the little one in the bed with me and the others in their own bed.

“My son has to have his own room because he’s autistic and he can’t have his brother touching his stuff. His room used to be a cupboard room but we had to turn it into a bedroom and take the door off to fit the bed in.”

Cherie added: “The three older girls are in a room together but my oldest daughter who’s 16 has epilepsy so she needs her own space. Sometimes she’ll have seizures in the night and we have to call an ambulance out which then wakes the others up, which isn’t ideal.

“If the other two want to play in their bedroom it’s difficult because the older one is trying to do her coursework.

“Then my other son is sleeping downstairs with his dad. We have to sleep separately because there just isn’t enough room.”

Cherie and Darren, who met when they both worked an Iceland supermarket, moved to the home in 2011 after living in a family support unit in nearby Bromford, Birmingham for three years. They had previously resided with Cherie’s parents but that home became too overcrowded.

Cherie, who said she and her partner never planned on having so many kids, continued: “It can be hectic but it’s nice watching them all grow up.

“The conditions here aren’t suitable – but we’re still waiting. The kids’ school has even written letters to the council and said it’s having an impact on the kids.

“We don’t plan on having any more children though.”

The mum says a social worker has visited the home to observe the children, aged between one and 16, in the crammed surroundings but they weren’t bumped up the council’s waiting list.

Cherie added: “You can smell the mould all around the house. It’s horrible in the living room, it’s all down the back of the sofa.

“People have been out to put mould paint on but it hasn’t done anything.

“The problems started when we had a new bathroom fitted in 2019. The tiles were falling off the wall and we had water from the shower going into the wall and there was water shooting down the stairs. The floor boards were drenched.

“The first time we complained was before Covid but the pandemic meant we’ve been waiting for it to be fixed.”

Cherie said workmen have been out to fix a leaking pipe last week, but says she won’t let them repair the ceiling until a rotten beam underneath is replaced.

Solihull Metropolitan Council, controlled by the Tories, uses Solihull Community Housing to manage its housing stock. The organisation has apologised to the family but said it only had a very small number of four to six bedroom properties – meaning bigger homes rarely become available.

Fiona Hughes, chief executive, said: “We are very sorry that on this occasion our standards have fallen below what both we and our customers demand and expect.

“We have been working at the property throughout the week and the issues with the roof have now been resolved and finished to our usual standards.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this caused the family while the work took place.

“We are also aware of the overcrowding in this home. Unfortunately, the number of four to six bedroom properties we manage is very small indeed, and they become available very infrequently.

“We are sorry about this and appreciate the frustration it causes. We will continue to work with this family on exploring a range of alternative housing options that may suit their housing needs.”

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