Dad with full-time job says housing crisis means he must live in his car

10 January 2024 , 15:47

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As council waiting lists reach 'unprecedented levels' dad Andrew Reynolds has had to live in his car since last summer (Image: BPM MEDIA)

A hard-working hero says the crippling housing crisis has left him with no choice but to live in his Vauxhall Astra for the past six months.

Andrew Reynolds works full-time as a delivery driver for Asda but claims his employment initially proved to be a barrier in accessing support from Birmingham city council. Even though the authority says it has been trying to help the 40-year-old since July, Mr Reynolds is just one person adding to the "unprecedented" demand for housing in the city.

The father-of-two lives off takeaways and showers once or twice a week at service stations and says the situation has left him at breaking point. He stressed his car is his 'pride and joy' because it is the only thing he owns and parks up 'anywhere and everywhere' for the night, getting only a few hours sleep a night and suffering physically the whole time.

Last week he waded through flood waters to save a drowning man in a selfless act of bravery and has spoken more of his situation after the incredible rescue attempt. Now, Andrew told BirminghamLive: "No one at work believed I was homeless at first, I said 'that's my bed in my car.' Everyone was like 'but your car is spotless, it's clean'.

He beds down under a fleece blanket and sleeping bag to keep warm (BPM MEDIA)

“I'm homeless, it doesn't mean I'm filthy. I get my car valeted once a week and I keep it clean myself, I don't just eat food and drop it everywhere and leave wrappers everywhere. "I've got a few health problems that really I shouldn't be sleeping in my car. I make the most of what I've got and do the best I can; that's all I can do.

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"When I'm with my kids, I try to put a smile on, but I know it's hard for them. It's not ideal, but I've got my kids to live for. I keep going for them and nothing else." Every night, he cranks up the car's heating for a few hours with the engine on, creating a "heat pocket" and enough warmth to fall asleep for up to four hours."

He added: "I've got a sleeping bag, and a fleecy blanket I pull over and I sleep in my jogging bottoms to keep my lower legs warm because I've got bad circulation. I get up, go and get a wash where I can, whether it's McDonald's toilets or Hopwood services. But I ended up with a skin infection, I picked up some kind of bacterial thing from the showers. I stopped using them and I'm down to one shower a week, maybe two. I pop into see my aunty, every now and again I can grab a shower there."

The father is a victim of the national housing crisis (BPM MEDIA)

Birmingham city council acknowledged Mr Reynold's "very difficult situation" and vowed to contact him again to discuss options, though it stressed the shortage of accommodation is "severely restricting" progress. A spokesman said: "We have been in contact with Mr Reynolds since July and have been attempting to support him as best as we can. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing national housing crisis the waiting list for accommodation in the city has reached unprecedented levels.

"This shortage of accommodation is severely restricting what we can offer to people in need like Mr Reynolds. We acknowledge that Mr Reynolds is in a very difficult situation and will be in contact with him again to discuss his current options.”

Stephanie Balloo