A mother's struggle to get a home

Sian Court said she and her son Logan were lucky

Just three months ago Sian Court was sharing a bedroom with her six-year-old son in her parents' house.

She had moved back to Wales from Gloucestershire but could not find anywhere to live.

The 30-year-old social services worker earned a decent wage but could not afford the high property prices for a basic two-bedroom home.

Even rental properties where she lived in the rural village of Dyffryn Ardudwy in Gwynedd were scarce, with the majority being expensive large houses rather than reasonably-priced flats.

It was only when she saw an advert from a local housing association that her luck changed.

"It was just horrific, there was just nothing around," she said.

"I was sharing a room with my little boy in my parents house so it wasn't appropriate for us to be there long-term. I didn't want to leave Dyffryn because my son had settled in school. But there was just nowhere around.

"When places came up to buy they were out of my price range - I was looking at two beds for £140,000 last year. I couldn't go for a flat as there aren't any in Dyffryn. I could have gone into the town and got a dingy two-bed flat but I wasn't going to do that because of my son."

It was then that she saw a sign for local housing association Tai Eryri that said it was building affordable homes in the area.

Sian applied and went through a rigorous process of form-filling and interviews to be chosen for one of the seven new homes.

"We were so lucky. There must have been over 100 applications. I know so many people who tried to apply," she said.

"At least three or four of my friends who are still living with their parents in their 30s applied. Because I had a child my points (on the application) went up."

Sian and her son Logan moved into their new three-bedroom house in April and pay just under £300 a month in rent for it.

Sian now has the option to buy 50% or 70% of the home, which is worth about £118,000 - something she is planning to do.

"If I hadn't had this opportunity I don't know what I would have done," she said.

"I think the plan to build more affordable homes is the best idea. It's the only way forward. I don't think young people can get any chance of being on the housing ladder unless there's things like these housing association schemes.

"I have a decent job which is quite well paid and if I was finding it difficult I don't know what some of my friends are going to do.

"You just can't do it. There has to be at least two of you to buy somewhere. I'm just so lucky I've landed on my feet."