'My family of six has no privacy in a two-bed flat'

A mother has said she and her family have "no privacy at all" while living in two-bedroom temporary accommodation provided by their council.

Rosie, her husband and their four children are one of more than 5,000 households across Sussex who would otherwise be homeless because of unaffordable rents and and a shortage of social housing.

Worthing Borough Council (WBC), their local authority, expects to spend 30% of its entire annual budget this year on housing almost 500 of those households.

The government - which has been approached for comment - announced in 2025 that it was investing £39bn into social and affordable housing.

Rosie and her family had been living in a privately rented home for 11 years until their landlord decided to sell the property.

"We looked at renting somewhere new and the prices were just ridiculous, completely unaffordable for us," she said.

For the past six months, the family-of-six has been sharing a two-bedroom flat.

The parents sleep on a mattress on the floor of the living area so the two boys and two girls can each share the two bedrooms.

She said: "None of us have any space, the younger ones can't keep any toys. There's no privacy at all.

"We try to have the younger ones in with us a lot so the 18 and 16-year-old can have a bit of time to themselves.

"It's not easy having to share with their siblings. Managing different bedtimes can be tough.

"It's really hard."

Earlier this month, WBC and neighbouring Adur District Council launched a new joint strategy to tackle homelessness over the next five years.

While rough sleeping in the area has more than halved, the demand and costs of temporary housing have soared.

The new strategy will focus on early intervention to try to prevent households becoming homeless, rather than a crisis management approach.

Odul Bozkurt, Worthing's cabinet member for housing and citizen services, said homelessness created "personal and communal trauma".

She said: "Protecting residents from and supporting them in these experiences are our essential responsibilities.

"The cost of living crisis and the chronic undersupply of affordable housing nationally exacerbate need."

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.