A man who lives in an Abi Pioneer caravan in his friends’ back garden has had his housing benefit application rejected by Kirklees Council.
After becoming homeless, David Facer was forced to spend more than a year living in a tent behind advertising hoardings on Wakefield Road in Dewsbury but was delighted when Kevin and Tracey Dewhirst offered him the caravan in their back garden in Chickenley.
Suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, the unemployed lorry driver was grateful for their hospitality and applied for housing benefit so that he could pay them rent, the Dewsbury Reported revealed.
“I was so grateful when Kevin and Tracey said I could live in their caravan,” he told the newspaper.
“I had no other options, my mother lives with my handicapped sister and my other brothers and sisters have families and no room to spare.”
With nowhere else to turn, the 47-year-old now lives in the little touring caravan and uses the Dewhirst’s bathroom and kitchen, but the council argued that his application was not of a commercial nature and so was ineligible for benefit.
The local authorities stated that the application ‘appears to have been made to take advantage of the benefit scheme’, but this is refuted by Mr Facer.
Arguing that it is not a static caravan so can be moved elsewhere, the authorities say that the application was not of a commercial nature but Mr Facer is still able to appeal the decision.
“I am not trying to take advantage of the system,” he said, adding that he will be fighting the council’s ruling.
Speaking to the local newspaper, Mrs Dewhirst said that they did not mind their friend living in the caravan, which they had originally bought to let their children camp out in during the summer.
“We couldn’t see him living in a tent like that anymore, particularly in his state of health,” she said.
“[The Council] say the caravan could be moved – you’d need a crane to get it out of the back garden.”
