Help my homeless siblings

Aim

Fundraising to support my siblings who have fled the family home to escape from domestic abuse. They are currently homeless, in need of help

Three years ago, my mum died of bowel cancer, just 7 months after receiving her diagnosis. My mum was 42 years old and left behind her 9 year old son and three daughters, (aged 14, 20, 23 respectively). Since her death, our dad (mum's husband) has been abusive towards my three siblings and myself. 

While I remain at university, home life for my siblings has been excruciatingly painful. Not only did our dad remarry three months after mum's death, he neglected my younger siblings who are minors (failing to feed them, clothe them, provide basic school needs). My oldest sister and I stepped in as parental figures, and after graduating from university, my oldest sister remained at the family home to care for and support her younger siblings.

My dad's abuse worsened during lockdown. The reprieve normally granted by school hours was no longer available and my younger siblings were forced to spend more time with their abuser. He alienated my siblings from communal spaces in the family home; they spent mealtimes in their bedroom, eating on the floor. They did not feel safe enough to move around the family home alone and began accompanying each other to use the bathroom and to get food. On 8th May 2021, my little sister (now 17) was hospitalised. Given the abuse she endured, doctors did not deem the family home safe enough for her to return, so she was made to spend 5 days in hospital.

On 12th May 2021, my older sister and two younger siblings fled the family home, no longer able to tolerate my dad’s abuse.  My three siblings are now legally homeless; they are being moved relentlessly between temporary accomodation (one as far as 3 hours from school) until social housing can help them find a more permanent place. My youngest sister is trying to juggle studying for her A-Levels, with bright aspirations to attend university while my brother is still reeling from the death of his mother, the loss of his father, while also coping with all the fears that come with starting secondary school. 

Meanwhile, our dad has sold the family home for a large sum and is looking forward to his new life, with his new wife and his new-born baby. Social workers have been involved since December 2020 but have failed to safeguard the children. The majority of legal avenues that we have tried to pursue continues to protect our dad as mum's legal spouse. We are currently attempting to prove that all four siblings have a claim to the family home, given that mum paid off the mortgage before she died on behalf of her children as a way of securing a stable future for us after her death.

Any money raised will be used to help support the wellbeing of my siblings (especially the minors) and fund the legal process to challenge our dad's sole claim to the family home (which will help us find a place of our own, away from our abuser).

This project successfully funded on 2nd July 2021