‘I slept on the couch with my eldest, the baby was in the crib next to us. I was always tired and aching, mum was up at night with the baby crying, and there’d be arguments in the morning. I didn’t want the police coming around. We aren’t that kind of family. Mum had given us three years, I was grateful for that.’
Chloe and her mum have a good relationship, but even the strongest bond can be tested when you’re living on top of one other; so, when her mum said, ‘I’m going to have to kick you out and you’re not allowed back,’ Chloe knew she meant it.
‘Both our mental health was being affected by the overcrowding, and I worried that we’d come to blows. I didn’t want my girls seeing that.’
Chloe called Salford Council’s out-of-hours service and was given a place in a hotel the same day.
‘They said I’d be there for six weeks, but I was there for a week when I was told about a Cromwood property in Bolton. I was thrilled.’ She accepted the property, but there was a catch. Her children were at school in Swinton, and that meant a 5am start to get to them there on time.
‘My life was all buses and school runs – eight buses a day – and when one didn’t turn up, we’d have to wait or walk. Sometimes we didn’t get home until 6.30pm. My older daughter was falling asleep in school every afternoon, and I didn’t have the energy to go out on weekends. The house was a godsend, and it wasn’t.’
It took every scrap of energy to get through the weeks, and then the weeks turned to months. A visit from her housing officer and Cromwood’s tenancy and lettings manager (now operations supervisor), Thomas Nolan, changed everything.
‘I told them that it was hard doing the school runs, but I was trying to make the best of the situation. I always dropped the children off on time and picked them up on time, but I lost myself doing it. I was struggling and tired. I’d get home and then set off again. I told Tom how it was impacting me, and he said he wanted to help me. He could see the place was immaculate.’
Months went by and Chloe began to lose hope. ‘Luck was never going my way. I thought he wasn’t going to be able to help. I’d been trying to get my provisional licence and that wasn’t happening either. It might have been a little thing to someone else, but it was a big thing for me. I was 26 years old, it was the end of November, and everything felt hopeless.’
On 27 November 2024, Chloe picked the children up at from school at 3.15pm and got home at 5.30pm. It’s a day she remembers well.
‘I got a call from Tom. He said, we have founda two-bed house in Swinton, can you move tomorrow? I burst into tears. It was weird. It felt like someone was watching over me and saw that I really needed it. He’d stuck to his word, and it reassured me that some people really try and do care. Ever since getting the property, luck has been coming my way. Things are moving on, slowly but surely.’
Ever since getting the property, luck has been coming my way.
CHLOE
She started packing that night, in bags and binbags. Her mum knocked on the door at 8am. ‘She was an absolute star. She came at 8am and didn’t stop. She took seven trips in her Polo, a journey of 30 minutes each way.
‘When I saw the property, I was absolutely flabbergasted. Extensions front and back, the kitchen was beautiful, the bathroom was beautiful, and it’s got a cellar. It’s a very big place.
‘It’s a two-minute bus journey to the children’s school, but we rarely take the bus. We set off walking at 8am and my older daughter uses her scooter. It might take us 30-35 minutes and we get home for 3.45 which means they have time to play. I’m not rushing to have tea and get them bathed and in bed. We have fun times. The only thing is that it costs a lot to heat, and I do a lot of washing – but I do save money on the buses!’
Chloe got her provisional driving licence and passed her theory test in February, having practiced every night without fail.
‘I’m hoping to pass my driving test first time. I’ve put a lot into it. I want my own business and am venturing into a few things. I want to give my children the best life. My mental health is the best it’s been in a couple of years. We are out all the time in the park. I know this place is only temporary, but it’s a stepping stone to my forever home. This year is my year.’
