09/07/2026
That was the reality for cancer survivor Matthew.
If you’d asked Matthew what his life was like back in early 2019 he’d have said one word, ‘tremendous’. He enjoyed foreign travel and golf. He was self-employed and loved his job in construction. He was paying off the mortgage on his one bed flat.
But in August 2019 Matthew noticed he was losing weight and kept getting an upset stomach. He also started experiencing hot flushes. Tests revealed he was suffering from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. That’s when Matthew’s life started to unravel. He lost his job, because he kept collapsing and was considered a danger on site. It meant Matthew, who was self-employed, was left without income.
Chemotherapy was extremely difficult for Matthew. He suffered multiple side effects, including developing sepsis. ‘Chemo completely trashed me,’ Matthew explains. ‘I didn’t know what day it was and couldn’t even get out of bed.’
To keep afloat until he could start working again, Matthew used his PIP payments to meet his mortgage payments, but that meant cutting back elsewhere. Including on food. By Autumn 2021, Matthew had no choice but to sell his home.
Waiting for council support Matthew began sofa surfing and eventually sleeping in his car. Crammed with his belongings, Matthew – who is 5ft 11in tall – had no choice but to sleep sitting in the driver’s seat.
‘My body was constantly in fight or flight mode,’ Matthew says. ‘It got to the point where my doctors referred back to cancer team as an urgent case.’
Last winter, when temperature dropped below zero, Matthew was put in a hotel under the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol. 'It was a really scary place,' Matthew remembers.
After a brief stay in temporary accommodation which ended, Matthew says, with an illegal eviction, he returned to sleeping in his car just as the country was being gripped by a dangerous heatwave.
A few days ago, Matthew, who is registered as disabled, was offered a room in a hostel but he is still waiting for suitable accommodation that meets his needs.
Shelter are supporting Matthew to fight for his rights but the truth is, England desperately needs more social homes to end the housing emergency and ensure everyone has the safe, suitable and stable home they need.
