I have to sleep in my car because I can't find anywhere to live, but I'm not sure how long I'll last

A tiny car is all that stands between a homeless man and sleeping on the streets as he struggles to find somewhere in Blackpool to live.

Sixty six-year-old Michael Harrison is forced to live in his car and wakes up each morning after an uncomfortable night sleeping on the reclined passenger seat of his car. All of this is because he can’t find anywhere affordable and decent to live.

And at 6ft 4ins tall, a ‘compact’ Chevrolet Matiz is not the best place for Mr Harrison to enjoy a decent night’s rest.

The former HGV driver says he has been living in the vehicle for nearly two months and usually parks at different sites around Fleetwood to ensure some peace and quiet. He makes his bed using blankets to provide some cushioning on the folded down seats and a sleeping bag to keep warm during the cold hours of night.

‘I am always in discomfort’

“The last few years have been a bit disastrous, but my mind boggles at how a man of my age has ended up sleeping in his car every night,” Michael said. “It’s a tiny care and I am always in discomfort. This is no way for anyone to live let along someone of my age.”

Mr Harrison says he was living in a house owned by his daughter’s boyfriend until earlier this year. He had to move out when the owner decided to renovate the property, off Central Drive, Blackpool, and put it on the market, leaving him nowhere to call home other than his trusty Chevrolet.

Before moving into the house, he had spent several years living in a camper van parked on his sister’s driveway. Unfortunately that van has now been scrapped and had developed a leaking roof.

It’s been “more years than I can remember” since he had his own roof over his head when he lived with his girlfriend in Blackpool. Now he is desperately searching for somewhere to live and his name is on a waiting list for a council property, although it could be years before anything suitable becomes available.

‘It’s a vicious circle’

Michael said: “When I was homeless before, they put me in a hotel and later a hostel, but I didn’t want to stay there, it wasn’t very nice.

“Now, I wake up in the car and have to go to a café for breakfast and other meals. I go to pubs to use the toilet and try to park up for the night somewhere where I will be safe and I won’t be disturbing other people.”

Mr Harrison is searching for a home in Blackpool, but usually parks up in Fleetwood because it is less busy.

“I used to be a HGV driver and I would like to get back to doing something like that. The trouble is, it’s a vicious circle - it is impossible to get a job if you don’t have a proper address. I can’t give my residence as ‘the car parked on Marine Drive’.”

He can take a shower at his sister’s house but there is no room for him to move in. He visits services for the homeless throughout Blackpool but says there is little help available to single men with no dependent children.

“I don’t really think about what the future might hold for me,” he said. “The last few years have been terrible and I would like to think that things will get better but I don’t see how. I do know that I can’t spend much longer living like this. I can’t be living in my car when the winter arrives.

“I’m not sure how long I would last when the cold weather comes.”

What has the council said?

A spokesperson for Blackpool Council said: “As a council we have a statutory duty to provide housing advice and assistance to people who are experiencing homelessness.

“Our Housing Options team offer a range of services to try to prevent homelessness in the first place, or to help someone find somewhere to live if they have nowhere to stay. This may include offering emergency or temporary accommodation, such as a hostel.

“Anyone with a local connection can apply for social housing and bid on housing but there is a shortage of social housing and demand is very high, so private rented accommodation is often a more realistic option.

“We cannot comment on individual cases.”