I’ve spent years living in a shipping container that’s like a ‘prison’ with my young son – we are desperate for a home
A MUM has spent two years living in a metal shipping container while waiting for a permanent home.
Katie O’Brien, 29, and her nine-year-old son were moved into the container she likened to a “prison” by Milton Keynes City Council in 2023.
It was an emergency measure after they became homeless following Katie being evicted by her previous landlord from private housing.
The two-bedroom home has no garden and residents in the 70 containers have a communal space for washing machines.
There are no doorbells and Katie says there’s no wi-fi.
Katie, a bar associate studying to be a veterinary nurse, said the container becomes a “sauna” in the summer months and is desperate for a new home.
She said: “Some days it’s so bad that it’s hard to breathe.
“We’ve had to evacuate to stay with my dad before, when it’s been really hot.
“In the winter, I can put the heating on and that works. In the summer, it is a sauna.
“There’s not enough room for everything we need. My son calls it a ‘prison’.
“The council have let us down. They told me it was for three months and then next they said it could be for up to two years.
“We’re still waiting to move. It’s not a good place to live long-term at all.”
The container is one of dozens installed by the council in Pencarrow Mews on Fishermead estate in Milton Keynes.
Each one has opening windows, heating during the winter and is fitted out with basic essentials.
They have a living area with a kitchen and two bedrooms – but Katie said there is no storage space or oven – just a two ring hob and microwave.
Katie’s home is comprised of three 20-foot long by eight-foot wide containers with metal walls – leaving temperatures inside the unit become “unbearable”.
Katie, who also cares for her dad, said: “It is just not a very suitable place to spend two years in.
“I was evicted by a private housing landlord. My previous house had rats, electric heating and furniture left behind was a fire hazard.
“I put a claim in for harassment against my previous landlord and it took six months for the police to even take a statement.
“The council gave me temporary accommodation and I went to look at it – it was a shipping container. This is not a home.
“I can’t have people staying over so my son can’t have his friends over for a sleepover and I can’t have my partner round.”
Katie, who was born and bred in Milton Keynes, said she has repeatedly asked the council for a permanent home.
She said: “All they do is advise me to rent privately. But that’s far too expensive – I just don’t earn enough.
“I work as a bar attendant and I’m studying to be a veterinary nurse.”
Homelessness charity Shelter released figures in February which found 126,040 households in England are homeless in temporary accommodation.
That is up 16 per cent in a year and another record high figure.
Milton Keynes City Council’s website described the 70-home complex in Pencarrow Mews in 2023 as ‘an innovative modular development’.
The website read: “Residents will stay in the Fishermead homes for a short period of time while Milton Keynes City Council works to find them a more permanent solution.”
However the city council has admitted the containers are “not ideal” places to live and has started installing solar glare film to reduce the heat.
A council spokesperson said said: “Pencarrow Mews is a temporary home for people in emergency need while we support them to find longer-term accommodation, which can take time as like many councils we’re dealing with high demand for accommodation.
“We know the circumstances are not ideal, which is why we ask residents to think about private renting, backed up our covering a first month’s rent and deposit and our topping up rent on an ongoing basis so it’s more affordable.
“We offer financial incentives to private landlords who commit to longer tenancies that give tenants peace of mind.”