Ex-soldier and daughter forced to live in car

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Local Government

An ex-solider and his daughter were forced to live in a Volkswagen Bora for a month after officials refused them housing benefit.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) held back on allowances after a "mix-up", the South Wales Evening Post reported.

Christian Lewis, 32, and his daughter Caitlin, 11, moved to Swansea from Northampton and became homeless after he failed to find work. The pair got into rent arrears and were eventually evicted.

Mr Lewis, who served with The Parachute Regiment, has since received an apology from the DWP and has been promised back payments.

Mr Lewis said: "I struggled getting work in Swansea and I fell behind with my rent and we got evicted. We moved to another place but we had to move out because someone bought it. We were homeless for four weeks.

"I'm a single parent and I lived with my daughter in a car — it was a dire situation."

Mr Lewis served with the army in Macedonia and Northern Ireland.

A Department of Work and Pensions spokeswoman said: "We can only offer our sincere apologies to Mr Lewis. We have reviewed his claim and paid him all the arrears of benefit due. This is a deeply regrettable situation.

"We owe the men and women who serve this country a huge debt of gratitude and are committed to doing everything we can to help them find work and get the benefits they are entitled to."