Couple's Seaside Dream Becomes Nightmare After Relocation Leads to Homelessness

Daisy and Will Bevis, a couple who relocated to Dorset, England, with dreams of a seaside life, found their aspirations turned into a nightmare when they became homeless. The personal trainers moved with their young daughter, Isabelle, after their gym in Reading was impacted when their landlord terminated their contract. Initially, they had planned to emigrate to Toronto, but a sudden need for a less expensive move within the UK led them to Christchurch, Dorset, in December 2024.

They were drawn to the coastal town after a visit, believing it would offer a better work-life balance and a more outdoorsy lifestyle for their family and dog. "As a young family, we just wanted to give our daughter, Isabelle, the best upbringing and it's so much more outdoorsy down here," Daisy Bevis stated. "You've got the New Forest on your doorstep and the seaside. In Reading, we would go to soft play and it felt like our lives were often indoors."

However, the couple struggled to replicate their previous business success in Christchurch. "We genuinely thought: 'We've done it before, we were so busy in Reading, we'll have clients lining up at the door.' It just wasn't the case. We really struggled to build up a clientele," Will Bevis recalled.

Without a stable income, they found it impossible to afford rental accommodation for their family of three. After exhausting all other options, they were forced to move into a borrowed motorhome, which lacked basic amenities like a shower and proper cooking facilities. "It was cold and damp, like living in a grey tin can," Daisy described. "We had no running water, no toilet – at one point we had no lights either as the electric stopped working."

The lack of cooking facilities meant they relied on an air fryer and a small fridge, subsisting on meals like rice, sausages, and porridge oats. The constant stress of their situation blurred the lines between family life and their housing crisis, as they had no private space to decompress. "As a mother, I found that incredibly difficult," Daisy said. "I could cope with a lot personally, but knowing that my daughter didn't have the home environment I wanted for her was heartbreaking."

The family had to take their daughter to their workplace to use the showers. Both Daisy and Will experienced a decline in their mental health during this period. "It got to the point where I was, like, not showering, not looking after myself, not being able to wash Isabelle very easily," Daisy recounted.

Compounding their difficulties, the family was required to move campsites every 30 days. Eventually, they declared themselves homeless to the council. They temporarily stayed in a friend's holiday home and then slept on a friend's living room floor in January. The council assisted them in applying for Universal Credit, but the process was complicated by their lack of a permanent address, which also prevented them from registering with a general practitioner (GP).

Daisy explained that "hidden homelessness" describes living without a fixed address, which can include temporary accommodation, living in a vehicle, or staying with friends or family. "It honestly feels really scary, it's the most stressful and unwavering experience because you just don't know what's going to happen next," she said.

Despite searching for properties, the high rental costs made finding affordable housing difficult. They eventually secured private rented accommodation in Poole in February 2026. "We're so much happier, we're settled in our house," Daisy reported. "We've had beautiful weather. We've just been at the beach pretty much every evening with our three-year-old, just playing in the sand, and it's been exactly as we would have dreamed it to be."

Their business has begun to see growth, and Daisy feels proud of their resilience. She is now using an Instagram page, @southcoastmum_, to raise awareness about hidden homelessness and the cost of living crisis. The page has gained over 20,000 followers, with Daisy aiming to educate people that homelessness can affect working families and is more than just rough sleeping.

Daisy is supporting the homelessness charity Crisis's 'Home Can't Wait' campaign, which advocates for more affordable private renting and social housing. "When people thinking about homelessness, they think about rough sleeping, but that's just the tip of the iceberg," she said. "People don't see the tens of thousands of people living in temporary accommodation, going to work or school every day."

She emphasized that working hard does not always guarantee financial security, especially when housing costs consume a large portion of income. "The criticism was difficult because I knew how hard we were working behind the scenes," Daisy stated. "I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions I want to challenge: being homeless or needing support does not mean someone is lazy or isn't contributing."

Daisy advocates for measures such as controlling rent prices and improving access to information about available support. "Home is the foundation for everything," she said. "I understand that six months is a really short period of time to be homeless compared to other families who are trapped in temporary accommodation for years. That's why I want to make a change: not for us, but for others."