Blair Murray, a veteran, spent 15 weeks living in woodland near Crook, County Durham, while awaiting housing assistance. Murray stated he had interacted with four different housing officers in three months but felt let down due to missed meetings and unfulfilled promises of phone calls.
"Nobody should be fighting to be heard the way I have been for the past 15 weeks," Murray told the BBC. "The whole process is wrong and the whole system is broken."
Prior to being offered temporary accommodation, Murray had considered building a wood cabin, anticipating a winter stay. "I am looking at building a wood cabin as it looks like I'll be here in winter," he said. "I do survivalism as a hobby so I'm used to camping in winter, but normally I have somewhere to go back to."
Ian Driver, who runs Veterans Response and provided Murray with food parcels, described the situation as "just wrong," with the veteran "surviving day to day."
"From being very positive he has now had enough," Driver said, noting that the prolonged situation had taken a toll on Murray. "This should never ever be happening. This whole process makes the veteran community not want to engage for support because they are going to get let down."
Durham County Council stated that it provides "practical advice" to veterans, "connecting them with the services and support they need within their local communities."
