A mum said she is facing eviction from her childhood home after being told she didn't have a tenancy in the wake of her father's death.
Michelle Hughes, 33, has been left "frightened" contracting Strep A and facing eviction from her childhood home within a matter of weeks.
She lives with her sons Caiden, 12, and Riley, six, in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.
She had been living there since before the death of her father in November 2019.
Now she claimed she has until February 28, 2023, to find somewhere else to move to.
Michelle also alleged that the Housing Executive initially said they would place the family on the priority waiting list for alternative housing.
However, they claimed to have since been told there is a shortage in accommodation and that they will need to be placed in temporary housing, which is miles away from the place they call "home".
The mum said it all started shortly after her dad died of a heart attack. She had only recently moved back in with him when he died.
Michelle claimed she was contacted by Housing Executive, which informed the mum that she hadn't obtained the tenancy for the home.
She's now worried about what will happen after exhausting all her appeals.
Michelle told NeedToKnow.online: "I've cried many tears and now I've had to tell my kids we haven't got anywhere to live and that this will be our last Christmas in our own home - it's devastating,"
"Life is already extremely difficult and there's already so much pressure without being homeless.
"If I have to leave my home, I can't do my job and provide for my children - I'm so scared.
"This is where my children have spent all their Christmases and knowing this is potentially the last year I'll spend it here since the age of one, is breaking my heart."
She added: "My children are terrified, as they don't know where they're going or what's going to happen - they shouldn't have to deal with all of this.
"I don't drive, so if they put us in temporary accommodation, I won't be able to get my kids to school or be near my family.
"Now, they've told us that temporary accommodation could be shared which is absolutely horrendous.
"I'm emotionally exhausted with everything and everything around me is falling apart.
"Caiden also suffers from OCD, Tourettes and anxiety - all of these have made his condition worse.
"We don't deserve this, no one does."
Michelle described finding her dad died was the "worst day of my life".
Michelle said: "I will never forget that day I found my father dead on the bathroom floor - it really was the worst day of my life.
"I came home from work and called for him, but there was no response.
"I walked upstairs, opened the bathroom door and there he was - there were no warning signs or anything.
"I screamed as I had never done before and I wrapped my arms around him while my heart was breaking into a million pieces.
"He had very bad asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), a lung condition which causes breathing difficulties, so his breathing wasn't great and he couldn't really walk or manage the stairs.
"I used to do everything for him and my world fell apart that day.
"I remember in the morning we had laughed at the terrible job I did of putting the Christmas tree up.
"Now, this Christmas, we're being made homeless - everything has changed so quickly."
Michelle said she's received a final letter confirming she has to give up the house, despite receiving a permanent rent card for the address.
Speaking about the timeline of events, she said: "I had to appeal the Housing Executive's decision on why I had the right to stay here.
"I didn't hear anything for two years since my father's passing and then I received a rent card with my name on it for the address.
"The letter stated I could dispose of my temporary card and I thought this had to be proof of tenancy and that I had secured the property.
"I turned it into a new home for me and my children to start new memories, but then at the end of [last year] someone from Housing Executive came to my home.
"I was told I had exhausted all internal complaints and that I had to give up my tenancy.
"I'm so upset that they can do this to a single mother and her two children - I don't know where we're going to end up now."
A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said: "We have engaged with the occupant of this property over the course of several years on this issue.
"The County Court has granted us an order for possession of the property as the occupant has no legal right to succession.
"The occupant appealed this decision and a resolution was put in place on the basis of a compromise between the parties.
"We agreed to a 16-week stay of the order so the family can remain in the property, in recognition of their circumstances and also the time of year.
"If the occupant requires advice and assistance regarding their housing needs we would ask them to speak to their local Housing Executive office."
