‘People are so judgmental’: the growing cohort of over-55s facing homelessness

Richard Hewett slept in his car after a breakup, and when he broke his ankle he contracted sepsis and had to have his right leg amputated. He has now received a grant to help him into housing. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

When Richard Hewett’s relationship broke down, he was forced to leave his partner’s council house – but found his disability benefits didn’t stretch far enough to get him his own flat in his Essex home town. He resorted to the next best option: sleeping in his car.

It wasn’t what he had expected, aged 59. At 6ft 2in, he squeezed into a Ford Focus and struggled to sleep. When he broke his ankle, he couldn’t look after it properly, contracted sepsis and had his leg amputated.