A HOMELESS man has told of how his life collapsed four years ago - and his battle to find accommodation in Mid Cheshire.
Colin Owen, formerly of Nixon Drive in Winsford, has been sleeping rough in Northwich most nights since he split from his ex-wife.
Apart from a stay at Victoria House in Northwich and the occasional night on the floor of his brother's home, Mr Owen is on the streets each evening, looking for shelter.
The 44-year-old says he has been attacked during his sleep by drunken yobs and has even contemplated suicide.
Recently he has been sleeping at the cemetery near Victoria House, but since 2000 has slept at many locations in Winsford and North-wich.
He says he simply wants a roof over his head - but says he has been told he is ineligible for a social house under a complicated points system.
Mr Owen, who used to work at Henkel in Winsford, says the system operated by Vale Royal Borough Council favours families while individuals such as himself, he claims, can be left out in the cold.
'I've been told I am not eligible for a social house,' he said. 'All I want is a little flat, but I haven't got enough points. If I had a family with me they would find me somewhere, but because I am on my own nobody cares.
'I had a good life until I broke up with my wife. Then I no longer had ownership of the house, so I was suddenly homeless.
'I went into a deep depression and I tried to harm myself because it is such an awful position to suddenly find yourself in.
'Since I have been on the streets, I have been attacked. I even tried to hang myself, but my brother found me hanging in his garage. He took me to Victoria House, and I was there for about nine months.'
Mr Owen says he spends most of his time walking the streets, struggling to keep warm in cold weather and hunting for a night-time sanctuary.
'I am in Northwich at the moment, I have been sleeping at the cemetery near to Victoria House,' he said.
'When I wake up I just mooch around, there's nowhere to go. I am 44 years of age and I should not be sleeping on the streets.
'It is getting so desperate I don't know what to do, I am no better off than I was four years ago. Living on the streets is awful - I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.'
Vale Royal Borough Council's lead councillor for housing, Ann McEllin said: 'There should be noone who is sleeping out on the streets.
'As a council, we have done everything we can to ensure that there is nobody who is sleeping rough. If anybody does find themselves experiencing these sort of problems, please talk to our Housing Advice Service because we have got temporary accommodation available.'
