A FAMILY of eight living in a three-bedroom home in Cinderford say they have been refused simple solutions to their cramped lifestyle.
Joanne and Scot Jenkins-Pugh live with their four young kids and Joanne's parents at the Two Rivers Housing property in Latimer Road.
Scot and Joanne sleep in the dining room with baby daughter Kloe and their son Alex, five, is the only person in the house not sharing a bedroom, sleeping in a box room.
The family don't want to move but have instead asked Two Rivers about having an extension built, to be told, they say, the housing association doesn't do such work.
Their next-door neighbour is also soon to move out and suggested they explore the possibility of knocking the houses together but again the family said Two Rivers refused.
"They told us they don't do extensions for anyone or knock-throughs but we've since heard they have done exactly that for other people," said Joanne, 26.
"We just want the best quality of life for our kids we can give them. Scot works full-time, I get child benefits which I use solely for the kids, we are not sitting here doing nothing."
Joanne has lived in the house since she was born.
They have had adaptations to make life easier for Alex, who has mobility problems.
Joanne said they were "riled" by Heather Frost's situation, the Churchdown mum-of-11 who is living in two houses knocked together while she waits for a purpose-built, taxpayer funded six-bed home in Tewkesbury to be finished. It's frustrating, it just seems it's different rules for different people," she said.
Two Rivers said Mr and Mrs Jenkins-Pugh and their four grandchildren had recently moved into Joanne's parents' home.
Sue Wilson, neighbourhood housing co-ordinator, said: "If they consider that the house is too small for them all, then they need to make an application through the Homeseekers system."
She said the system ensures that all applications for homes are dealt with according to need.
