Our help was requested for a young couple that have a 5 month old child. They currently share a two-bedroom flat with the child’s grandmother, whose flat is in a poor state of repair. She has been in receipt of benefits for a long time and has not been able to afford to have any carpets put down anywhere in the flat, so it is floorboards which are not in a good condition, nor could they be sanded and sealed. The health visitor that contacted us is concerned about the development of the child as they are of an age where they need to go on to the floor, but it is currently unsafe. The parents are unable to afford to get any carpet or rugs as the father only works hours that are made available to him and these are sporadic so they are unable to plan. Plus the mother was living with two other children in a house, but the children were taken into care and she fell behind with the rent, so it repaying that back, which she must do to be able to go back on to the housing register for their own home. The father was a looked after child, so struggles emotionally, and he too lost two children from a previous relationship. They are trying desperately to do everything right by their baby son, hence the request for our help. We agreed to send them £130 as they’d had a quote for that much to fit some carpet.