X Factor Emma living in car

Deborah Linton

October 24, 2008

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Emma Chawner and family

HOMELESS X Factor singer Emma Chawner has told how she and her family - including the pets - have been sleeping in their car since being evicted more than a week ago.

Emma, 19, said she and her parents, Philip and Audrey, and sister, Samantha, 21, as well as their dog, cat and bird, have spent the nights in their Toyota parked at service stations.

As reported in the M.E.N, they were thrown out of their home in Lancaster Avenue, Ramsbottom, after neighbours complained to the council about late-night karaoke sessions.

Emma was famously snubbed by pop mogul Simon Cowell when she appeared on the TV talent show wearing a dress made by her dad.

She said she has now given up her job as a trainee hairdresser because she did not have anywhere to live and is on jobseekers' allowance.

She said the family had slept in service station car parks and outside the Park 66 entertainment complex, at Pilsworth, Bury, since and were showering at her brother's house in Atherton.

They were planning on using her father's £175 a week disability benefits to spend a night in a Travelodge.

Emma said: "We went to a homeless place in Radcliffe, but couldn't stay there because of the pets. We're just going to have to live out of the car until someone helps us out."

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curiousyellow, Rusholme (24/10/2008 at 08:13)

i dont get it!
Are we supposed to feel sympathy for this family?
and why?

who cares, somewhere interesting (24/10/2008 at 08:18)

They are the authors of their own misfortune.

TroubleOnline (24/10/2008 at 09:02)

People like her and her family really get my goat….

She gave up her job because why?

Now we're forking out for her to sit in a car all day, nice at least I know my hard earned money is being well spent!!!!

She shouldn’t be entitled to Jobseekers because she gave up her job,

And as for the rest of the family, perhaps they should get jobs also.

But who am I?

Graham, City Centre (24/10/2008 at 09:09)

I love the "Get me away from these people!" look in that dog's eyes...

Why should we feel sorry for a family who are homeless through they're blatant disregard for their neighbours? You don't get kicked out after just one incident... it must have been going on, warning after warning, for months. If you're homeless you don't blow all £175 disability benefit on one night's stay in a Travelodge either. They probaably don't allow pets anyway. Ridiculous.

Deb (24/10/2008 at 09:21)

"We're just going to have to live out of the car until someone helps us out"

This sentence says more about this family than any other! ". . . until someone helps us out".

dessie, manchester (24/10/2008 at 09:26)

abide by the laws of the land and you would still have a home!!

Edina Clouds, GREAT Manchester (24/10/2008 at 09:28)

they should try getting a job and supporting themselves instead of living on benefits.

synikal, Manchester (24/10/2008 at 09:30)

I don't think that now is the right time to be giving up your job!! Sounds to me like these people are part of the growing epidemic of people who can't seem to help themselves.

Get yourselves a caravan!!

selfexiled (24/10/2008 at 09:45)

"Until someone helps us out"sounds like someone as been helping you out for years.Its time for a reality check .You don't always get want you want in life and you are a perfect example of someone who thinks they should.Upsetting your neighbours and packing your job in while you live in a car is really clever .You can't be that worried if you are letting your pets come between you and a bed for the night.

treblewinner (24/10/2008 at 10:26)

Can u imagine livin in the car with her singin all the time ??? wonder if mum and dad will evict her ??

newtond50, manchester (24/10/2008 at 10:49)

Are these people for serious? Do they really think that they will get sympathu with millions of people loosing their jobs and thier homes while they lost theirs for obviously refusing to shut it late at night? Ridiculous!

gillykins, urmston (24/10/2008 at 10:52)

Perhaps this will teach them not to be nuisance neighbours!! Good job they havent got a mini!!

Jomov (24/10/2008 at 11:22)

Typical...waiting for someone else to help them out, isn't it about time they realised that you cannot rely on other people for everything...they are a disgrace to mankind...

Barney Gumball (24/10/2008 at 11:22)

Maybe they could do a reality TV show...? They could do a phone vote so the public can choose who gets evicted from the car each week. Last one in the car's a winner!

PW, Manchester (24/10/2008 at 11:27)

Just try to be nice, normal people with consideration for others, and you won't find yourselves in this kind of situation. Not complicated and not difficult. It really is dead easy, and you can do it without really trying.

The Seeker, Eccles (24/10/2008 at 11:47)

The curse of X factor strikes again! 15 minutes of fame, followed by a lifetime of misery.

Orb, Rochdale (24/10/2008 at 11:54)

I consider myself to be very hard in my views - usually I make Ace look like some bleeding heart, wet, leftie liberal.

However I'm astonished at the nasty comments on here regarding these people.

There comes a point when you have to have some compassion. Get a grip people.

Ace Shakespeare , manchester (24/10/2008 at 12:08)

We can find compassion for terrorists who run to britain and claim asylem and every other freeloader on the planet and yet we gang up on these people when they need help? I know they have brought this on themselves but the same goes for a lot of other people on the planet but we seem to help them out.How can we as a race of people send billions to third world countries and yet see people in our own country live in cars and on streets?? weird.

bemused (24/10/2008 at 12:47)

If they rely on society giving them a helping hand to get them out of the mess they have created for themselves, then fine. But they must expect to put something back into the same society, such as good behaviour and work. Just sitting there expecting a handout won't get them any sympathy.

ROMI TYAR (24/10/2008 at 12:55)

Those in the third world who receive our help are generally unable to provide for themselves due to war, famine, disease etc. These people have CHOSEN to live in their car -there are hostels for the homeless but they have chosen not to stay there. As stated, they have a family member with a home who could look after their pets temporarily. One member of the family gave up her job for no valid reason & one can only assume the others do not work. They have made themselves homeless through their anti social behaviour in their council home, they were given plenty of warning as to the consequences of their continued disruptive behaviour. If they were 4 teenage 'hoodies' wiith Pitbull terriers, evicted for constant noise disruption would you be as sympathetic to their plight?

paul (24/10/2008 at 13:41)

It is quite simple really.

They rented a home from the council and part of that agreement was they observed certain standards of behaviour.

In spite of repeated warnings they didn't so they were rightly evicted.I have absolutely no sympathy nor do i guess their ex neighbours who had to put up with their anti sociable behaviour.

He ALONE earns £175 a week in disability benefits,more than enough to rent a private flat or house somewhere.

Guten Tag, Manchester (24/10/2008 at 13:50)

I don't know what I feel for this family. None of them are working, and they were threatened time and again about the noise, and now, should I feel sorry for them or laugh because they brought it on themselves? On here and from what I've seen on the internet, they don't seemed too clued up on social awareness. I hope this is a wake up call for them.

Frostee, Oldham (24/10/2008 at 13:58)

They do need some sort of professional help. Yes, they have put themselves in this position and yes they should get a grip and do something for themselves.

However, I'm sad but not surprised by the many obnoxious and heartless comments on this story. I'll even bet many of the nasty remarks are from people who themselves are not perfect in so many ways.

Sir Reginald Ringpull, A-u-L, Lancashire (24/10/2008 at 15:02)

All they have to do is toddle off to a nice letting agent - ask for a nice privately rented three bedroomed house in and around Bury and the council will give then just over £109 a week to live there. If they fancy central Manchester it goes upto £129.92.

Ace Shakespeare , manchester (24/10/2008 at 15:17)

Orb, Rochdale
I wholehartedly agree with you,These people have issues that we are not aware of,i think these people need some help from social services and maybe a social worker to help them get through this mess We cannot all be teachers or scientists ect.I felt sorry for these people the first time i saw them.Its time people felt more for our own people in these situations rather than spending millions on sorting problems out in the third world ."god help us we have a lot of our own problems."In britain with ex soldiers living on the streets because there isnt any homes for them but in the same city we find homes for asylem seekers who live in million pound homes?????CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

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