A mum has said she’s been shamed online for letting six children sleep in one bedroom, saying she’s been desperately trying to get a bigger council house for her family.
Nicole Wong, 31, is mum to Nyala, 12, Nevaeh, 11, Neesha, eight, Nathaniel, seven, Neiko, four, and Nikita, two, who all sleep in the same room at their Leeds home.
After sharing updates about family life on TikTok, she claims trolls have threatened to report her to social services over the cramped sleeping situation – even though she’s been trying to get more space for them.
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She said: “People comment on my TikTok videos telling me that I should learn to keep my legs closed because it's not fair on my kids that they all have to share a bedroom.
"People have even said they've reported me to social services and think that I am neglecting my kids.
"I have been trying to get a bigger council house for my family for the past five years, but I've not made much progress.
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"There are rarely houses that are big enough available for me to bid on, and the council doesn't seem to be interested in helping me out, even though our home has been overcrowded for years.
"I've lived in this home for 12 years, and I first moved in when I just had one child.
"I then went on to have my second, third, and fourth children, and when I fell pregnant for the fifth time I decided it was time to put myself on the housing list because I knew I needed to start thinking about getting a bigger house.
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"I have been on the list for five years, and even when a house does come up, I'm still number 50 in the queue.
"I think because all of my children are healthy, they aren't putting us down as a priority. We've received no help at all."
In the kids’ bedroom, there are two bunk beds, two single beds and a double bed where the children all sleep.
To get everyone to sleep effectively at night, Wong has come up with a system that sees her taking them to bed in incremental stages.
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She says there’s not much room elsewhere in the house, either, as there isn’t a room big enough for a dining table, meaning they have to eat on the sofa and even the floor.
Wong continued: "All I find myself doing is cleaning up. There is no room for a table for us all to have dinner, so some of us eat on the sofa, and the younger ones sometimes eat on the floor.
"I've just about got enough room to cook in the kitchen.
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"I also have to stagger bedtimes by half an hour intervals because they can't all go up to bed at once. They'd end up chatting away for ages and not get to sleep.
"I wish people wouldn't be so judgmental because I am trying my best, and I would love a bigger home for my family. It's not always that easy."
When Wong started posting on TikTok, she never expected to face such a strong reaction from total strangers.
She is now calling on others not to judge her or her situation, especially as she’s doing her best to ‘sort it out’.
"I just decided to start making TikTok videos of my day-to-day life, and then the trolling came out of nowhere,” she said.
"The comments were awful and unnecessary. Everyone has something to say.
"They think that because I am a single mum of six kids, they can assume things about me, but all of my kids have the same dad.
"People say it isn't the council's responsibility or problem to rehouse me, and that I have got myself in this situation.
"The trolls imply that the living situation is unfair on the kids and that I have had so many children to try and get taxpayers' money. They try and put me in a certain category.
"However, I do work and I am trying to better myself.
"I work part-time doing aesthetics and beauty treatments, and I am also paying for courses to become an accountant.
"I've never taken drugs and I never get drunk. When I first started getting trolled, I was so upset. These people who don't know me are judging me.
"I am actually trying to sort it out too, but I have no idea how long it will take us to be able to get a bigger house, as there is only one big enough house becoming available every other week."
Jess Hardiman