Tony, Diann and their two daughters live in 3 bed house in Hull. Shanice is three years old. But their 15 year old daughter Stephanie is disabled.
She has 1p36 deletion syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes severe intellectual disability. So she has problems with mobility, speech and language. She has a mental age of a four or five year old.
At the moment, all three bedrooms are accounted for: One for mum and dad, one for Shanice and one for Stephanie.
15-year-old Stephanie requires 24 hour care from her parents. Credit: Family
From April, as social tenants, they will face a cut in their benefits to pay the government's so called 'bedroom tax'. Under new rules, the two girls will have to share a bedroom, because they're both under 16 and both of the same gender.
Therefore, the family will be deemed as having a spare bedroom.
So they have a choice: Take a 14% cut in benefits or downsize to a smaller place.
http://www.itv.com/news/2013-02-08/disabled-children-and-their-families-hit-by-governments-bedroom-tax/