A grieving East Belfast dad of two is desperately trying to find a new home for his family after "losing his job and home" on the same day.
Fergie Straghan was left devastated when Jan – his partner of 17 years and mother to their two sons, 10 and 13 – suddenly died in their home after collapsing in their bedroom last year.
The pair had been together since their early 20s and her loss has left the family heartbroken as they have tried their best to keep their lives together despite their grief.
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Fergie told Belfast Live the past year has been the toughest of his life, with further dismay on Friday, March 3, when he heard he would no longer be employed. He then got a call from his landlord telling them they would have to leave the house at the end of April as it was going to be sold.
Fergie said: "Since Jan's passing we have been trying our very best to keep our heads up and carry on as normal as we can, but it has been very difficult because she was such an important part of all of our lives.
"While I can be OK for a couple of months, things like anniversaries and birthdays have had a huge impact on me and I started to develop a lot of anxiety and depression.
"I had been doing my best to keep going in work and things were going alright, but after making a couple of errors I was released from my contract, leaving me for the first time in my working life without a job.
"A few hours after receiving this news, our landlord contacted me and told me that he would be selling the house and that I had until the end of April to find somewhere new.
"If I was still employed this would have been something I could handle, despite the frustration, but with no income now I don't know how we are going to manage and I have had to reach out to others for help because I don't know how we would be able to cope otherwise."
Fergie said that while they had been planning on leaving the property in the future, as it holds a lot of painful memories, he would have preferred to be able to do it on his own accord.
The family are hoping to secure a private rental in order to provide some stability as it will be a number of weeks before the Housing Executive is able to offer support.
He continued: "Trying to look for a new house and a job and take care of my boys is very difficult but something we are just going to have to do and I am very thankful for all of the help and support that we have received so far.
"We have never been in a position like this and I just want to make sure that my sons are safe and secure after everything they have been through."
A GoFundme page has been launched in order to help the family secure a new home. If you would like to donate to the family please follow this link.
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