Artist with autism uses drawing to make sense of the trauma of losing his home

When artist Christopher Hoggins received an eviction notice from his landlord of 13 years in 2020, it began a lengthy court process which saw him eventually lose his home in 2022.

Now, Hoggins has turned his painful experiences into something powerful. The 53-year-old, who lives with autism and has heart problems, has collected his Escher-like illustrations based on his situation in a unique art book, Roof-less.

“I was oblivious to just how bad the housing crisis was before my landlord told me that they were selling up,” Hoggins told the Big Issue.

“Like with many traumatic life events, you suddenly learn an awful lot in a short space of time, some of it was shocking and some absolutely crazy. Once it was all over, I wanted to do something with that knowledge and make everything that I went through mean something and also to process the trauma in a useful and positive way.”

The cost of living crisis and record-high rents have seen a rising number of people facing a no-fault eviction since the Westminster government paused evictions during the pandemic. 

In Scotland, measures pausing evictions and capping rent increases due to the rising cost of living have only just expired.

The Scottish government unveiled its own Housing (Scotland) Bill last week with plans to introduce long-term rent controls and give tenants stronger eviction protections as well as new rights to keep pets and decorate homes.

Rent reforms are also on the way in England to scrap no-fault evictions.

However, the Renters Reform Bill has been long-delayed following opposition from Conservative MPs and last week it was revealed that many of the bill’s measures are set to be “watered down”.

Hoggins’ own experience of eviction has convinced him that no-fault evictions need to be consigned to the past.

He kept a journal to chronicle how his eviction was affecting his life between receiving the notice and when he was finally forced out of his home.

This then formed the backbone of his artbook when he was able to work on the project.

“Putting the book together was quite traumatic in places,” said Hoggins. “I’d made a few notes and I keep a daily journal and I’m always drawing but I didn’t feel comfortable making a proper start until I felt ’safe’.

“Some of the pictures are incredibly dark and I tried to balance them out with light ones so I didn’t lose the plot. I walked away and came back a few times.

“It didn’t help that my mother and a close friend died in the middle of this but that’s half the point, evictions don’t stop because you’ve had enough, they don’t take sick breaks, the process grinds on regardless of your health, feelings and state of mind.”

Roof-less: The Housing Crisis in Words and Pictures is available to buy now on Etsy for £15.

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