YOUR feature on the proposed changes to allocating council homes for local homeless people (August 31) was interesting.

What a fair and sensible change this would be.

I joined the council housing queue 11 years ago after a breakdown and divorce.

As a bachelor, and knowing I did not fit the criteria for being housed, I rented a room at my grandmother's house, where I took on the role of her carer until her death in February.

At that time a friend offered me a sofa to on which to sleep. The upheaval and gran's death left me with severe depression and unable to cope with the responsibility of the two flats offered to me early this year.

This has deferred my application for another year. I now feel ready to get on with my life again, but still have no settled home.

Hopefully, the council's new system may be more sympathetic to the needs of people such myself in similar situations who do not always fit into the present point system.

A G Martin,

The Elms,

Hull Road,

York.

Updated: 11:20 Wednesday, September 07, 2005