4/15/2023 0 Comments Shortcat bob booksTogether James and Bob the cat faced the world - and won. But the moment he met an injured stray cat with ginger fur and big green eyes, his life began to change. ‘I personally told them I was no longer entitled to housing benefit, and for two years I’ve been trying to pay my £107-a-week rent myself, but the Peabody Trust wouldn’t cash the cheques.James Bowen was a homeless musician, busking on the streets of London to survive. ‘In 2013 I did make calls to the Peabody Trust housing association, the council, and social security and haven’t received benefits since,’ he said. Speaking to the Mail yesterday, Bowen denied responsibility, claiming he told the council about his change of fortunes – but could not say if he had followed the correct procedure. He added housing benefit was still being paid last week despite requests for it to stop. Last night Bowen’s spokesman said he was unaware housing benefit was still paying his rent until December, when it came up in a mortgage application, and has since paid up. He added he would use his newfound wealth to help drug and homelessness rehabilitation programmes. In an interview two years ago Bowen said he was off benefits and saving up to get a mortgage. The Daily Mail can reveal that despite earning an ample fortune from the book (left with Bob cover right), Bowen, 36, continued to have his rent paid for by housing benefitīowen’s account of rescuing Bob, and in turn being rescued by the cat’s loyalty and trust, was published in 2012, spending two years in the UK Top 10 bestseller list. The Daily Mail can reveal that despite earning an ample fortune from the book (above with Bob), Bowen, 36, continued to have his rent paid for by housing benefitīowen and his famous cat stay in the social housing flat he was granted in 2010 He said his life only changed when he found a stray cat on a doorstep in 2007. He returned to England in 1997, becoming a heroin addict and sleeping rough for ten years. A Haringey Council spokesman said it was the responsibility of claimants to contact them within one month of their income increasing, adding: ‘In this case, we were first informed of a change in circumstances in February 2015.’īorn in Surrey, Bowen was raised in Australia. He hasn’t been hurrying to buy his own house either.’įailing to tell your local council you are no longer entitled to housing benefit can result in criminal prosecution for fraud and jail time. The former Big Issue salesman has sold more than four million copies of A Street Cat Named Bob and has also churned out multiple spin offs – earning £500,000 in just three yearsĪnd while Bowen and his famous cat stay in the social housing flat he was granted in 2010, the many homeless people he talks of helping remain desperate for a roof over their heads.Ī former friend of Bowen said: ‘He was fully aware he should not have been getting housing benefit, but failed to stop it. Since 2012 the taxpayer has forked out £15,500 for Bowen – who has a personal accountant – to live in his housing association flat in Haringey, North London. The former Big Issue salesman and busker has sold more than four million copies of A Street Cat Named Bob and churned out multiple spin offs – earning £500,000 in just three years.īut the Daily Mail can reveal that despite his ample fortune, Bowen, 36, continued to have his rent paid for by housing benefit. When James Bowen wrote a heart-warming memoir about a stray cat rescuing him from homelessness and heroin addiction, it became an overnight bestseller.
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