Reporters are struggling to find housing after taking their first regional press jobs according to two journalists on a city daily.

The Bristol Post journalists shared their stories of having to rely on parental help and even working from a different area of the country after taking their first regional press jobs.

The Post and its Bristol Live sister website have launched the Rent Crisis campaign in order to highlight “the plight of people in low-standard, high-cost housing”.

As part of the campaign, Post reporters JJ Donoghue and Assiah Hamed have shared their own stories about struggling to find housing after taking jobs with the newspaper.

JJ first moved to Bristol in August last year after landing a temporary job at the Post, which was later made into a permanent appointment.

He said: “By the end of August, I still had nowhere to live. I ended up sofa surfing with friends and renting Airbnbs, which cost me more than £1,600 over two months at a time when I barely had any money.

“I eventually found a home through sheer luck – a friend of a friend was looking for somewhere to live as well, and it was much easier to get a two-bedroom flat than a single room.

“And even now, with my utility bills rising and my rent consuming half of my monthly pay, I’m relying on financial help from my parents just so I can afford to live – another piece of luck which I know is not available to many.

“I’m now in the process of looking for a single room to move into again, and I’m encountering exactly the same problems as I did before.

“I can only cross my fingers and hope that I get lucky again.”

Assiah, pictured, said her experience of trying to find housing had been “frankly much more long winded than anticipated”, leading to her working remotely away from Bristol since joining the Post in November.

She said: “Being based in the Midlands, commuting is not even an option to consider; therefore, my only option is to work remotely until I miraculously find an affordable home where I will be able to access local amenities and be somewhat near to my workplace.

“I must also add that working remotely has been the case since I was first assigned as a what’s on reporter for Bristol Live in November, and I have only managed to visit the city a few times since.

“Hence, it is the norm to speak to other young people who have chosen to stay at home to live with their parents until they have saved up enough to move out.

“With living costs rising, it’s no doubt that I feel uncertain about my fate not only starting out in our industry, but starting out in the world on my own.”