Council/HA homes, help me get through the information!

dekaspace · 24 October 2016 at 4:39PM

For relevance I am autistic, have mental health issues and a very anxious and nervous person and vulnerable.

I do have social worker, and seeing a CPN.

Now I don't expect a home easily anyway but when I applied for local housing I was given 10 points with local council and 25 for at least one housing association (15 points as I have a 2 bedroom flat and thus under occupying) whilst the council sees me as needing 2 bedrooms so whilst thats good I get less points.

Council told me that I will get no points for the heath/vulnerability side unless its affected by where I stay.

And though I had my ceiling collapse last month its been fixed therefore no points for that.

Meanwhile the local HA on my very estate told me they will give me points if I hand in my notice but if a property doesn't come up in time then I have the risk of being homeless.

So im not sure what to do, risk being homeless (at Christmas) but also means chance of a HA property or wait for months if not years and probably get nowhere.

Or is there a better option.

davidplans · 24 October 2016 at 5:18PM

Do you have any supporting living complexes in your area?

dekaspace · 24 October 2016 at 5:24PM

Not that I know of, if its about my vulnerability the biggest issues there is that I am high iq so not seen as high risk, and my autism isn't severe enough to be unlivable

Ames · 24 October 2016 at 7:15PM

My council has a different system with priority bands rather than points. Could you give a bit more information about the points? 25 points could be top priority or it could be bottom so without further clarification it's hard to know what to say.

Are you currently in a private rent?

dekaspace · 24 October 2016 at 8:54PM

I really don't know but from reading the application at the time it seemed to imply 80 points was priorty as it said if you had certain things happen i.e pregnancy, threat of domestic abuse etc it was an automatic 80 points.

And from what was implied on phone what I have isn't many points.

And yes currently in private let.

I did apply for everywhere on the form which I'd say was more than 100 areas even the advisor at council was shocked I did so.

Don't have the council one in front of me but the HA one (not the same one I spoke to on phone) gave me points this way

25 points for private let
10 points for under occupancy.

elsien · 24 October 2016 at 9:03PM

dekaspace wrote: »

Meanwhile the local HA on my very estate told me they will give me points if I hand in my notice but if a property doesn't come up in time then I have the risk of being homeless.

So im not sure what to do, risk being homeless (at Christmas) but also means chance of a HA property or wait for months if not years and probably get nowhere.

Or is there a better option.

You may get extra points for being homeless, but if you hand your notice in you may be judged to be intentionally homeless therefore they would have no obligation to rehouse you.

It may also mean you would be rehoused in temporary housing which is quite likely to be a hostel or bed and breakfast, while you bid on properties in the normal way.
To give some context some I know who was sectioned and in hospital for over a year could not get a property by bidding for months, despite her severe MH problems and vulnerability.

It does vary between areas, but be very clear you know exactly how the system will work for you before you make any decisions.

On what grounds do you need two bedrooms, out of interest. Are you sure you've understood the council correctly?

dekaspace · 24 October 2016 at 9:12PM

elsien wrote: »

You may get extra points for being homeless, but if you hand your notice in you may be judged to be intentionally homeless therefore they would have no obligation to rehouse you.

It may also mean you would be rehoused in temporary housing which is quite likely to be a hostel or bed and breakfast, while you bid on properties in the normal way.
To give some context some I know who was sectioned and in hospital for over a year could not get a property by bidding for months, despite her severe MH problems and vulnerability.

It does vary between areas, but be very clear you know exactly how the system will work for you before you make any decisions.

On what grounds do you need two bedrooms, out of interest. Are you sure you've understood the council correctly?

I asked for it on the grounds that with my severe anxiety one of my only comforts is a friend or relative staying round a night or two a month as it also helps me leave the house and something to do.

The council deemed I need 2 bedroom but the only HA to get back to me so far deemed I need 1 bedroom.

To be honest 1 is better than none, and a big one bedroom would be better than a small 2 bedroom etc I was just keeping options open.

I thought the intentionally homeless thing myself but the HA I spoke to told me to hand in my notice as that will automatically give me points needed, but still doesn't mean a property will come round in time.

Ames · 24 October 2016 at 10:24PM

Do you have choice based lettings in your area? That's a website where you apply for properties every week. If so you could have a look at the statistics for lettings to get an idea for how long people have been on the waiting list and how many points they had.

dekaspace · 24 October 2016 at 11:03PM

Not that I can see, but found the local councils leaflet for allocating points, considering even if you were given 2 months notice from LL you get 150 points and I only have 10 I have zero chance of getting anywhere I assume.

Even its health category only counts things like physical health. even properties in bad condition only count at 50 points.

What do these things mean?

If you have a definite date to lose your accommodation within two months. (For example, you have discharge
papers to leave the armed forces or have been issued with legal documents to leave your accommodation within
two months (for example, AT6 or Eviction Notice)
150
If you do not have any accommodation available for you and you are living outside or if you are living in temporary
housing but you are not applying as homeless or you have been awarded an intentionally homeless decision in
terms of a homeless application you have made.
80

Prinzessilein · 25 October 2016 at 9:13AM

dekaspace...you said you have a social worker, have they written a note I support of your application for a home?

I too am high-functioning autistic. When I needed to move I took a letter of support from my Social Worker - explaining just why they felt I was 'vulnerable' and one form my GP who was able to confirm that I needed to move to a more suitable property....we have a bidding system here with the council (the HA has a similar system) where you are given a banding and are then able to bid for properties.

Could you take someone with you to the Housing Office? I took my Mum/Carer who was able to insist that I am nowhere near as 'capable' as I look!

You need to be forceful and insistent....or have someone to do this on your behalf!

(I was eventually accepted as vulnerable and was given a small but comfortable - and safe! - flat in sheltered accommodation. The council waived the rule that said occupants had to be over 60 in my case....and I am just about to move again, as I applied for a move to a ground floor flat which was officially approved last week)

If you have a definite date to lose your accommodation within two months. (For example, you have discharge
papers to leave the armed forces or have been issued with legal documents to leave your accommodation within
two months (for example, AT6 or Eviction Notice)
150

This is saying that if you are being made homeless because you are leaving the Armed Forces (and presumably in accommodation provided by the Forces)...or if yo are being evicted and have been served with eviction papers....so, you are homeless not through your own choice....then you will get 150 points

If you do not have any accommodation available for you and you are living outside or if you are living in temporary
housing but you are not applying as homeless or you have been awarded an intentionally homeless decision in
terms of a homeless application you have made.
80
And this one is saying that of you are not homeless (because you are in temporary accommodation) or if you are deemed to have made yourself homeless (by choosing to leave your current place for no acceptable reason) then you will get 80 points.

dekaspace · 25 October 2016 at 3:25PM

Thats what I was thinking it means, if you are given a date to leave you get 150 and if you hand in your own notice you get 80 as it was intentional.

As for social worker, they are useless had a good one at last town but since I moved here I met her twice both times at my request, meant to get care workers but after months of promising admitted no funding available, then social work cut completly as they said I was too high functioning so got MP involved, even then I was expected to wait like 6-8 weeks for her to have a free slot in her book for a visit

When I phoned her about my roof collapsing she just went "oh well, contact your landlord and see what they can do, I can't do anything"

Council/HA homes, help me get through the information!

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