Benefits Advice :(

sappleton

Just before Christmas I lost my job and applied for job seekers allowance and housing benefit. Since then I have been unemployed and looking for work.

I have been to sign on at the job centre twice but I still have not heard if/when I will get any money.

Im a girl and as I’m living with a friend who is a boy they want to know why we moved in together. I sent back these details 2 weeks ago, rung them yesterday, they haven’t received it but said they may need to do a house inspection as my flatmate is a boy.

I can barely afford to eat at the moment and have to pay my rent in a weeks time, and still have no guarentee of getting anything...

Is there anywhere I can turn to help for??

noahsmummy

A crisis loan maybe?

lauzellen

You can ask for a crisis loan from the social - they usually pay out the same day if you call in the morning. Just explain your situation.

0800 328 3834

Lines open

8:30 am - 4:30 pm on mon,tue,thur,fri

and

10:00 am - 4:30 pm on wed

zappster1966

It's unreasonable for them to delay payment pending a "Living Together" visit. Ask them for an emergency payment of benefit ... failing which a crisis loan ... after all you applied in December & the delays are simply unacceptable.

Even after the visit is conducted there will be further delays ... the paperwork has to go to a Decision Maker then back to the benefit section to implement. At this rate you'll be lucky to hear anything for weeks.

Another slight complication is that the visits are carried out by compliance officers. And in many areas compliance is being disbanded temporarily, with the staff being re-deployed to Job Centres to cover the huge increase in new claims being made ... so although they want you to be visited there might not be anyone available to do it.

And that's not good enough.

jennie09

It sounds to me that the dwp are probably just checking to make sure you are not actually co habiting with your flat mate as he is male, so may check sleeping arrangements etc, i wouldnt worry about it is if it all above board, with so many claimants claiming benefits as a single person, and then actually living with someone who could be working, they could see it as co habiting which could affect any benefit you may be entitled too, try not too worry about it as benefit claims can take a while to be processed, and as the above poster says a crisis loan may be available to you .

sappleton

many thanks to all of you

whats the deal with crisis loans? do you pay huge APR etc?

i dont wanna end up spending hundreds on interest because they have delayed so much giving me the money, seems unfair to me

atomicsheep

they are interest free

zappster1966

Crisis Loans wont pay out if benefit is due ... you need to establish whether you can get your JSA paid first. Crisis loans are interest free ... not that they'll be offering you hundreds of pounds anyway ... it's a one off payment to get you to your first JSA payday, "an alignment to benefit" (your first payday has already passed, meaning benefit is now due, assuming the rest of your claim is straightforward).

sappleton

zappster1966 wrote: »

Crisis Loans wont pay out if benefit is due ... you need to establish whether you can get your JSA paid first. Crisis loans are interest free ... not that they'll be offering you hundreds of pounds anyway ... it's a one off payment to get you to your first JSA payday, "an alignment to benefit" (your first payday has already passed, meaning benefit is now due, assuming the rest of your claim is straightforward).

ok thanks, its housing benefit too im hoping to get too

so you say if they wont give me an emregency benefit, even a crisis loan wont be enough?
my rent is £475 and I still need money to eat too

zappster1966

Crisis loans are calculated from the day you apply to the daybefore the crisis theoretically ends. They're paid at 75% of personal allowance rates.

e.g. hypothetical example
you apply for a crisis loan tmorro and your next benefit payday is next monday

the crisis loan runs from 28/01/09-01/02/09 thats 5 days

5/7 x £60.50pw x 0.75 = £32.42 and thats what they offer you as a crisis loan. It's not a lot & it's a one off, they won't pay it again in these circumstances. It doesn't cover your housing costs at all.

Your regular benefit is way more than that, that's what needs to get sorted out.

hippy-chicy

They should be able to base your Housing Benefit on a nil income request, you will need to confirm to them what you are living off whilst you are waiting for the outcome of your JSA claim.They will also need to see upto date bank statements to show you have no income coming in.
I assume that the rent is halved between you and your flat mate. Also you will only be awarded the shared rate of LHA which is roughly around £58 depending where you are based in the country.

Might be worth contacting them and keeping them up to date with whats happening. It will be one less thing to worry about.

Hope you get it sorted soon