Help in requesting prioritisation for social housing due to disability.

I-Owe-You

Afternoon all – can anyone help?

I’m profoundly deaf and suffer with Meniere’s disease (a balance disorder) which makes me susceptible to sudden bought of dizziness and drop attacks which I take medication to control.

I currently live on the 2nd floor in an un-lifted building (4 flights of stairs) renting with a private housing association …for the past 18 months I have been struggling with transfers and stairs and applied for social housing because of my increasing difficulties. I’m fortunate enough to still be able to work full time for an understanding employer & I am also awarded DLA. My partner also works full time (we live together) and we have no children.

I have been accepted for the waiting list for council/social housing… although refused priority on health grounds. This is my 2nd appeal and they state I am capable to walk up to a maximum of 20 flights of stairs which is utter rubbish!! I am really offended as not once has anyone been to visit me from the council for reasons to which they have based their decision.

I have provided enough backdated evidence from my specialists and social services liaison and the borough’s OT who fitted my flat with support grab rails.

To add insult to injury a girl I knew from school also in her 20s who is pregnant with her second child out of a “proper” relationship who has never worked a day in her life has just been offered a subsidised council new build based on the ground floor. It really angers me that I still bother to work full time in order to pay my way in this society & that childless couples who work are not deemed a priority for this type of housing!!

Can any advise me on how I should best appeal? Im not sure what else I can do having had my GPs involvement – I seem to just get a generic “not priority” letter. It’s really starting to get me down.

Best wishes, IOU

TOBRUK

Hi, what does your GP have to say and is he/she supportive? You say you receive DLA, is this for mobility, if so is it High Rate Mobility? If so you can show/give them a copy of the award letter which should state why you get HRM, which is

because you are unable or virtually unable to walk

would point out that no way you could achieve close to 20 flights of stairs!

they state I am capable to walk up to a maximum of 20 flights of stairs which is utter rubbish!!

Savvy_Sue

They will have an appeals / complaints procedure, if a copy of your DLA award doesn't do the trick then ask for that.

KxMx

Usually a GP's letter will do the trick.

Tally-Ho_2

Where I live is very near to a large army garrison, although the following applies across the country.

The government have instructed all Councils/Housing Associations to give priority to injured servicemen/women for Social Housing, particularly those needing adapted disabled accomodation. Thus a lot of people on the waiting lists have been shunted further down the queue for such accomodation to afford injured servicemen/women priority.

So if you are a disabled serviceman/woman the relevant documentaion is here:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/1200095.pdf

Tally

gaito64

Hi, we are going through the same kind of thing at the moment. My hubby has psoratic arthtitis and it is rapidly spreading thru his joints, we applied for a council house 12 months ago and we are still waiting even though we currently live in a 3 storey house which hubby can only use one floor of as he has problems with the stairs.

Anyway, get in touch with your local councillor, their numbers will be available on your local gov website, and get them to fight for you. I only discovered that we could do this recently and even though we have not been offered a house yet she has been absolutely brilliant for badgering the usless idiots who work in our lettings department.

Good luck and I hope you get somewhere more suitable very soon x