Really struggling. Are we entitled to anything ?

BennyB1

Hi all ,

Basically the whole point of this thread is to find out peoples opinions for if they think myself and/or partner are entitled to any form of help due to our circumstances.

Let me begin.
Due to various circumstances myself and my girlfriend who are both just 18 had to find a place to live together , to cut a long story short , we found a house share in which we could pay £303 a month for the both of us to live there , which is what we are now doing. We have only lived here a week so far and payed a months rent in hand. However , we are now realising how hard this is going to be. I'm a college student , and my girlfriend is currently waiting to begin her apprentiship which is 4 weeks away , therefore she is bringing in no money at all. Basically , the only money we're getting is £30 a week EMA for me , my mother gives me £20 every weekend and my girlfriend mother gives her £40 every weekend , so in a month that makes £360. So with £360 a month that leaves £57 to live on which would include travel , food and absolutely everything , which obviously wouldnt be really possible. Now a problem we have just encountered and made things even more worse is that we have to split the bills with other house mates each month and a bill has just come through WHICH WE WERE TOLD WOULD BE NOTHING NEAR AS MUCH AS IT IS. But see'ing as we had only lived here 2 days after the bill is dated for , we dont have to pay anything. However , the bills are for gas and electric and make a combined amount of just over £300! So when split , it's looking as though we're gnna have to chip in £50-£100 , which we wouldnt have. Now , To help us just pay RENT and to buy FOOD (as we weren't told about bills being such high prices , we were only told we'd have to pay an extra £15) I got a part time job at Mcdonalds , but dont have many hours and am also on very low pay there , so even with a part time job we cant afford rent AND bills AND food to live. This is now where we're so worried and hoping to find out if we're , or at least one of us , are entitled to some form of cash help from the government. I'm guessing im not able to claim anything as I have a job and at college , but surely my girlfriend is as she's currently waiting around for her apprentiship and has no job or isn't in education. We're panicing like mad as it's seeming like now we've been introduced to the bills part of our house share , we simply cannot afford to live here , but also cant leave as its a 6 month contract and we'd have nowhere else to go.

Does anybody think we are legible for any income support , job seekers or housing benefit ?

Thank you so much in advance!

Ben

Indie_Kid

You won't get income support because you don't fall into one of the groups for it.
You wo't get JSA because you're a student.

afc80

put in a claim for HB, based on your joint income's you would get some help. The
non student has to be the claimant.

money received from parents would be disregarded in full when assessing hb as they
are voluntary payments.

Emmzi

presuemabley g/f will have an income from her apprenticeship soon?

college hardship fund?

how many hours a week is your course? some people do 20 - 40 hours a week on top of studying...

elvis86

Sorry I can't help myself...why did you have to move out?:D

nannytone_2

[EMAIL="Tut@elvis"]Tut@elvis[/EMAIL] lol

LondonDiva

http://www.activeassistance.com/candidates/role_of_a_pa/work_patterns_and_pay/
http://www.voluntaryworker.co.uk/respite-carer.html
http://www.reed.co.uk/Tempzone/Default.aspx?ot=2&jt=4
http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/career/crew-page/crew-page.shtml
http://www.wetherspoonjobs.co.uk/

All would be flexible round your college hours and also can be picked up until whenever your gf is due to start her course. Even then, she could pick upo hours at the weekend and occassional late shifts.

Jowo_2

BennyB1 wrote: »

the bills are for gas and electric and make a combined amount of just over £300! So when split , it's looking as though we're gnna have to chip in £50-£100 , which we wouldnt have. Now , To help us just pay RENT and to buy FOOD (as we weren't told about bills being such high prices , we were only told we'd have to pay an extra £15)

What period does this bill cover - 3 months? How many flatmates chip into it? Were you told it was £15 per person per month, for example?

Has anyone checked if it was based on actual readings or estimates? Check the readings on the bill against the meters to see if they correspond.

Remember that this bill may cover a period across the cold weather when the heating is on and energy bills tend to be much lower across the summer. Find out from the relevant MSE boards how to monitor and reduce energy consumption and encourage your flatmates to adopt the practices.

Amistoso_2

if your a student then your expected to use your student loan/grant/bursery to live on

Indie_Kid

Amistoso wrote: »

if your a student then your expected to use your student loan/grant/bursery to live on

The OP isn't at uni and just gets £30 a week.

Indie_Kid

Yes; but further education students don't get loans to live off.