Emergency Housing

vij

Thank you for reading. Sorry for the length.

Im representing a friend who has asked me for help.

My friend and her son (14) moved back to the area I live 3 weeks ago, following the breakdown of her LTR.

She was able to rent a property that was not strictly speaking habitable (kitchen not fully functional , bathroom with large hole in ceiling) Hence she moved in her goods while the L/l finished the work and stayed between 3 family members. These 3 family members have been looking after her son for the 2 months prior to her moving down so he was safe while the packing and moving were done.

A claim was put in for HB/JSA, while she looks for a job, expecting that she will have a job by the begininning of Oct as there are vacancies where I work.

As yet her son is not in school as LA are dragging their heels.

1 week ago there was a fire at the property, accident by actions of tenant, she had moved some boxes to enable a fridge to be delivered and a box caught the electric hob. Fire brigade have stated definatley an accident.

The L/l was of the opinion that the property could be turned around in 3 weeks. Having looked at it with a professional its closer to 3 months (once work has started). The insurance assesor for the buildings has not yet visited the site. There was no contents cover.

My friend also has a history of depression, which was one of the reasons for the break up (due to the chaos we have not had time to even chat through the heart to heart thats needed) Prior to the move back to the area she was undergoing counselling and is I still think taking medication ( we need to get her registered to a doctor here) She has moved back as she was very lonely there which was making things worse, here she has friends and family around her.

Due to the flat not being habitable in the near future and her having run out of places to stay we are seeing the emergency housing officer on Monday, we were advised to turn up in the afternoon as "mornings are chaos" The agent who took my call said that we would be noted in the housing officers diary.

Ive tried to call shelter several times for advise but the line is busy the cuts off.

She can no longer stay with the family members she has been staying with as one is about to leave the country to see other parts of her family for a long duration (cant borrow the house) The other is very elderly and cant cope with the constant house guests being there, and the final one just doesnt have space.

Im looking for some advice and guidance as to what we can expect and what sort of timescales there are, what questions will we be asked. I'm going to be doing a lot of handholding and dragging her through this as its gotten to the point where she can't cope with dealing with it without help.

Thank you in advance for your wisdom and advice.

paulofessex

As she has a child l would suggest a visit to the local social services (SS) office to request support under Section 17 of the Children Act...as also suggested on Shelters website. SS have a duty to assist a parent in ensuring a childs needs are being met and with regard to housing SS are able to provide rent deposit in order to keep families together. Of course SS will attempt not to pay out the money as they have a duty to protect public funds, however l would suggest you maintain getting hold of Shelter as they can fax a letter to the duty social worker of the borough of which you approach.

vij

Thank you very much paulofessex, I hadnt thought of social services under childrens act.

Jowo_2

The Shelter website has a good section on homelessness which shows how a local council processes an application, how they evaluate it, so there's some good basic info there.

tbs624

vij - you seem to have 2 similar threads on this? You're clearly a good friend.

Unfortunately, Shelter's lines are always busy and you do have to persevere. You can also seek advice from community legal advice who have a callback service. link

As in the other thread, the possibility of the LL providing alternative accommodation until the original one is ready for occupation is worth exploring.

Re the Council appointment on Monday - does your friend have any supporting evidence from her previous GP, regarding her depression? This is important:under S189 of the Housing Act 1996, a homeless person has a priority need for rehousing if vulnerable as a result of:

1. old age
2. mental illness or learning disability (mental handicap) or physical disability
3. having been looked after, accommodated or fostered and is aged 21 or more
4. having been a member of Her Majesty’s regular naval, military or air forces
5. having been in custody or detention
6. ceasing to occupy accommodation because of violence from another person or threats of violence from another person which are likely to be carried out or
7. any other special reason.

The Homelessness Code of Guidance interprets the word "vulnerability" for Local Authority officers (S10.12)

"It is a matter of judgement whether the applicant’s circumstances make him or her vulnerable. When determining whether an applicant in any of the categories set out is vulnerable, the local authority should consider whether, when homeless, the applicant would be less able to fend for him/herself than an ordinary homeless person so that he or she would suffer injury or detriment, in circumstances where a less vulnerable person would be able to cope without harmful effects."

There may also be local support via organisations such as Rethink Check this link to see if there is a branch near you.

Do keep the thread updated as it can help others in similar situations.Good luck for tomorrow. Your friend does need to tie everything up with the original tenancy and can be helped by the Tenancy Relations Officer, who can liaise with the LL if necessary.

vij

aye one in the rentals as I was unsure on her l/l position, but the people who understand benefits and entitlements are here and then a third getting advise to rescue her plants.

Evidence of the mental health issues in abundance so easy to show there.

Thank you so much for the very clear information you have provided, its made things make more sense to me.

You have been very generous with your time and knowledge.

I will update this tomorrow eve after we see the housing officer.

vij

Thank you for all your help and advice. My friend has now been placed in a pleasant b and b with her son so things are looking up.
It was hard work with the council but in the end we managed to get them a roof.
For anyone else totally stuck its worth sitting it out at the council offices once they realise that it is true and there is nowhere to go they were good.
The council agent even phoned the b and b for her and made sure there was a space before we walked there.

welshmoneylover

vij wrote: »

Thank you for all your help and advice. My friend has now been placed in a pleasant b and b with her son so things are looking up.
It was hard work with the council but in the end we managed to get them a roof.
For anyone else totally stuck its worth sitting it out at the council offices once they realise that it is true and there is nowhere to go they were good.
The council agent even phoned the b and b for her and made sure there was a space before we walked there.

:T

Well done to your friend and hope all goes ok, especially for her teenage son x