Personal Situation

ryanstarr

I have put this in the home buying forum also but as it has relevance to benefits i thought i should also put it here.

Hey guys, In a really sticky situation at the moment and all help is seriously appreciated.
Okay, Il start from the beginning.
I am now 22 years old and in Manchester
2 Years ago I was working full time and renting a house privately, I became ill, I got blood clots which caused a lot of pain which meant I couldnt work.
Iv had many operations but I now have a hydroceale on my right testicle which causes a lot of pain, Because of this I am not allowed to do heavy work.
Anyway because of my illness I had to leave the house I was in as
1) I couldnt afford it when I was out of work
2) I needed a lot of help doing day to day things

Anyway, 2 years on and now I am allowed to do light work but only light work.
problem with that is, I have tourettes syndrome and Bi-Polar and every agency iv been too has said their light work is office/customer roles which they feel someone with tourettes would struggle to work in that environment.

So obviously I cant find work thus cant get my own place again.

So I have been living with a friend and his mum for the past 2 years, When I had my place he lived with me when he wanted away from home for a bit so it was a favour for a favour type thing.
Anyway my friends nana is now ill and his mother is his nanas carer.
So they need this room back as she has had some bad falls and needs to be taken care of, So I need to find a place.

Anyway Im probably going to have to look at the possibility of housing benefit , I need to be out by mid november and iv been homeless once before at 16 when my mum threw me out ( shes an alcoholic ) I dont want to be homeless again.

I am going to see citizens advice tomorrow to see if they can help at all but apart from that I spoken to Northwards housing today and they said all they can do is put me on the housing list which could take years and until then put me in a hostel.
With my tourettes and bi-polar , A hostel really isnt somewhere ideal for me, I need stability so i can try to carry on with my life and find work I can actually do.

Anyway does anyone have any suggestions at all ? I have no family I can live with either.
any help is much much appreciated, Iv been making calls all day and getting nowhere but back to the suggestion of hostel.
Iv had 2 friends who were in hostels commit suicide so obviously im not mad on the idea, especially with my bi-polar.

suggestions please?

dmg24

What benefits are you claiming at present?

You would be eligible for the shared room rate of LHA. This is unlikely to cover a place of your own, it is designed to cover the cost of a room in a shared house. If you do not feel that you could live in a shared house, you may qualify for the one bedroom rate as a result of your health conditions, but most authorities expect you to be on MRC or HRC DLA in order to be eligible.

ryanstarr

dmg24 wrote: »

What benefits are you claiming at present?

You would be eligible for the shared room rate of LHA. This is unlikely to cover a place of your own, it is designed to cover the cost of a room in a shared house. If you do not feel that you could live in a shared house, you may qualify for the one bedroom rate as a result of your health conditions, but most authorities expect you to be on MRC or HRC DLA in order to be eligible.

I am currently on employment support allowance as my job involves a lot of heavy lifting which i cant do.
Next month though my contract with that employer is going to be terminated so I would like to find work but im finding it very hard.
I would just like to know though what I may be entitled too housing benefit wise as I have no choice but to find somewhere to live.

dmg24

If you are in Greater Manchester, the shared room rate is either £63.29 or £64.90 per week, depending on where you are.

If you are looking at other areas, the relevant rates are here.

ryanstarr

dmg24 wrote: »

If you are in Greater Manchester, the shared room rate is either £63.29 or £64.90 per week, depending on where you are.

If you are looking at other areas, the relevant rates are here.

Thanks
So the likelihood of getting benefit to get a 1 bedroom flat is slim im guessing ?
Im not mad on the idea of shared accomodation but dont have much of a choice really

dmg24

ryanstarr wrote: »

Thanks
So the likelihood of getting benefit to get a 1 bedroom flat is slim im guessing ?
Im not mad on the idea of shared accomodation but dont have much of a choice really

I have just checked and you would definitely need to be in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium in order to get the one bed rate. The SDP is only available to those on DLA MRC or HRC, so it looks like you would only get the shared room rate.

ryanstarr

dmg24 wrote: »

I have just checked and you would definitely need to be in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium in order to get the one bed rate. The SDP is only available to those on DLA MRC or HRC, so it looks like you would only get the shared room rate.

So I should be entitled to just short of £65 a week then. £260 per month, If I found a flat for that price would I be able to take the flat or would I only be allowed to take the room that the rate is for if you get me?

dmg24

ryanstarr wrote: »

So I should be entitled to just short of £65 a week then. £260 per month, If I found a flat for that price would I be able to take the flat or would I only be allowed to take the room that the rate is for if you get me?

You would be allowed to take the flat.

I have assumed you would be entitled to the full rate - there would be deductions if you have savings over £6,000 and potentially if you are on Conts Based ESA (depending on how much you receive).

ryanstarr

dmg24 wrote: »

You would be allowed to take the flat.

I have assumed you would be entitled to the full rate - there would be deductions if you have savings over £6,000 and potentially if you are on Conts Based ESA (depending on how much you receive).

I have no savings. and am currently on £51 pw employment support allowance although as my work contract will be terminated next month I will have to go onto jobseekers.
Do you think that would affect it ?

ryanstarr

Also, due to being brand new to claiming housing benefit and not knowing a lot on it, do many landlords accept tenants on housing benefit?

dmg24

You can continue on ESA if you lose your job until you are fit for work again. You will be eligible for full LHA on your current income.

It is difficult to say how many landlords will accept those on benefits, it varies a lot according to area. My advice would be to look in the local paper for ads from self managing landlords, they tend to be more likely to accept claimants than letting agencies (as well as usually being cheaper).