priority housing

ravey_davey

Hi all, ive seen the info about housing help for people leaving the forces, my self i will find out in sept if i have redundancy then i got 6 months before im out, so having to move my family back home later this year.

now im not after free housing i know ill pay rent etc but would be great if anyone has any real info about which local housing authorities are part of this new scheme the goverment is on about or where these new houses are being built

now im on my local authority housing list already with a hugh 10 points after explaining my situation about redundancy, but should this now be reavaluated after this anouncement by the goverment and if so any legislation i can quote to the council?

babyboono1

glad i came across this post. I have been medically discharged from the navy (feb 2011) tx date 31st may 2011. Have activley been in contact with the council office in swansea (my home town where i wish to return for family support and help with childcare of my son)
I apparantly have the maximum points available and have been in the top 3 of the housing list since february but yet still no house. i had secured a job in swansea however due to them not housing me yet i have lost this oppurtunity which is not good in today's current climate. really dissapointed about the job loss as it is the only way i can keep on top of bills etc, i am currently still in married quarter but can not claim housing benefit because it is the property of the crown, i am only entitled to £2.60 a week income support and i am a single mum. I am currently living off my gratuity which is dwindling fast on bills and rent etc no luxuries just the bare minimum needed for me and my boy.
Anyone got any ideas what i can do???
I thought ex forces were supposed to have priority?
I would like to state I am not a single mum through choice it's unfortunatley one of those things that happens in life when your bloke cant behave! I have continued in my career (injuries allowing ) whilst being a single mum x

intranicity

babyboono1 wrote: »

glad i came across this post. I have been medically discharged from the navy (feb 2011) tx date 31st may 2011. Have activley been in contact with the council office in swansea (my home town where i wish to return for family support and help with childcare of my son)
I apparantly have the maximum points available and have been in the top 3 of the housing list since february but yet still no house. i had secured a job in swansea however due to them not housing me yet i have lost this oppurtunity which is not good in today's current climate. really dissapointed about the job loss as it is the only way i can keep on top of bills etc, i am currently still in married quarter but can not claim housing benefit because it is the property of the crown, i am only entitled to £2.60 a week income support and i am a single mum. I am currently living off my gratuity which is dwindling fast on bills and rent etc no luxuries just the bare minimum needed for me and my boy.
Anyone got any ideas what i can do???
I thought ex forces were supposed to have priority?
I would like to state I am not a single mum through choice it's unfortunatley one of those things that happens in life when your bloke cant behave! I have continued in my career (injuries allowing ) whilst being a single mum x

I was med discharged in 93, War pensioner, and my local council have me on the bottom of the list for housing, no recognition of prior Service, being a War Pensioner or disabled!!!

I've rented privately, but have moved 5 times in the last 5 years, thought i'd try Haig Homes, applied and they wanted references, gave them last landlord and present landlord, but with explicit instructions not to seek refernces from the present landlord unless they were def going to offer me housing.

Needless to say, they ignored this and took references from current landlord, who understandably was spooked, as he is renting himself, and he put the house on the market, it's now sold, I've less than a month to go before being homeless again, because Haig homes have no properties available!

So much for priority housing and as for haig homes, a military housing charity acting the way they have I'm disgusted with them!

Naval_Families_Federation

Hello all,
Some interesting comments here on an important subject. Can I suggest you complete our housing survey?

As part of a wider study, the MOD is looking into the future of accommodation for Service personnel and families. The NFF is the representative body for Royal Naval and Royal Marines families and is actively involved to make sure that the opinions of families are considered.

We are running a short survey on our website: https://www.nff.org.uk – please take 5 minutes to complete it. This is your chance to make your views count.

As an incentive to take part, a £100 shopping voucher will be given away to one lucky respondent. Survey completion date: 31 July 2011.

This survey is open to all Naval Service personnel and their family members, whether living in Service accommodation or in their own home.

The Army Families Federation and RAF Families Federation are running similar surveys to feedback the viewpoints of their families to the MOD.

If you have any difficulty accessing the survey contact the office on: 023 9265 4374 or e-mail: info@nff.org.uk.

Marker_2

babyboono1 wrote: »

glad i came across this post. I have been medically discharged from the navy (feb 2011) tx date 31st may 2011. Have activley been in contact with the council office in swansea (my home town where i wish to return for family support and help with childcare of my son)
I apparantly have the maximum points available and have been in the top 3 of the housing list since february but yet still no house. i had secured a job in swansea however due to them not housing me yet i have lost this oppurtunity which is not good in today's current climate. really dissapointed about the job loss as it is the only way i can keep on top of bills etc, i am currently still in married quarter but can not claim housing benefit because it is the property of the crown, i am only entitled to £2.60 a week income support and i am a single mum. I am currently living off my gratuity which is dwindling fast on bills and rent etc no luxuries just the bare minimum needed for me and my boy.
Anyone got any ideas what i can do???
I thought ex forces were supposed to have priority?
I would like to state I am not a single mum through choice it's unfortunatley one of those things that happens in life when your bloke cant behave! I have continued in my career (injuries allowing ) whilst being a single mum x

If you are still in SFA but no longer in the navy and on income support then you are entitled to housing and council benefit, so I'd certainly apply again.

As for swansea housing, have you put your name down with all the association places? I'd ring daily on an update as to why you havent been housed yet, swansea council are useless. Have you received the magazines showing what houses are available as you have to apply for them, and the person with highest points wins?

Anubis_2

Does this include ex service men? My husband is ex service, I am severely disabled. We were informed previously we may get assistance with some things but never looked into it. He left on medical discharge with an exemplary record.

I am currently on a waiting list for approriate housing to suit my needs. However I am presuming if you are ex forces this may not count. Any info would be useful thanks.

Marker_2

Sorry only seeing this now. Get in touch with Royal British Legion, an amazing organisation that helps serving/ex servicing, souses, ex spouses. If you or your husband have ever served they will able to help you for the rest of your life. Get in touch with them,explain your issue and hopefully they will be able to help.

paulmapp8306

herewegoagain2010 wrote: »

I've think you've highlighted the geninue area that needs to seriously be reviewed and that's the housing needs of the single people leaving the forces. There's been numerous studies between the link of the ex-forces and homelessness. Priority housing is a brillant idea, but realistically a single person with no dependants is at the bottom of the pile. The whole system has so many flaws and I'm disappointed that so many people like spike have been failed by the system.

My rant is about couples who earn the money and spend without a care for their future housing needs. No doubt because of their short-sighted and selfishness, people with a genuine housing need are going without or are bumped lower down the list.

Its not just lower ranks.

im a Sgt, and have served 22.3 years so far (had a 2 yr extension). for various reasons we/I have been scrimping for the last 12 years. i have to fight to not attend mess functions as i cant afford them, My car is 11 years old, and was bought 2 years ago when my last 14 year old car crapped out. Me and our family have 390 per month available after all outgoings (Ok this includes £200 in car repayments/debts but still).

My mum - bless her - can give us a deposit for a house, partly from money my dad left when he dies and partly a loan from my final lump sum. Despite this I have not been able to get a Mortgage despite trying every year or so for the past 8. This has probably been in part to debts I ran up when young, single and stupid BUT Ive had no new credit or debts (appart from the car) for 12 years now so ???

Ive been told, that due to my lump sum and immediate pension Ive got no chance of social housing, i would want to move to where the job market is - regardless of any connections with the area, which doesnt help of course. That basically leaves the private rent sector. A home where we want to live will cost £550-£650pm - which is basically what me pension will be after tax. With no job for me or my wife (yet) that means after this rent we'll have nothing. Despite this Im not entitled to JSA, Housing benefit, or in fact most things. ill get £100pw Child Tax Credit, and £135 Child Benefit. So thats £1k per month for everything.

While it will be hard, we'll have to make do - it pi**es me off no end - having pay'd an average of £600+ pm (currently £800+, but im taking inflation into account) in Tax/NI for the last 22 years+, I seem to get nothing, while i see others who have never worked, or at least not put much into the system, with social housing, and a monthly income of £1k in benefits on top of £1k in wages (several examples of this on the debt wannabe threads) OR not working and getting £1400+ in benefits alone. Both more than im entitled to by some margin.

spike7451

Anubis wrote: »

Does this include ex service men? My husband is ex service, I am severely disabled. We were informed previously we may get assistance with some things but never looked into it. He left on medical discharge with an exemplary record.

I am currently on a waiting list for approriate housing to suit my needs. However I am presuming if you are ex forces this may not count. Any info would be useful thanks.

Contact the Veterans Agency as well,I was diagnosed with heart problems in March & am under treatment at present.I was laid off from my job & went onto ESA.(It was only a tem contract to Sept 11)
Because of the complexity of the forms for the housing & ESA benifit,I called the Vets Agency & they sent someone round.
They helped me with the not only the forms but also arranged for a War Disability Pension (waiting to hear about it now) as well as a grant from the RAF Benevolent Fund of over £3.5k to pay off some bills,replace some white goods & daily living expenses.

Heres the e-mail address;
veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk

HTH & good luck.

Fishingtime

Whilst I would love to give every service man/woman a place to live once they leave the services.
If this goverment can't afford or won't equip the guys/girls properly while out on patrol, how the hell could they afford to house them