sick of being stuck in a housing rut!

abi-em-mum83

Hi me and my partner are currently living in a completely unsuitable 2 bed flat rented from the local authority. My health is seriously suffering from living here,we are overcrowded but we cant find any way of getting out:
*I cant work due to disability (awaiting DLA decision),oh works approx 50-60 hrs a week and receives £23k a year. Before meeting we were both in a lot of debt,both mostly from our ex's. However we have worked very hard to repay every penny of the debt, but of course our credit score is still not great. We have no savings as we have JUST finished paying off these debts, and no family that could help us out. Since even the grottiest property up here costs in the region of £130,000 for a tiny 3 bed. We cant get a 100% mortgage and even if we did the interest would be extortionate because we have bad credit.
*Private rentals here are in the region of £1000 pcm for the smallest grottiest 3 bed in a awful area, so we could not afford it unless we both claimed benefits and we had our rent paid for us.
*The waiting list is approx 12 years to get moved by the council, despite having medical points as we live in a third floor maisonette,up 9 flights of stairs with no lift and its a mobility disability I have, meaning I am practically housebound.

We are so overcrowded. When we moved into here we just had my partners 2 daughters and we had planned to pay the debts,both had 2 jobs,then save for a deposit and buy a property. Unfortunately I fell pregant twice in quick succession despite having the depo provera injections, and then the contraceptive patch! (my oh was given a vasectomy aged 26 so that it didnt happen again!). Obviously we never planned having our 2 daughters, and its complications in pregnancy that has left me disabled. We have 4 children sharing one room!
We are registered with every housing association, bidding on properties, looking daily for exchanges but getting no where. The situation is so bad I have recently been given anti depressents. If we moved to a cheaper area it would mean my oh would lose out on a lot of his contact with his step daughter, and I would be moving away from friends and family who do some caring for me.
I just cant see how we can get out of this rut!

poppysarah

Via the council.

Ask your health visitor/gp to assist you in moving.

jenhug

yup, council gp and local MP should be able to assist here.

DannyboyMidlands

Erm, stop having children?

abi-em-mum83

DannyboyMidlands wrote: »

Erm, stop having children?

Thanks for your constructive reply! Maybe if you'd read my post properly you would see that we were using contraception which failed, one time of which was due to a locum GP prescribing me contraception he should of known would of been ineffective (we learnt after falling pregnant that the contraceptive patch should not be prescribed to women over a certain BMI as the hormone is not ingested!)
My partner had a vasectomy during my pregnancy to make sure we are not in the same position of unplanned pregnancy again. Unfortunately I do not believe in abortion and therefore decided I would be responsible for the children we have brought into this world. My partner works damn hard to provide for them, we do EXPECT anyone to pay for our children, nor do we EXPECT the council to move us based solely on the overcrowding.
But as I say thanks very much for your helpful insightful reply!

To reply to those intelligent people, I have had my GP, consultant and Health visitor all submit letters explaining how my current housing situation is affecting my health both physically and psychologically, but nothing is happening.
It just seems the working classes are given no opportunities. I have a degree but cannot work, my partner is an assistant store manager, who works so hard, but at the end of the day we are stuck. Private rents are extortionate, probably because there is a lot of them whose rents covered by housing benefit. We could never manage to afford a mortgage big enough to buy a property in this area,even one thats a dive.
Sometimes I do think we would be better off if my partner gave up work to care for me and we claimed benefits. Financially we would be better off, and we could get a private rental place with no stairs so that my health may improve a bit! However my partner is a grafter, and we both beleive benefit system is fantastic for those who genuinely need it, not because its the easier life!
I may just be ranting here, but I do appreciate peoples suggestions (the sensible ones!) on what we can do.

neas

DannyboyMidlands wrote: »

Erm, stop having children?

Bit harsh dont you think but i guess there is some truth there.


But What people these days will have to realise is.. the hand of help that is council houses is a finite supply so having extra children will some times lead to situations where as you put it you are in a rut.

In this area if a house is worth 130k it will rent out at around 650 quid a month... 3 bedroom.

So not sure where 1000 pound comes from... as im sure you could find a private rental with some of the payments covered from council.

When you say pregnancy related illness and your BMI is high... i'm presuming you are a little overweight maybe even obese. Is that the pregnancy related illness? Extra weight gain? or health issues caused by a high BMI?

If so maybe over time you could look to lose the extra BMI and thereby get your job back, thereby get a house and thereby long term get out of the rut and be independent family that your 4 children can be proud of for supporting themselves?

sonastin

abi-em-mum83 wrote: »

, we do EXPECT anyone to pay for our children,

...erm, typo?

I agree it wasn't a great reply. Any ways you can boost your income working from home?

neas

Lol, the typo speaks the truth... your family is being heavily subsidised at the moment, Take away all the tax credits, benefits and child support and your partners 23k salary wouldn't go far enough.

What i dislike about people who are benefitting from the benefits system.. its great its paying for you to live the way you do, you arent in debt, and you arent on the streets therefore it helps you. It isnt perfect though as your situation desribes but things could be alot worse.

Maybe you arent expecting people to pay for your family but the fact remains they are, significantly so.... and without it without the social system as it is you'd be up a creek without a paddle so to speak.

poppysarah

abi-em-mum83 wrote: »

To reply to those intelligent people, I have had my GP, consultant and Health visitor all submit letters explaining how my current housing situation is affecting my health both physically and psychologically, but nothing is happening. .

Right go to your local councillor. Find out where/when they have a surgery (it'll be on the council website) - and take the kids and your husband with you.

Ask them to assist you.

abi-em-mum83

neas wrote: »

Bit harsh dont you think but i guess there is some truth there.


But What people these days will have to realise is.. the hand of help that is council houses is a finite supply so having extra children will some times lead to situations where as you put it you are in a rut.

In this area if a house is worth 130k it will rent out at around 650 quid a month... 3 bedroom.

So not sure where 1000 pound comes from... as im sure you could find a private rental with some of the payments covered from council.

When you say pregnancy related illness and your BMI is high... i'm presuming you are a little overweight maybe even obese. Is that the pregnancy related illness? Extra weight gain? or health issues caused by a high BMI?

If so maybe over time you could look to lose the extra BMI and thereby get your job back, thereby get a house and thereby long term get out of the rut and be independent family that your 4 children can be proud of for supporting themselves?

Hi this link gives an idea of the 3 beds available to lease within the county, as you will see they start from £850 upwards, however those under £1000 are in rural locations, and the cost of petrol for my partner to get back and forth to work would increase signifigantly, and we would probably have to get a second car as the hospital which I attend weekly, sometimes more is not accessible by bus/train from a lot of these areas, and I would never manage health wise to walk/get 3 buses.
As for housing benefit we were given an estimation that on a £900 rent we would be entitled to £56 a month housing benefit, and considering our income is approx £1400 before we pay the £150 council tax,maintenence to partners ex wife, HP for partners car (essential to get him to work, to get me to hospital appointments etc) we would never afford it.
AS for my health I was overweight when I was prescribed the contraceptive patch because my daughter was 5 months old when I was prescribed it and I was still carrying my baby weight. That weight has been lost and my disability is not related to weight in any way. Basically I suffered from a condition called symphisis pubis dysfunction during both pregnancies and unfortunately I am one of the 5% who continue suffering after the birth. My pelvis has returned wonky after the birth, I have trapped nerves,sciatica and a loss of sensation/nerve damage in both legs. I am on a daily concotion of strong painkillers,and been told that surgery has so many risks its not worth it. Its a case of chronic pain management. I am also under investigations for unknown pain, I am awaiting ct scan results and been told its likely they will have to put me into early menopause to see if that stops the constant agony.
I wish my condition was just weight related, believe me Id find anyway of losing the weight and being able to do simple things like take my daughters the park, or work in my dream job (midwifery). Sitting at home in pain every day, unable to take my daughter to nursery school has caused so much distress, Ive even had suicidal thoughts.
I dont want special treatment, nor expect handouts. Ive worked since I was 14 until I was no longer fit to, my partner grafts damn hard, we dont have a fancy tv or games consoles, we've never had a holiday (our first one is to Haven this summer) but I feel like us in the middle who work hard but earn a lower income, and dont have parents who can give us deposits for mortgages, or arent claiming for all kinds are given a rough deal.

Radiantsoul

I would say start with councillors and then move up to your MP.

Some of the political points raised by other posters don't belong here imho as this board is designed to help people rather than to discuss issues.