Serious advice needed about benefits, no judgements please.

sweetlilac

Hi everyone,

i registered this morning very specifically to get some advice.

I am 38, female, single, no kids and i have never claimed benefits not once in my entire life.
I have been in the same job for 12 years now and im having some real problems, i am bullied, spoken to like crap, left out of vital meetings because my boss doesnt like me, slagged off by my co-workers (factory floor) got told i was a b***h and a slag last week and everyone hated me and wanted me off the section, and i have been suffering from clinical depression for the last 3 years.
I couldnt face going to work last week and i woke up this morning feelign sick at the thought of going so im not going to and will be going to see the doctor later to see if he will sign me off for a while.

I have no family here anymore, or even friends now due to the depression, i have been low, so low that i ahd to phone the samaritans before i did somethign stupid so as you can see this is not your typical question i just wanted to give you some background.

i seriously want to leave my job for very obvious reasons and i have been offered the chance to swap to a different part of the country through the homeswapper facility, my brother and his children live there so i woudl have family close by this time but im concerned about what happens when i get there if i took the chance.

Would i be entitled to any benefits at all, housing benefit, council tax benfit for example, what about job seekers allowance and income support ? woudl i be penalised for leaving my job even though it has made me depressed and even though im relocating.

Im in a right state over this so please try not to be mean or judgemental, i am genuinely asking for some real help and advice.

Thanks in advance

Rebbecca :hello:

Oldernotwiser

What are your chances of getting a job in this new area and have you started looking?

sweetlilac

Hi,

its north wales so there isnt much around but i have looked and i think i may get lucky as i have quite a lot of business and administration experience and i can also do care work, id even work at the supermarket tills, i dont really care so much as i dont plan on staying on benefits but as i have no savings whatsoever im concerned that ill get there and it will all go to crap if you know what i mean.

chocsessential

You could call the benefits enquiry line and ask them:

0800 88 22 00

sweetlilac

ok thanks i will do that.

chocsessential

Yes please do. I have not claimed benefits for many years but following a recent accident I had to phone them. I found the lady I spoke to was very helpful. Good luck.

sweetlilac

Thankyou, i honestly dont know what to do, do i stay ina job that makes me miserable or just think sod it and go, its hard so i really do appreciate any help or advice im given, i didnt even know about that number lol

ceridwen

Dont forget that the DWP will be likely to refuse JSA for up to 6 months if you just resign from your job.

I'm not sure what the position is if its not physically possible to do the same job any longer - ie because one has moved to the other end of the country and its too far away to be able to commute to the job. In your position - I would certainly check (and re-check) what distance one can move from an existing job and the DWP accept that you had no option but to resign (ie because the commute would be much too long to keep that job).

I know the DWP expects claimants to be prepared to travel some horrendously long distance to get to work - I think it might even be as much as 90 miles each way:eek::eek::eek:. Certainly its that high a travel distance that they are being totally unrealistic in expecting people to do that - particularly those on a low salary.

So - ask (and re-check) the position on that. Check out Googlemaps to see how many miles it is from the place you propose to live in to your present job. Check out the Traveline website to see what the travel arrangements would be by public transport from new location to current job (and how long it would take).

EDIT: Here y're - Traveline link - so that you can work out home to work journeys:

www.traveline.info/index.html

I think that, for those who havent got a car, then the DWP sets a maximum time they expect people to take to get to work - again an unrealistically high level. I think they expect people to be prepared to spend up to 2 hours EACH way to commute (ie 4 hours a day!!!!!). But you need to check that out to be sure if my memory is serving me right on this point..

Oldernotwiser

Why not get another job and then move - wouldn't that be better?

ceridwen

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Why not get another job and then move - wouldn't that be better?

I guess one needs to know how well the Homeswapper facility works to be able to do things that way round.

Maybe its possible to get a job first and Homeswapper will provide a replacement home to live in at exactly the time required? Maybe it takes months to arrange a swap - so the move would have to be arranged first and the job would have to coincide with that (ie be found AFTER moving)?

chocsessential

I think it is unlikely that the homeswap can be made to coincide with a job offer. You are simply waiting for a person to swap with you and that could happen at any time. If I was you I would check the benefits situation first, get the ball rolling with the homeswap and then be looking at job ads and applying. There is no point applying for jobs yet if you don't know you will definitely be living there and it will be a very long journey for job interviews from your present address.