Moving after relationship breakdown

Purplekylie22

Im about to put in forms to move through the council. The house I'm currently in is in my ex partners name and we are splitting up.
I have got two kids with from my ex-husband and one from this relationship so I will be moving with my three kids. I'm not working (nor is my ex we were claiming JSA) are there any kind of grants I can apply for for essentials in our new home when we eventually get one... Beds, cooker, washing machine e.t.c?

Also, I used to live in Leicester until I was 16 then I moved up to Aberdeen. All of my family are in Leicester, is there anyway I can get a place down there and any ideas how I would go about it? It would be nice to have some family around me to help with the kids... I never really made a huge amount of friends up here.

Thanks for any advice you are able to give

BigAunty

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/housing/council-housing/
http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/housing/council-housing/applying-for-council-housing/
Who can join the housing register?

To join the housing register, you must be an eligible person and meet the Leicester City Requirement. You need to satisfy at least ONE of the following:

• Have lived within Leicester City and have been living within the City for at least 12 consecutive months prior to making your application to go on the Housing Register.
• Be employed within Leicester City – or have a firm job offer with a contract of employment for at least 12 months.
• Have previously lived in Leicester City for two consecutive years out of the last five years.
• Be someone who is approved in Leicester as being owed a duty of care as a homeless person

BigAunty

I don't have any knowledge about grants or loans from the state (other members will) but do look into things like Freegle, Gumtree Freebies, Freecycle for free items, plus there are often furniture charities that donate or sell cheaply second hand items like the Salvation Army, British Heart Foundation, Emmaus and so on.

Many local councils operate rent deposit guarantee schemes for those on low income/housing need to help them move into private accommodation. You could look into this as a way of getting back to Leicester or see if there are other social housing providers in the area that will accept your housing application without a strong local connection. Shelter may be able to advise you on your options or see if you can challenge the local connection criteria.

Purplekylie22

BigAunty wrote: »

I don't have any knowledge about grants or loans from the state (other members will) but do look into things like Freegle, Gumtree Freebies, Freecycle for free items, plus there are often furniture charities that donate or sell cheaply second hand items like the Salvation Army, British Heart Foundation, Emmaus and so on.

Many local councils operate rent deposit guarantee schemes for those on low income/housing need to help them move into private accommodation. You could look into this as a way of getting back to Leicester or see if there are other social housing providers in the area that will accept your housing application without a strong local connection. Shelter may be able to advise you on your options or see if you can challenge the local connection criteria.

Thanks, I was looking at housing associations after I posted this, they require that I can prove I have a family relationship in Leicester which I can do through my mum and Brother so Hopefully If I can get registered with them I can start applying though the home choice scheme they are similar prices to the council anyway and in my experience operate basically the same. Thank you for finding the rules at Leicester council, I definitely do not qualify through them, it was 10 years ago I left home

Free cycle and gum tree will be high on my list, even if I do get a grant.. I will need everything from scratch as my ex will still need everything here since he will still be living here... I will take the small tv from the bedroom and my birthday present stereo but it really doesn't feel right trying to take anything else. My eldest two have got bunk beds and I would take them, but I don't drive and trying to get the 550 miles on public transport is not anything i feel brave enough to do, transporting them would cost as much as buying out of the papers I guess... Its the flooring and decorating that will hit me hardest I think, cooker, fridge freezer, washing machine hoover e.t.c are all possable through the papers, flooring isnt

BigAunty

It still might be worth speaking to Shelter about the validity of the council's local connection definition given that you have strong family ties there. Local authorities do have some, but fairly limited, discretion over who they can accept on their housing lists so it might be worth verifying that with Shelter. Or raising it with your local MP.

There's a government doc here that provides guidance to local authorities to help them clarify their allocation policies that has a section on Local Connection. It seems to indicate that a LA cannot stop a person from applying for social housing in another area, but can make the local connection a priority. See section 68, page 27.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/1403131.pdf

"Some local authorities may wish to give more priority to ’local connection’,
ensuring that, wherever possible, social housing goes to those people who
live or work in the district, or to those who have close family associations
with it or have other special circumstances. While local authorities cannot
exclude people who do not have a local connection from applying for social
housing, there is nothing to prevent them from framing their allocation
scheme to include local connection as a policy priority, provided that overall
the scheme continues to meet the reasonable preference requirements in
s.167.
An allocation scheme which attaches particular weight to local connection
could disadvantage individual applicants. One example might be someone
who has been placed out of the district they would normally live in for a
period of time, while being looked after by children’s services – although
each case would need to be considered on its merits (care leavers might be
able to establish a local connection through family association or special
circumstances). Local authorities may wish to provide for circumstances such
as these by setting aside a proportion of lettings (e.g. by including a specific
target in their lettings plan, or by means of an appropriate local lettings
policy) to help meet the housing needs of such applicants where they meet
the reasonable preference criteria."

Also, speaking to Aberdeen council to see if they have any type of mobility scheme where they can transfer their applicants to other areas. Again, I'm not really familiar with this type of thing.

Purplekylie22

Wow you are very helpful BigAunty! Thank you, I never would have found that by myself I will get started on all the calls on Monday when the kids go back to school. I don't want them hearing it and getting concerned until they need to know

Purplekylie22

Urgh Leicester City council don't seem especially helpful, I explain my circumstance and asked if they would allow me onto the housing register and the response I got was

Thank you for your email received in the Customer Service Line

To apply for a council property you will have to fill in a application form which can be found on our website www.leicester.gov.uk. Should you wish for a form to be sent to you we will need your full postal address.

Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.services@leicester.gov.uk, or alternatively call the Housing Option

I guess If I can clarify with Shelter then I can apply with Leicester anyway and If they reject me then I can argue the case of what Shelter tell me

Fiddlestick

Purplekylie22 wrote: »

Its the flooring and decorating that will hit me hardest I think, cooker, fridge freezer, washing machine hoover e.t.c are all possable through the papers, flooring isnt

I really wouldn't worry about that.

You can buy some cheap rugs until you can afford flooring plus the walls will remain standing just fine without paint or paper.

The important thing is to make sure you get as many white goods as you can from free cycle, freeagle etc and THEN once you have them, have a think about decorating.

Priorities first.

Best of luck!

saving_pennies

If you are getting income based JSA and also have a situation that qualifies (e.g. family breakdown/moving to new home) you can apply for community care grant for help with essential goods e.g. washing machine, beds etc. Here is some information:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Caringforsomeone/DG_10018921