advice needed please,be warned though...long story.x

staci1

hi everyone,
this is going to be long so i apologize before hand.my partner and i live with our two young daughters in a small two bedroom shoebox of a house.last april my partner suffered a blood clot on the brain,swelling of the brain and then an infection which became meningitis on the brain.he is very lucky to be here with no physical signs of illness but mentally it took its toll,he has very little memory of anything from his childhood to late teens and has no short term memory left as well as other things.this leads me to my point,we have the chance to move into a bigger house which is more suitable for him to continue to recover in,he cannot just wander off,and it's safer than where we are now.the house we live in now we did not have to give a bond but the new house we would,we recieve benefits at the moment but we have no way of making up the bond and rent upfront.we have tried saving but benefits simply do not go far enough and i cannot go back to work as he needs constant supervision.does anyone know if there is anyone who can help?we live in south wales.thank you for reading,sorry if i bored you:)

steve1980

staci1 wrote: »

hi everyone, this is going to be long so i apologize before hand.

My partner and i live with our two young daughters in a small two bedroom shoebox of a house. Last april my partner suffered a blood clot on the brain, swelling of the brain and then an infection which became meningitis on the brain.

He is very lucky to be here with no physical signs of illness but mentally it took its toll, he has very little memory of anything from his childhood to late teens and has no short term memory left as well as other things.

This leads me to my point, we have the chance to move into a bigger house which is more suitable for him to continue to recover in, he cannot just wander off, and it's safer than where we are now.

The house we live in now we did not have to give a bond but the new house we would, we recieve benefits at the moment but we have no way of making up the bond and rent upfront.

We have tried saving but benefits simply do not go far enough and i cannot go back to work as he needs constant supervision.

Does anyone know if there is anyone who can help? We live in South Wales.

Thank you for reading, sorry if i bored you:)

Made it easier for anyone else to comment.

Have you spoken to your local council housing department or social services?

staci1

thanks,not used to these forum thingy's,our council does not help with bonds,have phoned about and been told unless we're homeless they wont help.stuck now really!mind has gone blank and i think i have square eyes from being on the laptop too long.x

BigAunty

Some councils operate deposit guarantee schemes for those on low income or in housing need.

Have you checked you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to, such as disability living allowance if there are care/mobility needs, Carers Allowance for certain rates of DLA, ESA if too ill to work, tax credits, etc? See the Direct Gov website and double check on the Turn2us online benefit calculator.

Credit unions are good organisations for loans for people on low incomes.

rentergirl

There will be help: while it still exists, try for a DWP Crisis Loan. What do Shelter have to say? Also - there is a charity for people with brain injuries, who might (might...not definite) have a fund to help in emergencies. Try the usual agencies: CAB, and Shelter (the latter sometimes can also help with a bond.) You should be getting some help with caring for him from Social Services, but you will have to fight for it, which is exhausting. Sadly, my suspicion is that getting a larger home will not come via private renting, and I think you might even be deemed to have enough space. But always fight, and always ask.

delain

Try citizens advice, and look up any charities connected to the problems he has.

If he needs 24 hour care you will be eligible for disability benefits if you don't already recieve them, and CAB can help you fill them in.

Eta someone raised a good point about the space, housing wise, if you have 2 daughters under ten you are only entitled to the 2 bedroom rate of LHA.

staci1

we are waiting to hear from dla at the moment and our council doesn't run the schemes in our area,we have checked the benefit side of things and we are claiming what we are entitled too,even though it feels like we shouldn't,we have tried turn 2 us and they were lovely,they gave me a few places to try but they did say that it wasn't guaranteed i'd get a reply off the places she gave me details of.i thought credit unions could only loan you money if you have saved some first and for us there's the problem.we have nothing to save.we are barely covering the areas built up from when my partner was in hospital as his account was the one with all the direct debits and as we aren't married yet,they wouldn't let me touch his account.right now we are treading water so to speak,but this move is neccessary for my partners safety.

staci1

i am desperately trying to keep out of council accommodation as the area we are in they are not very nice estates.because he looks fine people tend to think there's nothing wrong or that we're "playing the system" which is frustrating.cab have helped us to apply for dla so fingers crossed but the area we are in they very rarely grant it as there are so many trying to claim when there is naff all wrong with them.
i'm so glad you all replied though,as it shows people still want to help.

BigAunty

For a better way of handling the debts, go to the Debt Free wanabee board and the members there can help you come up with a better strategy if your disposable income is getting swallowed up servicing them.

Are there separate housing associations in your area or is all the social housing stock controlled by the council?

michelle_stt

If you are on benefits you can apply for a budgeting loan of upto £1500. Its interest free and you repay it in a small amount each week which comes directly off your benefit.

My sister in law did this as she couldn't afford the bond and 1 month up front.

carefullycautious

Talk to 'Headway' The brain injury Association

They may have information on any charities that may be able to help with this.

If your husband had a profession or worked for a big company they also may have a fund.

Dont discount any help you can get just because it is charitable. its there for a reason and can help with just this dilemma

Good luck