Finding wheelchair accessible housing... how?

moose1982

Age discrimination happens in all sorts of the social network this country is a part of. I'm in my 20's and was initially turned down for a Blue Badge because I'm 'too young'. So don't worry, it seems to happen to most people at some point in their life, either too young, too old...

24skins

Lum wrote: »

From my googling, DPHS seems to be pretty much unique to Aberdeen. There's certainly nothing like that in Monmouthshire. It's all done through social services and Homesearch.

DPHS services are available across Scotland & DPH registers are available for Birmingham & the Wirral, it's not an Aberdonian invention.

Disability Wales have Accessible Housing Register contacts here http://www.disabilitywales.org/accessible-housing

Lum

That's a lot more helpful than anything I have managed to find, thank you.

Still nothing for Monmouthshire though

Closest one is Newport, which is run by Charter Housing according to that site. In Monmouthshire, Charter Housing do everything through... yup... homesearch.

And yes it is necessary that we stay in Monmouthshire. It's the closest location to my partner's work that keeps us under the same NHS health board. Anywhere else and her morning commute will increase, which isn't good when even now she is often pretty much out of spoons by the time she is done driving home.

tonyw151

This may be a stupid question, especially for a 1st post, but is buying a place outright a possibility?

You say you have 2 sets of wages coming in, full DLA. I realise its hard to get credit thesedays but you have made no mention of it.

whitewing

Could you move half an hour closer to her work, at least temporarily while you search for a more suitable solution?

Lum

tonyw151 wrote: »

This may be a stupid question, especially for a 1st post, but is buying a place outright a possibility?

You say you have 2 sets of wages coming in, full DLA. I realise its hard to get credit thesedays but you have made no mention of it.

It's going to be a long time before we're in a position to be buying a house. Still got debts to pay off such as six grand for her wheelchair. That's a years worth of full-DLA spoken for right there. It's a good job her carer (i.e. me) doesn't charge!

We also both work in an industry where it's necessary from time to time to move to where the work is. If we do buy a house anywhere, it's going to have to be in the bloody south east to stand any chance of continued availability of work.

whitewing wrote: »

Could you move half an hour closer to her work, at least temporarily while you search for a more suitable solution?

Not without changing which NHS health board we come under, which will cause unacceptable delays in both our treatments.

We actually only moved here last year, having found the best location balancing her commute with the need to stay in the same health board. The problem is, after signing the lease, but two months before moving in, my partner managed to pick up an additional disability, the one that finally put her in a wheelchair. Despite this the bloody letting agent held us to the lease. :mad:

24skins

Lum wrote: »

That's a lot more helpful than anything I have managed to find, thank you.

Still nothing for Monmouthshire though

Closest one is Newport, which is run by Charter Housing according to that site. In Monmouthshire, Charter Housing do everything through... yup... homesearch.

If that's the case it wouldn't hurt to send a polite email to the head/manager/chief exec of Charter Housing asking why their disability service is patchy, whether they plan to expand the service to Monmouthshire and if you could make use of the resources that Newport have in order to help.

Did you have the support of your wife's GP when you applied to Homesearch? If not, you could ask him or her to support your application and ask them to reassess your family's needs.

I know how much accessible housing means and how stressful it is to be on unsuitable housing with a disabled relative, I also know that people think that disabled people get everything handed to them on a plate, but the truth is that you have to fight for every single thing that you need.

Lum

Well we've just received (probably actually arrived Saturday, but I only just found it) an 8 page medical assessment form from the Homesearch people, after I called and complained that they hadn't taken any of the disability stuff into account.

Time to cut & paste from the DLA form, I guess. Don't really have the spoons tonight however.

Will update this thread with results, but I think the 1 bedroom thing is going to be a killer, and if that isn't then my partner's need for a wet room combined with my need for a proper bath may well be the stumbling block.

Mupette

Lum wrote: »

Well we've just received (probably actually arrived Saturday, but I only just found it) an 8 page medical assessment form from the Homesearch people, after I called and complained that they hadn't taken any of the disability stuff into account.

Time to cut & paste from the DLA form, I guess. Don't really have the spoons tonight however.

Will update this thread with results, but I think the 1 bedroom thing is going to be a killer, and if that isn't then my partner's need for a wet room combined with my need for a proper bath may well be the stumbling block.

Ah at last, i was wondering why you would be in band 5 .. answer they haven't done the health assessment yet, This form will be a better guide for them, make sure your gp's are aware you are filling in this form, i think there might be a bit that you would need to give to the gp (been 2 years for me and already i have forgotten)

this will help you move up the ladder, but keep pestering people.

Whereas i have my esa renewal (esa50) only did it last year, seems their computer thinks MS is curable.

Lum

I guess some idiot at ATOS looked up MS on wikipedia, saw that there was a "relapsing remitting" variant and therefore decided that for some people it completely goes away so better make everyone who has it go back to work.

A friend of mine has it. I made her this to send to people who don't get it. My partner is waiting for an MRI to see if she gets to add MS to her list of problems.