homeless can i still claim jsa ?

mrdj38

hello


my question is i am homeless sleeping between friends houses i have no mailing address as none of my friends will let me use there address to receive mail as this may mess up there benefits my parents have both passed away so i cant use there address im told that i can still make a claim for jsa by using the job centre as my mailing address is this information true ????? please help as im so confused
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

princessdon

I don't know - but surely they'd want to know where you are living long term. Imagine how easy it would be to abuse this "Ie living with someone on benefits so give a generic address so they don't link your claims".

dandelionclock30

Yes you can still claim JSA, you can give a care of address such as a day centre or homeless centre etc.(Obviously with their agreement). If I were you I would find your local homeless shelter and go in and explain your problem.They will most likley have housing workers attached who can help you.

busy_mom_2

Some jobcentre will make you sign daily, this is to prove you are still in the area and to encourage you to sort accommodation asap.

mrdj38

i just want to add that i don't plan on staying on benefits its just to get me back on my feet and get the help so hopefully i can find myself somewhere to live ............... but i still need to know if i can use the job centre as my mailing address to make my jsa claim until i find accommodation of my own .............

thank you for taking the time to reply to my post

missapril75

The job centre address has typically been recorded where someone has absolutely no other address to use.

It was standard practice when I left in 2004 and I have no reason to think it's changed.

They need somewhere to send decision letters (produced centrally) which can then be held and passed to you when you attend for signing.

Dunroamin

Even rough sleepers can claim JSA.

Notmyrealname

If you want a postal address, look into the costs of a PO Box, collection only service. You would then get an address like:

PO Box 123
Townsville
AB12 3CD

You then periodically go to the post office where the PO Box is held and retrieve your mail.

Pennywise2012

Are you allowed to get a PO Box without giving them an address? (I'm not correcting you, it's a genuine question!)

sniggings

Notmyrealname wrote: »

If you want a postal address, look into the costs of a PO Box, collection only service. You would then get an address like:

PO Box 123
Townsville
AB12 3CD

You then periodically go to the post office where the PO Box is held and retrieve your mail.

a PO box needs to be linked with an address or business

belladonna13

Although I never made a new claim when sleeping rough, I did use quite a number of various addresses, sometimes I had stayed there for a day or two sometimes I had not. My benefits were paid into my Post Office account though, so usually safe, except one occasion the DWP sent a large giro to an unsafe address and the person tried to cash it for some time before handing it over to me, no need for the full story but I was virtually a prisoner at that address. I also had a problem with people not passing my post on, so having my benefits cease until it was sorted. If I remember correctly I had to have an address for my benefits to continue, I also stayed in night shelters and I remember people coming in and picking up their post, one of whom had a flat, but it was an unsafe address.

I was so away with the fairies at that point in my life that I am sure I did not always get my benefits and most of the time my benefits were spent on ridiculous things (Bipolar) or other people took my money off me.

I know this is not your situation OP, but I learned at that time to trust no-one, so find a safe address either a DWP address or a local established homeless shelter for your post to go to.

I must admit having my own post box oh! and a cutlery drawer full of cutlery and utensils (strange I know), after once only having only the clothes I stood up in, are my secret delights, and being able to make a cup of tea anytime I wish is a luxury that I once took for granted, along with the flash house, car and lifestyle I once had. I am so thankful for every cup of tea I can now make in my own kitchen and having somewhere to retreat to where I can shut the front door and be alone when I am tired and ill is beyond priceless.

I hope things soon turn for you and you once more have a job and your own home. You will certainly see things differently after this experience, but one thing I learned was that it really can happen to anyone and there are many different reasons why it happens. In my case it was mental illness, but having lived in so many night shelters and hostels and having slept behind shops, bus and railway stations, hospitals and the like, and having met so many different people, with so many different stories, one truth is found, and that is, when it comes to homelessness no-one is immune.

Best of luck.