Homeless and Out of A Job

xylophone

Perhaps you could pay his board in a local BB/evening meal establishment for just a month to give him time to get some help from the local council/CAB and to register with a doctor?

sleepless_saver

You could give Mind a call (0300 123 3393) to see if they can offer any advice.

dktreesea

He needs to visit Social Services in his former hometown (no where else will do, because he won't be able to show any past links with the area) and get a crisis loan. They will also help him to apply for benefits. Then he just pays off the crisis loan with his benefits payments once they start coming through.

And don't let tests regarding habitual residence if back in his former hometown, put him off. This from Shelter's website:

"If the applicant is returning to the UK after a period spent abroad, and it can be established that the applicant was previously habitually resident in the UK and is returning to resume his or her former period of habitual residence, he or she will be immediately habitually resident." (COG annex 10, paragraph 7).

Places to live? The citizens advice bureau may be helpful in this regard. Also http://homelessuk.org/details.asp?id=LP13 This oprganisation may well be useful to contact, because they may be able to direct him where to stay upon arrival back.

This site might be useful as well. I must point out though, that access to these kinds of emergency accommodation services depends on having a former connection with the area. So he would need to go back to his hometown prior to emigrating if he wants to take advantage of this.

Other possibilities? Travelodge, booked from overseas and well in advance, so likely to be a cheap daily rate, for a month, so he has somewhere to stay on arrival?

Try not to feel you are doing the wrong thing by not taking him in due to your baby. He may have unrealistic expectations about how long it will take him to settle back into the UK. I can say from my own experiences, sometimes things you thought would take a matter of weeks to get back "into the groove" so to speak can take years. He's just going to have to pace himself, one day at a time, and be grateful for the pleasurable moments when they come.

One great thing about Britain - anything is possible. Here are some places even I could afford to live. And they don't look too shabby done up either :-)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2184334/Empty-houses-sale-1-Britains-cheapest-street.html

earthbound_misfit

pdarc wrote: »

He has been to the doctor before, and they medicated him rather than spending time with a professional talking through things.

He needs to see a different doctor - if he has a diagnosis already it might be worth googling this to find out recommended (in UK) treatment options so he knows what the doctor should offer. There are counselling and Cognitive Behavoiral Therapies offered through the GP (primary care), otherwise he will need a referral to the Community Mental Health Team or similar (secondary care).

pdarc wrote: »

I had to send my pregnant wife to convince him to go hospital. Doctors were concerned and told him to stay in, but he refused and left.

Hmm! So if he left, he was there as a 'voluntary' patient, ie. not being held under a section. Did they offer any alternative follow-up care? If he was a voluntary patient there should be an alternative community treatment program. (This is where an advocate comes in handy!)

pdarc wrote: »

I still don't know what to do when he arrives other than meeting up with him regularly and the other points you suggested, but I don't want him to live on the street. He also can't stay here at mine.

Paying for a B&B for a limited time - made clear at the start - might be an option. Chasing up MH care will be important is he is to stand a chance of getting a hostel/council place (due to needing to count as a 'priority' case). Other than that, private renting.

Pippin12

PippaGirl wrote: »

It's virtually unheard of for councils to provide homeless people with council accommodation, they usually help them source either temporary accommodation, or private sector rented. The issue of his entitlement to HB would be the first hurdle, if entitled I would think the council would advise him wrt B&B accommodation in the first instance. Or perhaps a hostel or supported accommodation but they will advise.

I was threatened with homelessness and in priority need due to a diagnosed mental health problemn and the council stepped in to provide me with a council flat. I know I was EXTREMELY lucky to be offered it though and this is by no means routine given the shortage of social housing.

pdarc

Hello all:
First off I wanted to thank everyone for all the responses and advice.
My friend didn't arrive in November when he first suggested he was going to drop everything and come but he did turn up out of the blue outside the house last week at 2am in the morning in freezing conditions. I was abroad for work at the time when he called me and my wife and baby was home alone which wasn't great.
I sent him to a local hotel for two nights while I returned home.
Long story short... I took a week off to keep an eye on him at my place to help him re-establish local links with other friends I didn't initially realise he had. He wasn't in such a bad state mentally as before so that helped me accept that he would stay at mine for a week but I sent my family to stay with friends just in case. We are now getting into a rented room for a month and he has been applying for jobs. Some great advice above about helping him with food and company while he settles back in is exactly what we will do but he really isn't accepting the idea of going to a see a doctor because I still feel he has MH challenges... one step at a time.
Well this note was just to say thanks and let people know that all didn't end too badly.

sleepless_saver

Thanks for posting an update. He is lucky to have such a good friend.