Need help with housing and benefits

Akiriano

First time poster long time reader here.

I am 20 and up until now ive been living at home with my parents, after leaving school i then did a few courses i have since been unemployed, claimed jobseekers for a while but not anymore.

After i finished work i started helping my mother look after my grandfather who is elderly and disabled. Unfortunately my mother recently died and i am now the sole carer for my grandfather, i have been accepted for carers allowance and am in the process of claiming income support.

Now all that was fine, but my grandfather now lives in sheltered housing, i still look after him while living at home but now my father wants to sell the family home and move abroad, so i am going to be left without a home.

Obviously my grandfather isnt going to be around forever so carers allowance is not a long term thing, does anybody know what way i qualify for housing? obviously i cannot afford to buy, so i assume council is my only option.

What options are there for me and is there any other help out there to cover bills etc as well as housing costs.

BTW i live in northern ireland, im unsure if laws differ in any way.

Thanks in advance

Zara33

I would get in contact with your local CAB for advice regarding your benefits.

Then get in contact with Shelter these guys know there stuff regarding housing http://northernireland.shelter.org.uk/advice/index.cfm/setcountry/true/

suelees1

Present yourself as homeless at your local housing office for a formal homeless interview. You have a right to a written decision which you can appeal if you consider you have grounds. A housing solicitor is the best person to contact as you will be eligible for legal aid.

However as a young single man you ae unlikely to have priority. Alternatively try local houisng associations. Your LA will have lists of these and also of any private landlords offering accommodation. You should get housing and council tax benefit but if it's a private landlord the LA might not award housing benefit for the full amount as it depends on the rent charged.

Biffa

Unfortunatley, it sounds like you won't be in priority need if you present as homeless, which will mean your local council won't have any duty to rehouse you. This is because you're over the age of 18, don't have any dependant children, aren't pregnant and presumably don't have any disabilities that would qualify you as being in priority need.

This means that you'll need to look for private rented accommodation, as the chances of being offered anything in social housing via a waiting list is remote - too many applicants and not enough properties to go around. Where I work in Nottingham, you'd be looking at at least a 5/6 year wait for a one bedroom flat.

The downside to private renting is that because you are under the age of 25, you will only qualify for the single room rebate, which is around £45 per week. I'm not sure if it'd different in Northern Ireland, but assume it's the same. Again, where I work you'd be lucky to rent a garden shed for that price, as most one bed flats are around £70 - 90 per week.

This leaves you with the option of shared housing - renting a room in a house full of other people. The rent will be cheaper, but you'll have to share the facilities with everyone else - ie: kitchen, bathroom, garden etc etc.

Make an appointment to go and see your local Council's Housing Options team - they may be able to refer you to outside agencies that offer housing for people with some support needs - such as help with budgeting, filling in forms, education, training etc etc etc.
In the meantime, apply to every housing association or registered social landlord in your area to go on their individual waiting lists. You can apply to as many different places as you want to.

Good luck.