Help with moving costs on benefits?

Deadspace

Hi

Hoping someone may have a few ideas, I'm having to move about 15 miles away to a house more suited for my disability, I can just about afford the deposit but removals costs are a no go at present.
I have no one to help so although hiring a van would be cheaper, I wouldn't be able to move the furniture.

Now that community care grants have been done away with are there any other options? I have taken up my full budgeting loan amount following a house fire earlier this year.

Anyone know if there's any help available? Thanks

Smokey_Joe

Deadspace wrote: »

Hi

Hoping someone may have a few ideas, I'm having to move about 15 miles away to a house more suited for my disability, I can just about afford the deposit but removals costs are a no go at present.
I have no one to help so although hiring a van would be cheaper, I wouldn't be able to move the furniture.

Now that community care grants have been done away with are there any other options? I have taken up my full budgeting loan amount following a house fire earlier this year.

Anyone know if there's any help available? Thanks

It may be worth applying for a Discretionary Housing Payment from your local council as these can sometimes cover one off housing costs such as removals.
If you have a look at this link http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/discretionary-housing-payments-guide.pdf
on page 5, section 1.12 you'll find the following

What do we mean by housing costs?
1.12 Housing costs are not defined in the regulations and this gives you a broad discretion to interpret the term. In general, housing costs means rental liability; however, housing costs can be interpreted more widely to include:
• rent in advance
•deposits
• other lump sum costs associated with a housing need such as removal costs.

If your council won't help that way, then you may be eligible for assistance under whatever scheme the council is operating as a replacement for Community Care Grants? Each council has their own scheme and their own rules for assistance but it'd definitely be worth asking them.

Failing that there are some charities which may be able to help, try searching turn2us website. The problem with the charity route is that applications can take weeks to be processed (and often have a requirement that some kind of support worker or advice agency needs to make the application on your behalf) and as you haven't given a timescale for the move I don't know how quickly you need this help.

If you post which council area you're in someone else may be able to offer more informed advice re what your council's policy wrt assistance towards removal costs is.

Also, if you have a support worker of any kind you ought to have a word with them and see what assistance they can give you with raising finance.

That's about all I can think of for now but hopefully it's given you a starting point in your search.

paddedjohn

Reading your post it seems that your problem is actually to do with manpower, most areas will have a man and a van who will move everything for you without you having to lift a finger. Have a look through your local paper or pop into a local secon hand shop.