Becoming a single mum with three children

hippychick1

Hi all. I'm after some advice as I am on the verge of leaving my husband. I am pregnant with our third child. I live out of the country at the moment and have no idea what the reality of living in the UK is going to cost me. Would I be entitled to a council house and is there a huge waiting list? What benefits would I be entitled to? Once I have had my baby I want to try and work, but have no idea whether this will be worth it, having to pay out for childcare.
I have no idea what a two or three bedroomed house would cost to rent and don't have a clue about council tax or bills.
Can anybody help? I just feel at a total loss.

Oldernotwiser

hippychick1 wrote: »

Hi all. I'm after some advice as I am on the verge of leaving my husband. I am pregnant with our third child. I live out of the country at the moment and have no idea what the reality of living in the UK is going to cost me. Would I be entitled to a council house and is there a huge waiting list? What benefits would I be entitled to? Once I have had my baby I want to try and work, but have no idea whether this will be worth it, having to pay out for childcare.
I have no idea what a two or three bedroomed house would cost to rent and don't have a clue about council tax or bills.
Can anybody help? I just feel at a total loss.

The answers to many of your questions will depend upon what part of the UK you're thinking of moving back to. Any ideas?

TheWaltons_3

Hi

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

which area will you be moving to here in UK?

You will be entitled to housing.. private or council, the housing benefit will pay for this... plus you will get income support and Tax Credits I think.How old are the other two children?

Don't worry. This situation is fine, probably daunting for you.. but you wont be left homeless anywhere.

hippychick1

It will be around the Coventry or Tamworth area. Thanks

aaroncaz

Hippy, if you come back, and fling yourself on the council for a house, they will put you in a hostel, this may be for one month or 6 months, you will be classed as homeless, but you will be housed quicker than if you were to go on waiting list.

hippychick1

Hi there. I have two boys, one nearly 5 and will be starting school in September, the other 18 months. I am 18 weeks pregnant. I'm in a bit of a state over what to do. I'm not sure if things can be worked out, but I just feel like I have had enough.

aaroncaz

If you have someone to stay with, when you come back, i suggest you do this, then contact social services, they can find the best hostel going for you, some are not so nice, others are very good, i was in one on 2005, and had my own "flat" in hostel, basic, but my own!!Social services can also help you out with money, if you are stuck!

Elle00

Hi hun, big {HUGS} to you; what a position to be in.

I personally am not sure what the rules are on entitlements for those who've been living outside of the country so the first thing you need to do is telephone or email the Job Centre to ask about your entitlement to benefits if you come back into the country having lived abroad.

Regarding council houses, the poster that says you only live in a hostel for 1 - 6m before being housed must live in an area with a very low demand as where I live (Home Counties) you can expect to wait 12 - 36m in a hostel. I am expected to pay £650 a month to privately rent a tiny two bed flat in my home town and have been told I will probably never be permenantly housed or able to access affordable housing because I am not a priority having vacated my hostel accommodation a year ago (was duped by council woman GRRR). Waiting times vary drastically up and down the country so only the local council for the area you're interested in can tell you what the waiting times are like for that area. The same goes for quality of hostels but the average standard does seem to have been raised a lot in the last decade. You rarely have much space but as a kid we had mould growing up the walls in a hostel that now has intercoms and key card locks so that says a lot. Then again as a kid we were housed in just five months so I guess they had to make them nicer as the waiting times kept on increasing!

Before worrying about getting a permanent house or even a hostel though, do you have a connection to the area you are looking to be housed in? A relative living locally for example. The council might well not accept you as their responsibility otherwise. If you want to know if they will - google the local council to get their number and telephone to ask. That said if the council says they will not accept you as their responsibility you can just turn up to either the council office or the local Social Services with your kids and bags in tow and the latter will likely then be obliged to find you emergency temporary accommodation. I had a bit of experience on this one and it can unfortunately be complicated. If you don't think you're feeling strong enough to "fight your corner" atm then don't be afraid to ask someone like Social Services for help. The benefits system takes a long time to get to grips with and I remember finding it terribly confusing knowing who to ask regarding what in the first few months.

You also said you wanted to know about cost of living? Well firstly you can check out rightmove.co.uk to check the prices and availability of rental accommodation up and down the country. It isn't comprehensive but a lot of estate agents use this site and it gives you an idea of the going rates. For council tax you should check the website of the council of the area you are interested in for details as it can vary dramatically from county to county.

For details on what you'd receive as an income you really need to ring the Job Centre as you'll need to know amounts for child tax credit, child benefit and income support. It might be you need to tell them you live in England at present to get them to answer your questions though, I'm not sure if they'll help you if you say you're looking to come back into the country to claim. I would estimate you'd be looking at receiving around £150 - £170 a week excluding housing benefit and council tax relief but this is an ESTIMATE. Also note you would be able to apply to the local fund if you need furniture etc when you return and you'll be eligible for a £500 sure start maternity grant if you are on full benefits when you have your new baby so this should help you a lot.

Whatever you do, remember that it's perfectly natural for someone in your situation to feel low and hopeless at times but as long as you don't let it beat you, you'll find a way through in the end. I'd suggest making yourself a clear list of things you need to find out and then go through and find ways to obtain the information you need, making notes as you go. Hopefully some of the places I've suggested looking will help you do this.

It's very hard living off benefits in this country but it is possible to keep your head above water while you've got young children. And if you're entitled to full benefits then you'll also find plenty of help in getting back to work when your new baby is old enough - and these days it pays more and more to do so even in the lowest paid of jobs.

Will you keep us updated? Elle x.

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there hippychick...hope you dont mind me asking but - are you an army wife???

nats3006

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Hi there hippychick...hope you dont mind me asking but - are you an army wife???

I thought the same thing!

nats3006

great minds think alike!!