Emergency Housing to Permanent - Banding Not High Enough

[Deleted User]

I've posted long about my housing situation. Single parent with 2 boys, one age 20, one age 9, both diagnosed with ASD. I am currently being diagnosed, and my older son being rediagnosed with ASD, ADHD and anxiety. We were in the process of being evicted, council was going to put us in the one room shared lettings but I had enough evidence to show this would not meet the needs of my sons so we were given a 2 bed maisonette.

We are lucky to have the maisonette, its large for a two bed property. But the maisonette has a few problems (main bedroom where I sleep with my younger son very cold and damp - I do keep the window open during the day) he is always tired, finds it difficult to sleep (he always has done, but far worse now sharing a bedroom). I have asthma so if coughing, have to get up to not disturb him. Then I don't sleep. He did refuse school recently for a few weeks, they've changed things but every morning its a battle to get him out of bed because he's tired. He prefers to sleep on the sofa (its warmer in the lounge) but is disturbed there too. I've done what I can to improve his sleep pattern but not had any success yet. Its affecting me. I'm worrying a lot. My diabetic control did improve for a short while but I got a chest infection (refused antibiotics first time I saw a GP so it went on and on) and affected my asthma and diabetes. I've been having a lot of hypo's. Diabetes Consultant has just sent me a letter with an appt for Sept 2016 after a letter from the Royal Maudsley (where being diagnosed for the ASD stuff) asking for more help with the diabetes. Nothing seems to help! I am doing my best to tighten up my blood sugar control, probably a lot of it was down to stress and the illness. My poor kids called an ambulance last week, was here for two hours trying to keep my blood sugar up with IV glucose (my older son was holding the bag for a while) - I hadn't given myself any extra insulin or anything, my sensitivity to insulin seem to change. But its not good for the kids. I am probably a bit 'run down'.

My council has a weird system. Once you are homeless, you are C priority. Doesn't matter what special needs there are.., you are C priority. I've been told I can't change this by the council. But if this is so.., we will be here forever (longer than a couple of years) as all I see on the bidding lists is 3 bed houses going to people with A or B priority. Which we obviously don't have.

And I am told by the council I can't successfully apply to have this changed.., but they've told me things and been wrong before. They said that yes, officially we are short one bedroom (which would normally put us up to B priority) but this doesn't apply because we are just 'homeless' (I assume this means they can do what they do.., put families into one bed flats and single rooms).

Can council Housing Departments just set their own policy? How can they get away with saying as a homeless family, we are C priority and special needs don't count towards increasing our priority?

Can anyone offer any advice on a way forward?

elsien

I do recall Shelter telling me that cotheils can now set their own policies, but it is probably worth ringing them to check the specifics for your council.
Have you checked the details of the housing policy for yourself - its usually online on the council website somewhere.
I think in my council they reassess your banding when you have been allocated a housing officer. For which there is a waiting list, and if you're temporarily housed that can take longer as at least you have a roof over your head, as opposed to street homeless.
I would suggest contacting Shelter as your starting point.

[Deleted User]

I do have a housing office, he's been the one I've consulted through this process.., sometimes what he tells me is right, quite often I check and find its gatekeeping.

Housing Policy documents (I found one hidden away in an archive) are a bit confusing. It seems to say priority should be reassessed according to medical and mental health needs, but when I read this out to the Housing Officer he laughed and told me it didn't apply to homeless people. Like we are outside law and their policy.

When I contacted Shelter during the eviction process, I found they seemed to need legal aid to do anything, and that legal aid was only for limited parts of the process. They were able to help me 'fight' the S21 (which would serve no purpose, you can't fight a S21 permanently, only delay things and it would have cost me more and more in court fees) but not help with getting us reassessed and priority increased. In fact, they closed the case when I said I couldn't see the point in fighting the S21. It was not quite what I expected Shelter to be.I asked them to keep the case open, as I would need them further down the line, they said they would, and closed it down two days later. I don't understand what Shelter is about anymore.

I have a worker from an organisation called Sanctuary but she says she is only able to help with paperwork. She did persuade the Housing Officer to let us have our dog here (there is a small garden).

I guess I will need to sleep on the sofa. I have a bit of a back problem but maybe my younger son will sleep better if I'm not in the same room. Its all I can do.

silvercar

Working the other way, what do you need to be classified as A or B?

carefullycautious

Could you afford to have a really good sofa bed? or is there room for you to put a single bed in the lounge and dress it up like a day bed.


I take it the 2 boys cant share a room?

theartfullodger

Deanna:

Presumably you've already looked at your council's "Housing allocation" policy (or similar name)?? Each council has different policy: e.g.
http://www.slough.gov.uk/housing/housing-register.aspx
Read VERY CAREFULLY: Then read it again (yours will be different from Sloughs..): Then write a calm, polite email or letter to council pointing out what they've missed in your priority, points (or whatever other system YOUR council uses) so are entitled to (or not..) higher banding:

Notwithstanding government guidelines I have known of people being in clearly overcrowded/unsuitable "temporary accommodation" for up to 18 months.

Has the council fully evaluated your case & written to you (that is important) confirming you are entitled to longer-term housing? See....
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/help_from_the_council_when_homeless/the_councils_decision

Who can share what bedroom with whom & bedroom sizes are here..
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/common_problems/overcrowding

Apologies for pointing this out but you need the housing people to help you find what you need so I'm sure you won't put their backs up. Dave changed the rules btw so you can be offered a private let, but it must be at least 12 months: Many councils (particularly london ones..) are doing so, often some way away - I've heard of over 150 miles away, different area. Sorry, just wanting you to be aware what can (but hopefully doesn't) happen.

Best wishes: Sincerely hope your council does the right thing.

Cheeky_Monkey

Is there a particular reason why your two sons can't share a bedroom?

csgohan4

Cheeky_Monkey wrote: »

Is there a particular reason why your two sons can't share a bedroom?

Read the OPs post again and check up on ASD and ADHD.

makeyourdaddyproud

Most councils are readying themselves for the first influx of migrants they are expected to absorb. Given that you are not currently homeless, they will be unlikely to consider you in the face of that abrupt demand coming soon.

Priority banding and points might also see changes to increase the requirement for rehousing. Some councils have a bidding and swap scheme, is this something you can try?

[Deleted User]

I am not sure what you mean by a bidding and swap system. My council has a bidding website. As I am in emergency housing, and under licence rather than a tenancy agreement, I can not swap.

No, there is no way on earth my children can share a bedroom.

1) One son is 20, one is 9 so have differing needs purely due to the age difference..,
2) both are diagnosed with ASD.., both have problems sleeping at the best of times, and differing noise responses (bizarre though it sounds, both CAN be easily overwhelmed by sound, but neither like total quiet so tend to prefer background noise - of their choice. I know it sounds like if one is true (being overwhelmed by sound) then the other can't be (needing sound to block out general living sounds around them) but it is, I'm afraid. I must admit, I wear headphones all the time myself. Both also suffer anxiety (even though this wasn't diagnosed in my younger son), and its infectious (between them) so I do my best to keep them calm. If you can imagine, one boy having a screaming fit, not able to calm him down (I do in the end but it can take time to get him calm enough to listen), and then there's the other one getting anxious and unable to stand the sound. Its fun in this household lol.

My older son tries his best to deal with things but he's actually has less coping skills than his younger brother, they have similiar personalities but important differences. Both have times when they need to be isolated, which is difficult to do here, unless I sleep in the lounge.

I can't afford a cheap sofa bed now, but maybe next month. I have changed our old sofa so it can be slept on, but its not ideal for my back - I do take strong painkillers for it and use hot water bottles as I do what I can to avoid the painkillers as they are addictive. But it means I am affected by the pain (have arthritis too). Yes I have been to a back pain clinic.

And of course, I'm getting stressed again too. Not a lot of sleep right now. Why I'm posting at 6am, been up since 4. Went to bed at 11, thought younger boy was asleep, woke at 4am because younger son was awake and causing mayhem, older boy wasn't coping (and at 4am I wouldn't expect him too). I'm pretty tired so slept thru it initially. Once awake, and got the situation sorted.., that's it for me, I'm awake. Obviously I did get my 9 year old back to bed.

It looks like I'm gonna have to cat nap again rather than go to bed at night anyway so sofa situation sorted.

Artful.., I found and my council's housing priority policy documents and read it out (calmly) to the HO. He laughed and said 'I was just homeless' so none of it applied. He didn't seem to view it as relevant. I contacted my MP (Adam Holloway). He wrote to a deputy Housing Director, forwarded a very standard reply to me and that was that. No questioning at all of what was said. I have written to my HO and detailed why I believe we should have our priority reassessed, was only given a verbal reply that this did not apply once homeless. In spite of what is said in the policy about mental and physical health needs being relevant for reassessment, it seems that for Gravesham, only no. of bedrooms applies. And these don't apply because I am homeless (nice circular argument there). It seems like Gravesham can do what it likes in this regard. Gravesham is unusual in this, my older son's social worker has said that in other boroughs in Kent, what she has written would normally get a family an A or B priority.

I know I will get backlash but after my experience of private let, I won't accept it.., it caused so much stress. I will be able to get support for this from the social worker etc I am aware that the council can offer this. Private let, even of a year, at the very least will lead to instability and fragmented services (like changing schools I have had to work very hard to get decent provision from for my younger son). Same problem (long waiting lists to even get assessed for service provision in other areas, would have to start again) if move out of area. Which is why I didn't go for cheaper private let in another area in the first place. I know of several people on this estate that have been here on a temporary basis for over two years.

LocoLoco

Deannatrois, this is no help with your housing situation but I did wonder whether you might be able to approach The Family Fund or a similar sort of charity (I've found Contact A Family good for pointing in the right direction for help with things like this) for help with purchasing a decent sofa bed? It does all take time and it's more paperwork and chasing around, I know, but I just thought I'd mention it in case it was an option. My son's autistic so I know how hard it is and we've been in a similar situation to you in the past and it's a nightmare. I'm so sorry you're going through this and sorry that there isn't more I can do to help.