Homelessness in Gravesham - Discrimination?

Cheeky_Monkey

I might be being incredibly dense but could someone please explain to me how you can be classed as homeless when you live in a house???

marliepanda

Cheeky_Monkey wrote: »

I might be being incredibly dense but could someone please explain to me how you can be classed as homeless when you live in a house???

Its emergency accommodation, so not permanent and obviously not the nicest of houses possible, hence 'emergency'

KiKi

Hi Deanna
I don't know much about housing (actually, nothing at all) but could you go back to the council with something along the lines of:

"Thank you for confirming that anyone classed as homeless is put in Band C.

I also notice that the requirements for Band B are that medical conditions are having a "major adverse effect on the medical condition" of someone in the household. If I am able to provide evidence that my current housing - which is emergency accommodation - is having a major adverse impact on my sons, then I assume I would be able to be classed as Band B. Please could you confirm this?

I'm struggling to understand why, if I can evidence that can meet both the criteria for Band C *and* Band B, I am put in the lower band rather than the higher one."

Just wondering if it's useful to get not just an answer as to which Band you're in, but the actual reason behind their logic. (I'm wondering if because you're in emergency accommodation currently, the assumption is that they will properly house you regardless in a set period of time (I'm making an assumption here that they can't keep you in emergency accommodation for more than x months?), so 'emergency accommodation' can never be seen as having an adverse medical impact. And therefore you have to be in non-emergency housing to move up to Band B or C. Not agreeing with that, btw, just wondering if that's their logic.)

Sorry I can't help more, I know nothing about housing, but just thought it's worth trying to get behind their reasoning.

KiKi

SnooksNJ

marliepanda wrote: »

Its emergency accommodation, so not permanent and obviously not the nicest of houses possible, hence 'emergency'

Gravesend's Council definition of homelessness is a little different to mine. To me occupants of these homes are homeless. Later this weekend undoubtedly there will be more homeless people up and down the Mid Atlantic seaboard when a storm surge takes not only their home but everything they own to the bottom of the Atlantic.
Whenever there is a natural disaster people always say yes we lost everything but at least we are together because others are not as lucky.

BrassicWoman

I'm not sure playing "who's in the bigger hole" helps with the day to day practicalities of illness and disability.

Cakeguts

I am not sure that the A B are higher priority than C. I think that these letters are just labels for the type of property that someone in each band is waiting for. Band A could be people who have mobility problems who need a ground floor property or one adapted for a wheelchair. In which case moving to another band won't make any difference apart from someone being offered a property that is more suited to someone with the criteria for band B. I think that the bands could quite easily be labelled purple green and blue. The only reason that someone thinks that A is a higher priority than C is because this is how exams are marked and people have been conditioned to think this way.