Moving to London whilst homeless

Briant_Gumble

Hi everyone,

I am planning on moving to London soon and I will be homeless whilst first there.

I am looking to do a mixture of sleeping in my car, staying in a youth hostel and couch surfing.

I have lived there before and I plan on letting my former temping agencies know as soon as I get there.

What kind of benefits will I be allowed whilst there?

Job Seekers allowance? How would I be able to collect it?

What about housing benefit?

Stevie_Palimo

You wont get housing benefit without a home, It all depends on your full situation and to know for sure what you can get either go to the entitled to website or simply pop into the job centre upon arriving.

theartfullodger

Why leave somewhere you have a home (presumably?).

If you do this making yourself intentionally homeless you'll not be entitled to advice or rehousing by council.

Winter is coming...

Alice_Walker

This sounds like a bad idea, especially moving to London.

If you are homeless you can claim JSA, it will be a reduced rate if you are classed as no fixed abode. What would be more of a concern is what you are going to tell employers, they want healthy, reliable workers and sleeping in a car etc is not going to give that impression.

If you can find a landlord that will take benefits then you may be eligible for housing benefit. The chances of finding somewhere decent within the LHA rates are low/ non existent, you'll need a deposit too. Also remember if you are under 35 you'll only get the shared rate.

Briant_Gumble

Did you say my job seekers allowance might be reduced because I will be homeless?

pmlindyloo

I am presuming you are single so you would be making a claim for Universal Credit not JSA. There is a 5/6 weeks delay in payment for UC but you could ask for a Short term Benefit advance if needed.

Some of the pitfalls have already been mentioned and I do not know all of your circumstances but you will need to provide an address for UC - be careful not to us someone's address who is on benefits as this may open them up to an investigation. You can ask if you can use a Job Centre as a c/o address - used to be allowed but not sure under UC.

Have you been previously working? If so what were the circumstances of your leaving the job. You may be sanctioned if you left voluntarily with no good reason.

Sorry to be so negative but the whole idea seems wrought with problems unless you have substantial savings or a network of friends who are willing to support you.

The best option is to find a job or at least enquire about possibilities of work before you move.

SnooksNJ

Briant_Gumble wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I am planning on moving to London soon and I will be homeless whilst first there.

I am looking to do a mixture of sleeping in my car, staying in a youth hostel and couch surfing.

I have lived there before and I plan on letting my former temping agencies know as soon as I get there.

What kind of benefits will I be allowed whilst there?

Job Seekers allowance? How would I be able to collect it?

What about housing benefit?

What a great idea. My friend knows someone who did what you are thinking of. As soon as he arrived in London he went to the housing office in the neighbourhood he wanted to live in. Which was Pimlico. They made him stay in a B&B while they cleaned and prepped a flat and he was able to move in when they were done. Housing benefits paid for everything. They sent him to the food bank too so no need to worry about dinner.

[Deleted User]

I really doubt that the above is anything but a fairytale. Housing is so short now you have to be practically dead with vulnerabilities to even get a room, let alone a flat lol.

Nope, I looked up and no pink winged things going oink oink as they passed overhead.

teddysmum

Judging by media photos/stories, it will be difficult to find any space to sleep in London, besides there being an increased likelihood or robbery or violence. Jobs are , also likely to be short, due to the huge ever increasing concentration of population there


Surely you can choose somewhere better.

Briant_Gumble

teddysmum wrote: »

Judging by media photos/stories, it will be difficult to find any space to sleep in London, besides there being an increased likelihood or robbery or violence. Jobs are , also likely to be short, due to the huge ever increasing concentration of population there


Surely you can choose somewhere better.

I am seeking work in the entertainment industry ultimately so London is my main option.

I am trained in stunts.

Briant_Gumble

pmlindyloo wrote: »

I am presuming you are single so you would be making a claim for Universal Credit not JSA. There is a 5/6 weeks delay in payment for UC but you could ask for a Short term Benefit advance if needed.

Some of the pitfalls have already been mentioned and I do not know all of your circumstances but you will need to provide an address for UC - be careful not to us someone's address who is on benefits as this may open them up to an investigation. You can ask if you can use a Job Centre as a c/o address - used to be allowed but not sure under UC.

Have you been previously working? If so what were the circumstances of your leaving the job. You may be sanctioned if you left voluntarily with no good reason.

Sorry to be so negative but the whole idea seems wrought with problems unless you have substantial savings or a network of friends who are willing to support you.

The best option is to find a job or at least enquire about possibilities of work before you move.

Most recently I was working in Southampton, I was ill for a day then when I phoned in to return to work they said I wasn't performing well enough to resume work.

I would have thought the relocation would be reason enough for me to qualify for job seekers allowance.