Housing Benefit concerns

thorsoak

KaneZP wrote: »

Good Afternoon,

I was recently moved into an assisted living housing with my girlfriend because of mental health concerns. I began getting mentally unstable in 2015 where doctors and housing authorities decided it was in the best interest and public safety to house me in a secure-bu-still-public housing.

I currently pay the authorities £150 for living fees. I/e maintenance fees etc. At the time of moving in, I was not earning anything and my girlfriend works part-time as 19/half hours.

As my mental illness makes me unstable I am unable to either maintain jobs or to function correctly whilst working. However, the job centre has stated that because my girlfriend is working so many hours that impact me. Meaning I wouldn't be able to claim much.

So onto housing benefits,... We get nearly every bit of that paid for. However recently I have taken on an agency job which I work under 16 hours, basically.... If I am lucky, I get two shifts a week. However, so far, I have had none for 2-3 weeks. I have only ever been paid 3/4 times max.

And that is automatically used to pay off my motorcycle finance and my credit card fees. So at the end of the day, I don't actually have any funds again...

Do you think this would impact me massively on my benefits?

It's good that your health is improving enough to take on some work - but now you have to re-think your budget. Hard as it may be to do so, you have to prioritise paying the balance of your rent BEFORE you pay your credit card/motor cycle finance. Go over to the debt-free board - the people there will help you go through your budget, suggest tweaks and savings which can help you manage on your current income.