Friend about to be single mum

scuzz

Hello

Hoping you lovely people on this board can help. My friend is probably about to leave her husband, taking their three year old with her. However, she works part time, and is on the joint mortgage. She has £1.58 of her own money.

Yesterday she updated her own current account - she forgot she had it, and is literally looking out for pennies as she walks around to try and fund a deposit for a rental flat.

She's panicing, as she really wants out, but can't afford it. She's been told she's not entitled to help as she's in work and has a mortgage. Plus she has a poor credit rating. She works two days a week - one of which her son's in nursery. She's worried that if she leaves her husband and gets him to look after the child when she's at work, he won't bring him back.

She can't take any money from the joint account, as he's demanding to see receipts for everything she buys.

Can anyone offer any advice on how she can cope as a single mum, and how she can find the cash to do what she needs to do?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Strapped

If it's a joint account, then she can access it any time ie on the day she leaves?

kisto

I'm not sure if some of the links in this thread might help?

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=583182

jjmw28

Depending on the circumstances could she put her name down on the council list as homeless? I know there are certain criteria when you are a homeowner, such as domestic abuse but there may be other criteria? If she was in a council property she would most likely get help towards rent and council tax.

Has she been on to the child tax credit and working tax credit website? Would she be able to ring them and get them paid into her own account? Obviously her income would be much lower when on her own so her credits would increase.

jjmw28

Another thing for the childcare there is a voucher scheme where you 'swap' some of your pre-tax income for the same amount in vouchers - thus saving you paying the tax on that amount.