Homeless 76 year old

sammyjammy

cashman82 said:

@LunaLater she has been staying with me, but we have 3 kids under 12 and no spare room. She sleeps on my sofa.

While this is ok to do short term, it’s not something I can do long term - bearing in mind it was never my husbands desire to feed and keep my elderly mother.

All I’m wanting it for the council to acknowledge her homelessness so that I can get her some social housing. Basically, I’m upset they don’t seem willing to do the assessment even though she is homeless. She can’t get a private rental because her income so far has been too low.

No reason why your husband or you should be funding your mother for keep/food, she has an income of nearly £200 a week and should be contributing to the household whilst she is staying with you.

OhWow

cashman82 said:

@FtbDreaming I think the housing department should be helping but are trying to fob me off. I had it with my local council. The legislation says they have to do an assessment with her but have said they won’t until the housing proceeds or financial order has been decided. With this being potentially a year away, I’m at a loss as to what to say to them. The sample letter from Shelter isn’t much help. I was hoping there would be a MSE form possibly but haven’t been able to find one.

Perhaps I can just quote legislation at them. Basically this authorisation of her homelessness would mean they no longer have to worry about my mum, she will move to my area and my local council. My local council told us to apply via the last place she paid council tax.

One of my friend's neighbours (who ironically rents an ex council house) was told that once they are accepted as homeless, these go on Band D. He said Band D is low down the list as the priority goes to Band A. Then they have to bid for a property, but the council worked on date order within that Band, on a first on the list in that band, first served for social housing.  But they would be behind somebody on a higher band who had just appleid. What does it say on your council's site?

He was told that once the council accepted them as homeless, the council would house them in a hotel with other homeless people and that would likley be miles away, with a hotel they had an agreement with. And that then they could offer them social housing anywhere in the country as there was a shortage in their area. Or the council could place them in a private rental, to fufil their obligation.

But before they went to the homeless hotel, the council offered them a room in a converted building owed privately, which the council said they would pay for. It  was a ground floor room with cooker, sink anf fridge and an en suite, miles away and it was awful (I saw the photos). Shelter warned that if they turned it down they might be taken off the homeless list as the council had tried to house them.

Has she taken legal advice over what the solicotor did? I once complained to the Office of Supervision of Solicitors and the solicitors were told to pay me a substantial sum. But that took a while. They seem to be called something else now https://lawi.org.uk/office-for-the-supervision-of-solicitors/  

I was also asked to let a property by a solicitor (he paid the rent every month) for a client that he had made a mistake with. They do make mistakes.

Has your mother got legal cover on an insurance policy?

elsien

The local authority has a duty to carry out a Care act needs assessment regardless of financial circumstances. That’s around her care and support eligible needs though, not around housing. If it’s a care act assessment she’s waiting for,  the local council can’t say they won’t do it till she knows where she stands financially; that would be unlawful and would merit a formal complaint to the local authority. Most authorities do have a backlog though,  have a waiting list and are prioritising those with higher support needs.

It would be the council in the area that she is ordinarily resident in that has the duty if she has eligible needs. That is outside of housing allocation systems.

https://www.scie.org.uk/care-act-2014/assessment-and-eligibility

Maybe your mum needs to clarify which specific assessment they say they are waiting for?

OhWow

sammyjammy said:

cashman82 said:

@LunaLater she has been staying with me, but we have 3 kids under 12 and no spare room. She sleeps on my sofa.

While this is ok to do short term, it’s not something I can do long term - bearing in mind it was never my husbands desire to feed and keep my elderly mother.

All I’m wanting it for the council to acknowledge her homelessness so that I can get her some social housing. Basically, I’m upset they don’t seem willing to do the assessment even though she is homeless. She can’t get a private rental because her income so far has been too low.

No reason why your husband or you should be funding your mother for keep/food, she has an income of nearly £200 a week and should be contributing to the household whilst she is staying with you.

She can and should pay, but I imagine it is more to do with her mother sleeping in their house and the strain on a marriage that causes.

 

sheramber

cashman82 said:

Alice_Holt said:

And it sounds like she would be currently entitled to Pension Credit (with automatic entitlement to HB). 

She gets pension credit. It’s takes her annual income to under £9k a year

Pension credit is £201.05 per week which is £10,992 a year,  

Why is her income less than £9k a year?

cashman82

@sheramber I don’t know. She only gets £105 PC a week. Her pension is £382 so it actually comes to £9624 (I just checked the numbers) 

HillStreetBlues

cashman82 said:

@sheramber I don’t know. She only gets £105 PC a week. Her pension is £382 so it actually comes to £9624 (I just checked the numbers) 

Is the what she gets currently (2023/24)?
As that number looks more like 2022/23

cashman82

@HillStreetBlues That’s on her statement from March. 

Either way, it’s not enough for a rental and private landlords just aren’t interested.

Grumpelstiltskin

cashman82 said:

@HillStreetBlues That’s on her statement from March. 

Either way, it’s not enough for a rental and private landlords just aren’t interested.

Pensions and benefits did increase in April this year so March was last years rate.

Brie

help her apply for attendance allowance - particularly as she's had a stroke she should at least be able to get it at the lower level of about £68 a week.  Also make sure that since she's on pension credits she takes advantage of the things that go along with that....social tariffs for utilities, phone etc, free dental, free tv license.