Homeless daughter and granddaughter due to bad relationship

Mands

Liz65 said:

It seems unfair that she is going through all of this and he being made to seek help and it’s all his doing.

I am deeply sympathetic to the situation you find yourselves in. It must be terrifying for all of you. 

However, I think framing this as something that is "all his doing" is unkind and unhelpful to all concerned. Psychosis is not something someone chooses to have and the refusal to accept treatment is a very common element of this illness. 

Every person I know who has suffered a psychotic episode would be horrified, once they were stable again, to realise what they put loved ones through. 

I hope you find accommodation solutions for your daughter and granddaughter soon, and I hope her partner gets the help he so clearly needs. 

elsien

I completely agree with the above post. It is very common for people who are becoming unwell in that way not to have insight and not to realise how poorly they are.

With regards to emergency housing, Your daughter needs to be aware that that could be breakfast and breakfast type accommodation to start with so if she has the means to privately rent once the current tenancy has been ended it’s something that she should consider.

Jude57

Liz65 said:

Thanks for thanks for replies. The police were involved in the beginning but she hasn’t heard from them since.  She is in the process of ending her joint tenancy with him and won’t be returning to the house with her daughter as she has asked to be put closer to family, he was her only family where she lived.  Social services told her to get her daughter out of the house as she couldn’t be in the same house as him!  She would lose her otherwise.  She can’t stay in my home for any length of time, as stated previously we live in a park home and there are rules about visitors staying. She has no intention of a reconciliation with him as he is not seeking any medical help, no actual charges were brought against him in the beginning but she was just told by social services that my granddaughter can’t be there! She has had enough and wants a more stable home life for her daughter.  

Make sure that your daughter notifies Council Tax that she has moved out of the joint property. If she can't end the joint tenancy she may remain liable for Council Tax until the end of the tenancy agreement but hopefully she'll be able to be removed from the joint tenancy and the ex partner will be solely liable from then on. I say 'may remain liable' because, strictly speaking and legally, she WILL remain liable until the tenancy ends but if she explains the circumstances of her leaving the property, the Council Tax team do have discretion and might take the view that they won't regard her as liable going forward because her safety is at risk if she remained in the property. If they take a hard line, your daughter should ensure that she is sent copies of all Council Tax correspondence so that she can stay on top of any issues. 

The second thing to ensure is a Royal Mail redirect of her mail. She should do this immediately so that she can be sure that any important letters reach her. More information here, and note that there are concessions for those in receipt of Universal Credit and certain other benefits:

https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection

Next, your daughter needs a benefit check to ensure she's claiming everything she could. Online benefits checking sites are a good starting point but as your daughter's housing costs aren't known yet, she'd need to re-do the check when she finds accommodation. Try here:

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/

If at all possible, an appointment with CAB could be helpful because their advisors can cover most of the issues your daughter is currently trying to deal with and, of course, they'll know how the local housing situation stands. As well as Council housing, look at housing associations who might have shorter waiting lists, especially if your daughter isn't too fixed on area.

Liz65

Thanks, she was housed in emergency accommodation but is now being told she has the property by Monday!  

She was told to go home as she is the responsibility of the council where she lived, she can’t go home because the tenancy is ending by the end of March and her partner has trashed the place so it is not fit to live in.  She was told by the social worker to leave because her daughter was in danger and would be taken away. So if she was to go back she would lose her daughter. This is unfair and  disgusting.  Does anyone know what she can do.

BrilliantButScary

Liz65 said:

Thanks, she was housed in emergency accommodation but is now being told she has the property by Monday!  

She was told to go home as she is the responsibility of the council where she lived, she can’t go home because the tenancy is ending by the end of March and her partner has trashed the place so it is not fit to live in.  She was told by the social worker to leave because her daughter was in danger and would be taken away. So if she was to go back she would lose her daughter. This is unfair and  disgusting.  Does anyone know what she can do.

I would get your daughter to ring the Social Worker and ask if they have completed a 'Duty to refer'.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/homelessness_applications/homelessness_duty_to_refer/public_authority_duty_to_refer

elsien

I think it unlikely that a social worker would simply say that her daughter would be taken away, because they don’t have the authority to do that without a court order
However, that aside, she is the responsibility of the local authority where she was living so she would need to present as homeless with them as a starting point rather than presenting at homeless in the area where you live and where she wants to be. And then possibly look at a transfer in the future.

Going back to the property where she has the tenancy with the boyfriend may well impact on concerns about her daughter. Going back to the area as a whole should not. Been told to get out of the house is not the same as been told to move to a different part of the country.

 She needs to contact the local authority of the area where she was living, tell them that she has to be out of the emergency housing by X  date and that she has been told she is their responsibility and then take it from there. 

Contacting social services may also help because she does need to clarify what she thinks she has been told and how things now stand. She could also contacting a local councillor ref emergency housing in her own area  with a caveat  that some are better than others.
If she is still being contacted or threatened by the ex, then she needs to contact the police.

elsien

Has she seen this?
Shelter Legal England - Leaving the home after domestic abuse - Shelter England

EnPointe

Liz65 said:

Thanks, she was housed in emergency accommodation but is now being told she has the property by Monday!  

She was told to go home as she is the responsibility of the council where she lived, she can’t go home because the tenancy is ending by the end of March and her partner has trashed the place so it is not fit to live in.  She was told by the social worker to leave because her daughter was in danger and would be taken away. So if she was to go back she would lose her daughter. This is unfair and  disgusting.  Does anyone know what she can do.

the Statutory  responsibility is held  the Local Authority  whjere she was ordinarily  resident  ...   that is why she  wastold she needs to return to that Authority Area 

Liz65

Thanks for all the replies, she is still in emergency accommodation and they are looking into housing her nearby and getting my grandchild into school as they are now classed as homeless