Bereaved single parent with disabled child can't get on the housing list - Help!

wannaretireearly

I'm hoping someone on here can provide some help with this as we don't know where to turn. Background of her situation is this. My younger sister, her partner and disabled daughter were living in my older sister's house. This was an unofficial temporary thing which was supposed to be helping them out. Her partner died suddenly and unexpectedly in November aged 52. My younger sister can not work as her daughter has down's syndrome with multiple health issues and to be honest I don't know how she copes. My older sister now needs to sell her house. Charnwood Borough Council state my younger sister and her daughter do not satisfy the requirements to go on the housing list. The only people they have in the world to help them are myself, older sister and elderly mum so she was trying to get a flat/small house accessible from here so she is not isolated and we can reach her. She is on benefits and has zilch so private renting is out of reach and no-one would touch her without the ability to pay the rent. As I said, her daughter has multiple needs and is on oxygen at night. The idea of them having to be actually homeless and placed in a B&B is terrifying. Please can anyone provide some pointers as to how we can help her. My older sister can't put off selling her house much longer and is feeling terrible about this whole situation.

lincroft1710

What reasons do CBC give for them not qualifying? Is it because CBC consider them to be currently adequately housed and would need to see overt action by elder sis in marketing house for sale?


Younger sis needs to get her CBC councillor on board

DE_612183

you could try a specific help site such as : https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/

would the local doctors support / help / provide backing letters etc?

Have the council said exactly WHY they don't meet the criteria?

DE_612183

according to their ( Charnwood) website.....We have approximately 1,200 households currently on our housing register who are waiting to access social housing.

In an average year, only 17% of people on the register are housed.

Regrettably, even people in the greatest need often face long delays.

We do advise residents to consider alternative options earlier like moving to private rented accommodation, downsizing or swapping homes.

housebuyer143

It might be because they are not at imminent risk of homelessness. Anyone can normally go on the register, but unless they are being given a high banding, probably an A - they are not likely to get anything. 
Did they say what she needs to do to satisfy the requirements to go on it? Does the house need to have a buyer lined up? They are required to help her if she is going to end up homeless. 

The fact is, they are likely going to have to go into temporary housing before they get any kind of property and they might be there a while. 

Flugelhorn

this is highly likely because they are  currently housed, they would only get some help if they were made homeless.

elsien

There is someone on here who was facing homelessness with children with special needs and their temporary housing turned out to be a flat rather than a B&B. 

I can’t think who it was otherwise I would tag them into this because they may have advised that is more specific to you. 

Have you downloaded the councils housing policy because that would be your starting point? 

https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/files/documents/dd085_housing_allocations_policy_2024/DD085%20-%20Housing%20Allocations%20Policy%20-%202024.pdf

Start with section 15 on eligibility then p22 which defines housing need.

Bottom line though is that your sister is going to have to evict her for her to stand any chance of housing.
Councils are wise to the fact that some families will say they are evicting someone to them up the list, when they actually have no intention of doing so. That’s  not the case here, but they are not to know that unless your sister  follows through on her intentions. The council won’t take it seriously unless she can prove she’s at risk of homelessness within 56 days.

Does your sister have a real need to stay in the same area, because of the child go into a special school for example? 

itsthelittlethings

I would have thought they can register to go on the list, I have never heard of anyone being told they cannot register.

marcia_

itsthelittlethings said:

I would have thought they can register to go on the list, I have never heard of anyone being told they cannot register.

 Exactly where I am anyone can register but you are then banded according to need. Those seen to be adequately housed would be in the last band and wouldn't be given the opportunity to bid on properties. Though once actually evicted they would be band A/B depending on needs again disability being given higher priority

wannaretireearly

Thanks for all your replies. The council said she doesn't have a housing need so can't go on the register. Older sister had given her an eviction date (Obviously as her partner died she couldn't follow through with it at that point) but that seemed to make no difference. My younger sister needs to stay in the area as she has no-one except for her family who all live here, literally no friends etc as her partner and child have been her world. The council have been dire. Hours spent trying to talk to people, no-one really explaining etc. We're collectively trying to help her do this now as tbh she's struggling atm. I will download the council housing policy as a starting point - thanks for the link elsien. 

Sea_Shell

If this wasn't family, the advice would be to stay put for as long as possible and let the LL evict through the courts.

However, with family involved it's going to be much more frought than that. 😞

Is older sister desperate (for the sale) enough to go to court for an eviction?

Can she afford to sell "cheap" to another LL , with tenant in situ?

But, If she can't afford to pay any rent, how does that play out with a potential new LL when it's been "unofficial" until now?

Sorry, I don't know how this gets resolved, whilst maintaining family relationships.