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Fighting the SS!
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
not quite the nazis, but not far off...
Social services have just told me that they only have 3 option for me: that i go into privately rented accomdation (which they will contribute to, but not pay the whole of the rent)- which will take me off the housing list, or go into halls, which considering that my panic disorder is getting worse not better, is not a good plan of action. I could only do this for a year, and this wouldn't jepodise my plan on the housing list. I've been told that i'll have to get a judicial review on it, and i have already written a formal complaint which i got a really shitty reply to. All of this is down to the fact that i came into care after the age of 14 and my local authority (newham) have a policy, that anyone that comes into care after 14 doesn't get a council flat when they leave care. Most people have other arrangements in place- such as they stay with foster parents, or go into shared accomodation, which is only really suitable for those going into employment (or not as the case is with most care leavers).
I've been told that judicial review can take months, and i need to have somewhere by the start of september, so, do i just go into halls and hope that something comes of it, and that i can manage my problems well enough with other people around(hmmm?), Or is there another solution?
(plus it would be great to know if anyone else has had a similar problem with another borough, because i could use that in my case on if other boroughs don't)
thanks
Social services have just told me that they only have 3 option for me: that i go into privately rented accomdation (which they will contribute to, but not pay the whole of the rent)- which will take me off the housing list, or go into halls, which considering that my panic disorder is getting worse not better, is not a good plan of action. I could only do this for a year, and this wouldn't jepodise my plan on the housing list. I've been told that i'll have to get a judicial review on it, and i have already written a formal complaint which i got a really shitty reply to. All of this is down to the fact that i came into care after the age of 14 and my local authority (newham) have a policy, that anyone that comes into care after 14 doesn't get a council flat when they leave care. Most people have other arrangements in place- such as they stay with foster parents, or go into shared accomodation, which is only really suitable for those going into employment (or not as the case is with most care leavers).
I've been told that judicial review can take months, and i need to have somewhere by the start of september, so, do i just go into halls and hope that something comes of it, and that i can manage my problems well enough with other people around(hmmm?), Or is there another solution?
(plus it would be great to know if anyone else has had a similar problem with another borough, because i could use that in my case on if other boroughs don't)
thanks
0
Comments
I'd probably take the halls option if it was me but then it all depends on how much income you have available if considering the other option.
You might have to take temporary accommodation under protest, but don't do anything without getting legal advice from a solicitor or legal advice service.
You might have to go to judicial review if things don't get sorted quickly, but I can't advise you on whether that's the best course of action because I don't really know enough about what's happened.
You may well find that with support from the Student Support services at the university you can get uni accomodation that will be far better for you than anything social services will can offer you.
I don't know the background to your panic disorder but if you get a disabled room then you can pretty much be self contained within it, the only thing being that if there is a problem/incident you've got a warden you can call on who will generally be a damn site more use than any social worker I have ever come across.
If you do end up with halls, which is what it's sounding like will happen, even if only as a fix for the start of the academic year then get in touch with whoever it is at the uni who makes arrangements for disabled students and get them on side. There's a high chance they'll have some lovely shiny new accomodation avaliable.
I seriously don't think i'm asking for much! I'm only asking for equality!
I'm going to see what i can do thats within the housing list rules, but i have been told its around £125 a week that they are willing to pay, which won't get me a flat but it isn't far off. But if i so that, i won't have anywhere to go once my course is finished.
I disagree. There is a massive demand for very limited housing stock (look at Katralla's case, for example) and so you're asking for a lot, considering there are families etc etc out there needing somewhere to live.
A one bedroom flat in London is not something that is cheap to come by, and £125 is plenty enough to get a decent room in a small shared house (instead of halls) if needs be.
Could you explain where exactly 'equality' is coming into this situation?
I'd also pay attention to what Kermit and Scary Monster are saying.
My view is that if SS are doing what they can, and have given you a number of options, perhaps it is you that is being either unreasonable or just is expecting far too much.
I have PTSD which means that i can often find it really difficult to handle other people especialy when i'm on a downer, to the extent i will shut myself away and cry because its too much. i know i can't explain it well, its not easy but i don't understand why it seem like no one gives two shits. Me sharing with people in halls isn't permenant, i can only do that for a year and then what am i meant to do?
whatever i do i'm still homeless at the end of my course. they are meant to be my corporate parent, if a parent did this to their child i think most people would say it was bordering on cruel
Simply because they have set out their guidelines and you fall outside these. I don't see what is so hard to grasp about this.
If they make the exception for one, they should make it for all. You will be getting special treatment. Hardly equality, is it?
I appreciate you have extra issues, but many others will too. DO you expect SS to change the rules for them too? If so, what is the point of them having a policy in the first place...!?
They have offered you options. I suggest you start speaking to people about these (as you have been told to by Kermit amongst others before).
The only advice is to go get legal advice. I can't say anything more than that. Whingeing on here isn't going to change anything, no matter how much you stamp your feet. Go see a solicitor and find out what your rights are and what your options are. Now.
Aye, possibly. But to say you're not being treated equally (and so demanding special treatment, which would not really fall under 'equality') is a bit rich.
Leading on to:
Agreed 100%. I don't know how many more times this will have to be said.
:yes:
It's a bit of a bugbear of mine - people ignoring advice given and returning to whinge about it when nothing has changed.
I cant see how anyone would think a Parent would be cruel by not sorting out the accommodation for there "adult" children, if fact i know many that went away to uni and had to arrange and pay for there own.
Have to say I get no parental contributions, just my student loan and termtime (and hopefully summer) job. But then I have no difficulty in being in employment, it's just finding it, so I don't know if its a fair comparison to luby who cant work so needs the state to provide for her 100%.
But to be honest most students are pretty hard up and just find a way to get by. I know a couple whose parents had sold up whilst they were at uni and had to find a houseshare for after uni finished. I guess it's not fair if other care leavers get their own flat etc. but I would not see that as a right but as a priveledge. In fact I would say getting your own flat probably gives you an advantage over the rest of the population where most students have to houseshare after they graduate due to rent / property prices (and even then its not an insubstantial amount of their income - and they have to find a job which as I can pay testament to is not easy
Best of luck!
In the mean time whlist I've done as much a i can atm, I'm going to get my MP involved as well.
I hardly think i'm whinging when i've got fuck all support and having to do fucking everything on my own, plus having to pick up the slack of social services because they can't even make a phone call on my behalf. I've been unwell, and yes i feel the need to vocalise things on here, but i think thats fine considering i've just lost my best friend and have very few other people to talk to any more
Yes, it's a ballache, but you have to fight for things. That's how life is, shy bairns get nowt, they never have done. It's up to you whether you take the advice or not, but I am starting to get annoyed now that my advice is being ignored. Take it or leave it, but don't try and justify it with a sob story.
Personally I wouldn't bother with that until you have done everything you can to help yourself.
I know it can get frustrating, I know that I am quite a 'solutional' person when it comes to other people's problems, I know that when my friends come to me with problems in real life I often give them practical advice when really they just want someone to listen to them and give them morale support and a hug so that they have the emotional strength to face the problem on a practical level themselves.
I don't think it's particularly helpful to compare different people's problems, or housing needs or whatever on here. We rarely have all the information on individuals situations to be able to make such specific judgements. In P&D debating the general subject of who in society deserves housing the most maybe but not in individual's thread. I've noticed this quite a bit on here from various people as well as in real life, even (infact maybe mostly) when directed at oneself (often people think that there own problems are not worthy of attention, they think oh that peson's issues are so much worse than their own).
I think you are doing well tt, you have so much on your plate at the moment (metaphorically I mean), you are coping with so many different issues with so little emotional support in your real life, try not to be disheartened by the issue of why you've not resolved things already, don't lose sight of everything you have achieved recently
I hope you feel more settled soon too
I agree with you, but at the same time people contribute what they know. There are quite a few of us who know halls is actually quite nice. If someone in a pub was asking me the same question, I would ask if they had tried halls, because I found it to be quite nice. That's what the peer support system is based on, obviously kermit knows his stuff and can give better legal advice than the rest of us (he must be sick of it by now, but by his own admission he's just 'too nice' [and modest too]
Anyway, I don't to derail luby's thread, but just chipping in. My advice would be to pay attention to what kermit is saying because he does give out legal advice for a living, afterall. But don't feel like it is the end of the world if you're stuck in halls, because at quite a lot (if not most) universitys they have enclosed flats for deans / families / disabled students.
I know you suffer from panic attacks and I used to get social anxiety and I might still have it if I had closed myself away last year but I forced myself to go into halls and its given me a lot of confidence. Of course, I don't know if it will be the same for you but I found it a character building and positive experience and I think most people do too. If you convince yourself you are definately never going to be able to share a house with people because you'll have panic attacks, then it's probably going to become the truth. No way two years ago could I imagine living with a bunch of strangers, but now... I can't imagine living on my own.
From one anxiety sufferer to another
Oh yes, I quite agree with sharing past experiences on here, I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I just meant that some of the posts here and elsewhere that I've read are a bit harsh. I meant it seems harsh when people berate tt for not having followed practical advice already given when she's got so much on when really I just get the feeling that she needs a big hug and a bit of encouragement with putting the practical advice given already into practice
I agree. C'mon give her a break.
:yes:
Don't worry about how hard it is to get a solicitor, go get one anyway, even if it's hard.
I do agree with some of the others that although it's not a long term solution, even with worries about anxiety, halls might just be really good for you for a year.
I'm sorry, but it feels like my time and effort is being wasted. I have to research a lot of the replies I make and it takes quite a bit of time. It makes me wonder why I bother.
I'm waiting on a reply from the service mananger, and i am also waiting for my local childrens rights team to get back to me, as they have said that they will be able to put me in touch with a solicitor that they use for most of their cases.
but more bad news, i have been told that since i've been on the housing list, its grown so much that i will now not be eligable for a flat for another 6 years. which means that in order to still be eligable, i have to stay in temporary accommodation for 3 years once i've finished my degree. Which is going to be very hard, and i'm not sure what the hell i can now do. But we did clarify that there is nothing i can really do to boost me up the list.
Or you could get student accommodation for 3 years like most students and then get a job and a flat of your own?