Imminent homelessness

Former Member

Good evening, first a little bit of background, i'm 26 and currently living with my parents, Unemployed and involved with part time study at a local college. I claim JSA.

After some colourful arguments with my parents it seems like staying here is no longer an option all of my friends are married with children or not married but live with a partner and have children, so staying with them is not really an option for me.

Im really worried sick, im not exactly brass for cash I have some meager savings but I really don't know what to do or who to speak to.

Obviously talking to the right people is paramount as a day wasted could mean potentially extra days homeless, I'm not sure what help I would qualify for after some google searches the only things I could unearth about being made homeless by parents were all aimed at young people and no help to me. While I haven't been physically removed from my parents house as of yet the environment is extremly toxic, constant arguments and my father saying some really horrible things. I do not want to remain here.

Has anyone got any advice? Experience with housing benefits? Experience on the right people and the right things to ask said people?

I appreciate any and all help

EDIT: After more searching it appears im not in "priority need" so does that mean im essentially going to be homeless with zero help?

EDIT the second: I realize after posting this site is aimed at a more younger audience but I would still really appreciate any help and advice

Former Member

Are your parents kicking you out, or are you leaving? Because that makes a difference

Former Member

If you're not working or income is below a certain threshold you should get housing benefit. You can join the council housing list but private tenancy is probably going to be a faster route. As you are over 25 the benefits are a bit more generous.

Generally homeless provisions are better if you are under 18 (when council has a legal responsibility to home you) but there are hostels and shelters still out there for everyone, make sure to check out shelter's website. It's probably going to be a case of doing quite a bit if the legwork yourself in your local area trying to find out the places to contact. Obviously Cab or connexions can signpost you.

Would really suggest getting in touch with shelter though. All the best.

Former Member

I know im entitled to housing benefit though I think the maximum I could possibly claim is around £219, after the recent changes single people really got their support cut in half.

Ive been looking at private places to rent, but there seems to be alot of red tape due to me not working.

Any tenant that is under the age of 25 and/or claiming housing benefits will require a guarantor.

I wont have my parents there to be a guarantor, I dont imagine them throwing me out then being happy having my rent around their necks on paper. Also even proposing this to them would be seriously hard to do.

So what exactly are my other options? I could sign my name for a council house definately but again im not considered priority need so even when im given an offer im likely to be outbid by someone else with more points on the system.

From where im uncomfortably sat it seems my only real option is to attempt to rent a room from someone privately but again everything ive looked at is way out of my price range..

/sigh

EDIT:

Are your parents kicking you out, or are you leaving? Because that makes a difference

From what i've read it makes no difference, I dont match any criteria of being in priority need so the best the council will do is simply offer advice and not alot more.

Former Member

Hey there Davies 0086 and welcome to the site boards.
Thanks for posting your query. Sorry to hear about the difficulties you are having at home with your parents and also about the housing situation in general. It is difficult these days for young people to get out there and find suitable and affordable housing.

I thought I’d highlight some of your housing options here under a few headings.

Homelessness (applying to the council)
It seems like you have already done some research into this and the Shelter pages have a lot of detailed information so I won’t repeat all of it here.
Find out here what the council checks to decide if you are homeless - http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/help_from_the_council_when_homeless/the_councils_decision
The Council have a duty to provide interim temporary accommodation while they make their enquiries into your application.
As you say you may have difficulty in passing the ‘priority need’ test. However, I would not rule it out altogether without seeking more specialist advice. You could try giving Shelter a call to discuss your circumstances in more detail - 0808 800 4444

Housing register (again apply to the council)
I think this is what ShyBoy was referring to. This is the general housing waiting list with the council. Each council will have an allocation scheme/policy detailing how they will allocate their housing stock. You can make an application to be on the housing register and they should assess the information you provide and allocate you priority on the list accordingly. You then bid for properties each week as they advertised and depending on your priority you will be shortlisted for viewings/offers accordingly.
As you can imagine, this is a long term option as council’s have limited housing. However, it is worth a try.

Housing Associations
You could try approaching housing associations who normally allocate their housing stock under allocation policies too. They will all have different requirements or specifications so I won’t go into all the possibilities here.
But it is useful to know that many housing associations have an agreement with their local councils that they will advertise x% of their properties on the council’s housing register. Therefore it is useful to be on the housing register to be able to access these housing association properties, which sometimes have cheaper rents that you might be able to get in the private rented sector.

Private rented sector
This of course can be a quicker solution given the amount of housing stock in the private sector but of course you mention the issue with guarantors. There’s also deposits to normally pay and the higher rents compared to the social sector.
However, there are things to help.
Many councils have schemes where they will pay for your deposit and first months’ rent. However, they normally have specific requirements that you need to meet to access this. Go to your local council to find out anyway.
Also, you already mentioned, that you can apply for housing benefit. In the private rented sector you are limited to the ‘local housing allowance’. Just check with your local council how much this will be for you; although you seemed to have researched this already so that’s a good start.
It might just be a case of looking everywhere you can to find somewhere affordable in the private rented sector – even a room in a shared house could be a start until you find something more ideal.
I know relations with your parents are strained, but is there any way they could help you towards a deposit? Maybe try speaking to them about this. It seems like it might do you all good to have some space but that you also could try working together to ensure that you all have somewhere safe to live.

Hostels
These vary from local area to local area but your council may have more details about this. Alternatively, you could approach your local law centre or citizens advice bureau who may also have some information about what is available in your local area in terms of hostels or other housing schemes.

I know this is a lot of information but I hope it helps put things in a bit more perspective.

Former Member

Thank you for the information L1ttleOne, I have to speak to my job search adviser Monday 20th so im hoping he can offer me some assistance also, as im guessing they may deal with these issues occasionally, being connected to the job center they may also have connections to other services of support. In any case im still really panicing and havent eaten properly in days I feel like my life has unraveled.

My next step will be to speak to the council after this meeting to see where I go from there but I fear they may say they simply cant help.

If anyone else has any experiences or information to share please contribute for myself and others who may read this thread in a similar situation and much love to those who have contributed already.

Former Member

Have you looked at getting a room in a shared house?

It's a pretty standard way to live for someone of your age, and while many won't take housing benefit there are usually some who will.