16 Full time education, Rent/cost of living help

Former Member

Hia, I'm 16 turning 17 soon currently about to start higher education. I have been forced out of living with my mum recently so am currently staying with with my Gran. However this is only temporary. My mum is providing no finical support at all and my gran is on a pension of only £16,000 a year. Since I only have a short term solution to my housing problem as I cannot stay at my Grans for long, I am currently looking to rent a place whilst studying for my a-levels.

I am looking for advice on what benefits I can claim to help me with rent/money for necessities.

Thank you,
Alex

Former Member

Hi Alex,
Welcome to The Mix boards. I'm really sorry to hear you've been forced out of living with your Mum recently. It's positive you've had a family member to turn to, but as you say, it's only a temporary solution.

Benefits for under 18s can be a little bit complicated, so we tend to recommend people visit their local Citizens Advice Bureau so that you can talk about your situation in more depth and find out the specifics of what help is available - there may be things specific to your area, for example.

Looking at the CABs young people section, this paragraph seems to be relevant?

[h=2]Being forced to leave home[/h] If you are in conflict with your parents, you may feel you are forced to leave home. The legal position in this situation is complicated.
If you are under 16 and are forced to leave home, you can contact your local authority social services department. They will step in if they become aware of what is happening. The local authority may want to talk to your family to see what services it could provide to enable you to stay at home. If this is not possible, the local authority may try to find a relative to look after you or may offer to accommodate you. If you are at risk of suffering significant harm, the local authority may consider taking you into care.
For more information about local authority services, see Local authority services for children in need.

Here's the page this info comes from: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/finding-a-place-to-live/young-people-and-housing/

Let us know what you think - and hopefully others with first hand experience will come and offer up insight, too.