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Income support

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Okay so I currently live in a hostel and have done for a year almost, I was in education full time so I was entitled to income support to help pay the rent and other stuff, In December due to extreme bullying by the full class..I dropped out.

I've been told by Janet(Hostel worker) if Income support find out I've dropped out they'll stop paying me, but, I'm hopefully *fingers crossed* moving to Coventry end of March beginning of April time so I won't have time to join a college again here, but there is a college down the road a few of the other resident at the hostel attend, which Janet has asked me if I want to attend incase income support notice I'm not attending a college. But the thing is, At this college all you can do is level one health and social care, and I've already studied health and social care level one & two and got my qualifications. I was studying it at level 3 till i dropped out, So It'd probably be a waste of time attending.

But if my income support stops, I'll be homeless..
What do I do?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Emmalee wrote: »
    Okay so I currently live in a hostel and have done for a year almost, I was in education full time so I was entitled to income support to help pay the rent and other stuff, In December due to extreme bullying by the full class..I dropped out.

    I've been told by Janet(Hostel worker) if Income support find out I've dropped out they'll stop paying me, but, I'm hopefully *fingers crossed* moving to Coventry end of March beginning of April time so I won't have time to join a college again here, but there is a college down the road a few of the other resident at the hostel attend, which Janet has asked me if I want to attend incase income support notice I'm not attending a college. But the thing is, At this college all you can do is level one health and social care, and I've already studied health and social care level one & two and got my qualifications. I was studying it at level 3 till i dropped out, So It'd probably be a waste of time attending.

    But if my income support stops, I'll be homeless..
    What do I do?

    You might be able to get Job Seekers Allowance or if you are ill ESA.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Doesn't it take 3-4 weeks to have JSA put through and accepted ect?..

    I'm not ill enough for ESA
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So what are you doing with your time at the moment?

    If you're not doing anything else, you may as well go to college. Keep your knowledge fresh for restarting your level 3 next year.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I get income support and I'm not in full time education. But you do need to let them know you're no longer in education. You should still be entitled to it, as you're not living with your parents, and can't, and that you're living in a hostel... But if you don't tell them, I remember reading something in the piles of letters they send that they can take legal action...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I do voulenteer work with my time now..


    I'm not entitled to it if I'm not in full time education, I've asked before when I did the interveiw thingy..
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey there,

    Sorry to hear about the bullying at college which made you leave your course. The whole situation sounds frustrating and I can understand that you're worried about your benefit claim.

    You should really tell the DWP about any changes in your circumstances that may affect your benefit claim - I can totally understand why you are reluctant to do those. However, it may be worse later if they find out a different way.

    It might be an idea to seriously consider making an application for JSA. Even if they take a few weeks to process your application, it can be backdated to the date that you made the application. Further this would help your Housing Benefit claim to remain in payment and therefore you would avoid rent arrears.

    Alternatively, you could join the college down the road. even though you'd be repeating the same level, it might be good to keep your mind active (like SM says) and also it would mean you would carry on receiving Income Support.
    Do they do any other courses that you could join?
    Are there any other colleges near by that you could join? Either for Level 3 in Health and Social care or a different course?

    You can post a question to the askTheSite service - http://www.thesite.org/community/askthesite
    An expert will respond to any questions you submit.
    :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I couldn't be bothered starting a new thread so thought I'd update this topic whilst posting my new query!

    I moved cities 2 weeks ago and income support didn't find out I'd dropped out of college so I never had to worry about it in the end, I rang income support up a couple of days after I moved and told them I'd changed address and my circumstances had changed ect ect. After about 2 hours on the phone they mentioned they we're going to send me a form to fill in and send back off, which they did its an estrangement form and mentions about when I became estranged from my parents and their address and why ect, I moved out of my parents a year ago and I never had to fill this form in then, I'm a bit warey of filling the address in because I know they will contact my parents if I do so and I don't want that happening. But then about a week later I got another letter saying "Your recent change in circumstances doesn't affect the amount of money you are..." so does that mean since my circumstances haven't changed I don't have to fill in the first pointless letter they sent me?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I would be inclined to phone them up and ask.

    Also, why would they tell your parents, you're 18 now?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Estrangement is complicated, they may well want confirmation from your parents even though you're over 18 because it affects stuff like housing benefit if you have proof your family won't support you. I don't know the details but it is likely they will want confirmation from your parents. It might be the only way to get appropriate help, though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Even when I was 22 claiming benefits for the first time they asked why I didn't move home (I'd left years before). Luckily my mum and step-Dad had sold the house I used to live in and bought a smaller one which didn't have room for me so they accepted this as a good reason.
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