Moving in a hurry while isolated - any tips?

[hitmouse]

Just had a friend asking for advice, and thought I'd throw it out to the urban hivemind. I've got a friend who's fairly recently had to move back in with one of their parents due to health issues, and so ended up in a city where they're fairly isolated and don't know many people. It sounds like things are not going well with their current living situation and so they'd like to move out pretty quick, but that's obviously a lot easier if you have people around to help/move in with you, and gets tougher the more isolated you are. I've had a look around the Shelter advice pages and advised them to do the same, but does anyone else have any advice to offer? Is one of those things where I don't want to pry into the details of the situation, but I get the impression that the precise details of why they're having to move probably make a fair bit of difference in terms of whether they'd qualify for emergency help from the council - I know they qualify for PIP, which is definitely one aspect of priority need, but not sure if they'd meet other criteria as well.

 

[two sheds]

Does he need help moving or finding somewhere to live, or both?

 

[hitmouse]

Both really, I think particuarly the latter though.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Dunno really.

I'm a bit out of touch with the whole housing thing, but a few random thoughts -

Aware that getting a private tenancy when on benefits isn't at all easy. The amount of assistance that councils can / will offer people to find private tenancies varies, some places have a deposit guarantee scheme, but they are getting fewer - and you usually have to have a 'local connection' with the area, the terms of which vary. Is parents' home in a different council area to where they have been living until recently?

And getting on the housing list / any assistance from council may not happen if council say that they have already got somewhere adequate to live. Are there any factors like where they are now being unsuitable due to health condition / disability, or making it worse?

The rule used to be that you couldn't claim housing benefit if you were (in effect) renting a room from a close family member, which can put a financial strain on this sort of situation - I'm not sure if that's still the case under universal credit. While such a scheme would be open to abuse, it would probably cost less in the long run than people having to move out and claim housing benefit in a commercial tenancy.

Is their presence at parents' home making that home (legally) overcrowded?

Are parents actively pressuring them to leave, and would they put it on paper?

Talking to local shelter (may be a case of making an appointment rather than just going somewhere) may be the best next move.

 

[nottsgirl]

If their health is good enough to houseshare that is a good way to find somewhere affordable fairly quickly. There are always rooms on Facebook Marketplace around here although some are dodgy/ rip offs. That will also help with being isolated as they will meet people. They should apply to the council for social housing sooner rather than later. Even if there's a waiting list, it's better to be on the waiting list. You might be able to help with that as it's a long form round here and you have to provide quite a lot of documentary proofs.

 

[marty21]

They should be able to get housing advice from the Local Authority. If they are not regarded as in housing need, (ineligible for council housing) they can refer them to the private sector .

 

[Boudicca]

Do they have a social worker? Or sometimes there are specialist council workers who help people find private accomodation.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

How old are they? The Foyer Federation provides supported accommodation for people 16-25 years old, check availability in their current area/the area they were living before.

Find a Foyer | The Foyer Federation

Browse our UK network of Foyers and search our member service directory

www.foyer.net

Or if they're LGBTQ+ they might find the Albert Kennedy Trust helpful.

"We support LGBTQ+ young people aged 16-25 at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness, or living in a hostile environment. Our centres are open for referrals in Manchester, London, Newcastle and Bristol. We offer digital support across the UK. Our Live chat is open to offer remote support to those living elsewhere in the country."

Get Immediate Support - Help Is Available

If you identify as LGBTQ+ and are aged 16-25, we can help you find a safer living situation. We help LGBTQ+ young people out of homelessness.

www.akt.org.uk

They could possibly be classed as at risk of homelessness if their relationship with their parents is breaking down. Crisis might be able to help them.

https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-help/how-to-get-help/

Gender comes into it too, in that there's probably more support and hostel places for women, who are seen as more vulnerable and at risk when it comes to street homelessness, men are often left to fend for themselves.

If they're a woman and their relationship breaks down, they might be able to get a place in a hostel and then help getting rehoused.

In the first instance, many councils will put people off applying to go on their housing list.

(Around 20 years ago, when I was homeless due to a relationship breakdown and having worked away and returned back to the UK, when I phoned to enquire I was originally told that I'd be one the housing waiting list for nine years before getting anything. After sofa surfing with friends for a bit, my mental health tanked and I ended in a women's hostel for five months before being offered a council flat. But they originally assessed that they had no legal duty to rehouse me - until I looked up the law and challenged them, because care leavers are classed as vulnerable; I also helped some women in the hostel challenge their decisions because they'd just been released from prison, so should've been assessed as the council having an obligation to help them but they were originally told the council had no obligation to house them. I think the hostel staff hated me for challenging their bullshit, but it was appalling.)

Basically, your friend might need help challenging bullshit decisions. So look up the law centres network, if there's a law centre nearby, they might be able to get legal help re housing issues.

You mentioned they receive PIP. If they have any mental health issues, then the advice workers at Mind can be very helpful in terms of helping to apply for benefits/make sure people get all the benefits they're entitled to. They might also be aware of any local services that might help homeless people/people at risk of homelessness, any tenancy deposit schemes, help furnishing a new place, etc.

 

[hitmouse]

Cheers all for this! Will pass it on.