Really stuck for options. Help!

[AnniDollxox]

Right so 5 years ago, when my DD was born I was homeless, we got temporary accommodation that was ok for what we needed. We eventually got threatened in to taking a top floor flat above a nightclub which we have stayed in for the past 5 years. It's been awful , drunks peeing in the hallway, I got beaten up in my own home in front of DD by someone I had never met, a homeless man who was high on meth pooed outside our door, our neighbours were less than desirable, drugs raids, leaking roofs, broken washing machine and to top the disasters off a storage heater (filled with cement blocks) fell on to DD leg and I couldn't lift it off because I wasn't strong enough so I ha to pull her out while wedging towels in to it. The landlord did nothing about any of these things told me to basically put up with it an shut up!
In May this year me and DB found out we were having another baby, very bad timing and bad place to have a baby but I couldn't get an abortion as I was told I would never conceive after DD so we started looking for somewhere else to stay. We had debts but were getting help from an organisation with bankrupcy, mostly because of rent arrears over time.
Our landlord wanted us evicted so we agreed with them that we could stay until after the baby was born in to the new year for various reason which they agreed to of we payed some rent (which we did) so in September you could imagine my shock when a sherif officer showed up at my door and told me we had 2 weeks to move out of the property.
We went to the council and presented as homeless and got offered a b&b 60 miles from our original house, DDs school and DBS work, for £2000 a month, housing benefit could give us £55 a week and we would have to pay the rest. DB is an apprentice mechanic earning around £190 a week, my benefits got canceled because we had to make a joint claim and now have to wait for it to be processed. So £190 a week is £760 a month plus £55 a week housing benefit is £980 only, where the hell were we meant to find the other £1020 from? Let alone the money to get DD to school, DB to work and feed ourselves?
But that isn't the worst part, we were found intentionally homeless by the council even though we had been declared bankrupt and now had nowhere to live, the council also never told me they made this decision and when they did send a letter they sent it to the house I had just been evicted from.... We appealed the decision and are waiting to see what they say but I am unsure of what to do next. We are all sleeping in a bedroom together at my parents house. I am loosing the plot being in such close confinement with so many people! DB and me are arguing more and more! DD and me can't seem to get on either and I don't wanna fall out with my parents because they have been so kind to us, I honestly don't know what I would do without them!
Someone hopefully will get back to me with some advice

[Parietal]

call shelter for advice 0808 800 4444

[fairgame]

You clearly can't afford 2k per month in rent so if you take that house it won't be long before you are in arrears and evicted.
Have you looked at www.entitledto.co.uk/. This website tells you what benefits you are entitled to so you can figure out how much you can afford.

[moxon]

£2k! Good grief! I honestly don't know much about these things, but even high earners can't afford that sort of 'rent'! Sounds seriously problematic. Sorry I can't help.

[AnniDollxox]

I know! It makes me feel sick that they can charge this much for a b&b when there are kids starving, almost homeless because of the same problems I have just said!
I called shelter an they couldn't help me, neither could citizens advice it's just awful!

[notagainffffffffs]

Your problrm here is your boyfriend im afraid. You would get far more help if you didn't live together, as crap as that is. As your dd is so young a school move wouldn't be the worst thing in the world and you may find more affordable properties x

[AnniDollxox]

Yeah I know that is the main issue but we can't get around that :( it just sucks that we did everything we could to try and rectify the situation and we still get shunted by every avenue we try to go down. We tried private rent but they are so expensive where we live, I'm not nostalgic about where we are from or anything but DD is in primary 2 and I wouldn't want to move her schools, especially not 60 miles from where we are from, all our family is here too and as I said she spends every weekend with her grandparents. I don't want to sound unreasonable but the way we are being treated isn't right at all

[fairgame]

Even without her bf she wouldn't get enough housing benefit to cover 2k per month in rent. The problem is the price of the house and the area. I live in a 2 bed terrace and it's £445 per month. You would get a mansion around here for 2k!
Can you stick it out where you are until your bf is qualified? Once he is qualified he will probably be able to get a job more easily in an area that you can afford.

[notagainffffffffs]

Could he not get a house share? Not to be rude but there are options but youre going to have to compromise or in two weeks you're going to be pretty fucked! As he is earning you wont be entitled to much at all, but as a lone parent you should be entitled to housing benefit and income support etc. Even if you only lived apart 6 months you would be able to get yourself together and plan more steadily

[AnniDollxox]

@fairgame I would be willing to do that of it wasn't for another year and a half. And I considered a house share but no one is willing to house share with a newborn baby. I have compromised by saying that I would move 20-30 miles away from our town, school and jobs but 60 miles isn't even worth talking about, 120 mile round trip just to live life...I know I'm fucked that's why I'm asking for opinions on what I should do. And you're right housing benefit wouldn't cover all that money even of I was single. I'm not a liar either so I'm not gonna pretend to be single to get moved to a b&b for 2 months and end up with £4000 of debt when I have just been declared bankrupt.

[fairgame]

notagain meant for your bf to get a house share and you and kids live by yourself as you would be able to claim income support, tax credits and housing benefit.

[fairgame]

But just check that calculator i linked to just to make sure you are getting everything you are entitled to.

[Quitelikely]

Go to social services. They will help you.

[DaisyFlowerChain]

If you can't afford to the rent, you have two choices. You can find work yourself to make up the difference or move. Chidlren adapt to new schools and losing a babysitter for the weekend is easily liveable with and not a reason to stay in the expensive place.

Life is all about choices, some are harsh but thats the reality for many.

[AnniDollxox]

I would be at work right now if I wasn't 6 weeks away from giving birth....don't judge me, I had a job along with my boyfriend. I was a palliative carer but I had to stop because they risk assessed me and it was too high. As I said I am willing to move but 60 miles to somewhere I don't know anyone without my boyfriend, without my car, and 2 kids...think that's asking a bit much of anyone....

[AnniDollxox]

&&I iv been to social work, they can't help because it's a housing issue

[DaisyFlowerChain]

If work risk assessed you that you needed to stop working, then they should be paying you until your maternity pay kicks in.

There's no magic solution and as you're not willing to make the move what do you realistically expect to happen? No car and no local family is what thousands live with every day.

[fairgame]

But lots of people do it. Lots of people living on benefits in London have had to move to other areas of the country due to the benefit cap. I know how difficult it is. My DP had to move from Yorkshire down to Devon with work. I can't go with him as my DS has a specialist school placement that it not available in Devon. If he didn't go he would have lost his job. We have been living seperately for months and it's hard but we had no other option as DP needs work and DS needs his school placement.

[OliviaBenson]

Could you speak to your midwife? And get your councillor involved? I'm not sure anyone who presents themselves as homeless could afford those prices, I can't believe it's even an option.

[AnniDollxox]

Haha, realistically I didn't expect to be evicted for pretty much no reason after I sorted a payment plan and got declared bankrupt. Realistically I didn't expect to be carrying a freezer down 4 flights of stairs while 6 months pregnant and realistically I expected to be treated like an actual human being by a council we pay so much money to every month...and just because I want to be near my family I'm suddenly asking for too much? Because we do actually want to pay our way in life we get shafted

[notagainffffffffs]

Dobt get me wrong I do feel sorry for you- I was in a similar position 7 years ago and ended up moving 90 miles. Best thing I ever did. Im so lucky now to live in a quiet safe place, wirh a job and house and dc and dh. Polar opposite to what I did have. All im trying to say is that feeling sorry for yourself isnt going to change your circumstances. Also you dont have to pretend anything, I wasnt suggesting yoy try and defraud anybody at all. Just housing office will look on you more favourably if you do not have boyfriend living with you.

[Dragonfly71]

Disappointing that shelter and cab can't help, as you are a homeless family, and even with your DP's earnings on very low income. Are you challenging the intentionally homeless decision? I would put everything in a letter to your local MP and chief executive of the council and tell them you are being badly failed as a vulnerable family. You could also go to the housing ombudsman. Plus look into charities that help families, sometimes they help with a grant to get deposit and first months rent. You may need a social worker or midwife to apply on your behalf.

[fairgame]

Are they classed as homeless though or are they classed as overcrowded as they are living with family?

[Parietal]

if you are in/near east london, you might want to contact / link up with this group who are young mums fighting the council for housing

www.facebook.com/pages/Focus-E15-Mothers/602860129757343

focuse15.org/

[Dragonfly71]

Fairgame, not sure about the overcrowding but I think homelessness is defined as not having accomodation that is reasonable to continue to occupy. OPs parents may need to put in writing to housing dept a time limit on how long they can stay. If they want them to leave within 28 days that triggers certain duties for the council. Overcrowding could also be a factor but as it is her parents home it is not the councils decision whether they should stay there or not. But this is what shelter or a housing solicitor would be able to advise on as it's v complicated, especially with the intentionally homeless decision having been made.

[grocklebox]

didn't you get evicted because you weren't actually paying the rent? That isn't no reason.