Council flat & work accommodation?

[Predicter]

My younger sister is a care leaver, and has a council flat. Recently she’s been hanging around with some bad people and has gotten herself into a right mess. She’s been diagnosed with BPD as an adult and was diagnosed with autism as a child. As a result of her past in care, she has severe depression and hasn’t worked for a year (she’s only 20).

She’s been offered a job, working all over the UK. The pay isn’t much over minimum wage but I believe this is exactly what she needs to get a fresh start and she agrees. However, due to the nature of the job, she has to stay in accommodation provided which is free if she meets her targets and £60 a week if she doesn’t.

She’s wanting to go into it all guns blazing but I’m thinking, if she gets this wage, not only will she have to pay the rent on the flat, but she might it taken away? I completely understand why that would happen, as there are alot of people waiting for council property, but I’m not 100% sure she would keep the job for more than a few months (a quick google of the company suggests high staff turn over due to targets not being met). So I’m a little unsure what the best advice is to give her? Even being away from her ‘friends’ for a short time and proving to herself that she CAN work would really help her- I think. But if she looses her flat as a result of taking on the job then gets fired, that will probably tip her over the edge.

Anyone with any info regularly the flat? I really love the fact that she finally wants to work again and it really would do her the world of good, should i be trying to help her into another type of more stable job or encourage her to go for this?

Sorry for all the typos don’t know what’s wrong with me!!

Can you speak to her PA and figure this out with her? You need someone who understands the system to either tell her she can't do this, or help her to find a way to do this.

She really should not give up her council flat. Please do all you can to pursue her not to. She will be making herself voluntary homeless.

What makes you think she's lose the flat? Would she not be home at weekends?

I would advise against her doing anything that would mean she'd have to give up the flat. There'll be other job opportunities but she'll probably never get another LA property and it sounds like she really needs that security.

The job sounds a bit unstable too which might not be the best thing for her.

I think the job sounds a really bad idea, she needs stability and this job is the absolute opposite.

Could she afford 2 rents? This has trouble written all over it.

She’s been offered a job, working all over the UK

I cant even hazard a guess what this is - but it sounds dubious

is it this kind of thing
www.indeed.co.uk/cmp/Wesser/reviews?fjobtitle=Fundraiser&fcountry=ALL
if so don't
check feedback of company concerned - I don't like the idea of it for someone as fragile as your sister

Depends on her tenancy type- but she may be able to get a lodger with agreement from her landlord. Speak to the landlord and explain she is going away for work purposes- they can at times help get to arrange a 6 or 12 month temporary sublet wit legal agreement for a lodger. I'm not sure what the terminology is.

This doesn't sound like a good opportunity at all. She's vulnerable and needs stability not an employer which sounds exploitative.

Is it possibly something to do with shop refits? My cousin did this for a while, like in big supermarkets or department stores, going in during the wee hours to give massive deep clean or rearranging the layout. If it is the night shifts and long days trying to sleep in hotel rooms really messed up his circadian rhythm, so may not be great.

It is a charity and I’ve canvassed before so know it’s a ropey job and have told her she probably would be let go if she doesnt get enough sign ups but she’s quite happy to go anyway, not thinking of her flat at all. I know it’s quite a bad job in general, but its the first time in over a year she’s seemed excited about anything and I don’t want to be the one to rain on her parade so thought I’d better ask. In terms of weekends they would be spent in the accommodation as well, so I’m pretty sure she would end up loosing the flat if she had to declare she was living away.

Could she get away with saying its a temporary job, as I’m 99% sure she wouldnt last, or would that be fraud?

I’ve canvassed before, but for a solar company years ago when people actually made alot of profit from them, and because the payback was so good we earned alot of money from it. She saw that I earned alot of money from it and I think she thinks charity canvassing will be the same... i think it would be much harder

Travelling all over the country, pressurised targets, likelihood of being sacked, no stability, being kept away from her support network (eg you, leaving care team, mental health team) and the risk of ending up in a worse situation than she currently is in a few months. This is a recipe for disaster.

Could she approach the Prince's Trust? They're a fantastic charity that give lots of support aimed at getting people just like your sister into employment - for instance I know they work with Marks & Spencer to get people into jobs there.

No way should your sister do this far too risky. If she loses her flat she would not get another one especially as she doesnt have kids.

If her flat is left empty for a period while shes away doing this its likely some nosy neighbour will report it as abandoned or the council will assume it is when they make numerous efforts to do the gas safety check.

Its happened to someone in a fb group Im an admin for.

And its why tenants cant take jobs on farms berry picking which has been suggested on here before.

But if she looses her flat as a result of taking on the job then gets fired,

With many social housing associations this can be seen as "wilfully making yourself homeless" too, absolving them of the need to house pronto.

Sounds like the kind of "job" where you have to be buzzy, outgoing, and not bothered by people cutting you off, ignoring you or being downright rude.
You'd have to be pretty robust for that, particulalry as someone else has mentioned, away from your support network.
If she has BPD, sounds like she'd be OK on her up days, but my feeling is that the downs would soon outweigh the ups if she was in this role - it sounds most unsuitable before you even start to contemplate her housing situation.

The job sounds like the worst kind of job for her, it sounds like some kind of sales. Is minimum wage guaranteed even if she doesn't meet targets?

Talk to Shelter who would be able to advise fully on the complex housing situation.

I’ve let her see these comments so she understands a little more that she has to prioritise keeping her flat. Thankyou for all your advice. She’s going to arrange a meeting with her social worker to ask for help finding a more suitable job with less risks

OP. I wish your sister all the best and I hope she finds something where she feels valued and supported.

It's good that you have her back.

yes you sound like a great sister.