Temporary accommodation advice with kids please.

[TemporaryHousing]

Has anyone got any tips for being put in temporary accommodation please?
I've got ten days before me, DH, and our three Dc move to a Travelodge 20 miles away. I'm so grateful we'll have a roof over our head by the way.

For full transparency though, I'm really frightened.

My eldest son has ASD, but at a mainstream school with an EHCP. Our council have all his paediatrican/ medical letters ect, and I'm also disabled, they have all my medical letters aswell. I'm hoping we'll be priority, but they can't just magic up a house if there aren't any.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any practical tips for the stay, or been in this situation. I've been told to pack very light, and we only have a kettle in the room (which I don't really want to use after reading what people do in them on here 🙈) , and no internet/ fridge. My disability means I can't go out often. I'm not allowed to take an air fryer or microwave. DS1 eats a really limited diet, mainly roast chicken or sausages.
Does anyone have any tips or experience they can help me with please. I've got dominoes, cards, a few books.

Incase it matters, were moving because our landlord is selling our house, I've been here since I was 12 with my parents (I'm 37) and my husband for 16 years, our children have only ever lived here. It's really hard trying to act upbeat and positive at the minute.
Really grateful for any advice or ideas from anyone.

They can contact your housing department for you. I worked in homelessness for years 15 of them in a local authority - it was the persistent people who got helped to fend off complaints and legal challenges.

Do you think they'll listen/ shelter might have more sway than everyobe else that's tried to get in touch? We've only been here two weeks.

The email I got back yesterday, which was a reply from one I sent on Friday, said "be patient", and that we can't bid on any houses yet because it's going to be a minimum of 6 more weeks before they can process our application.

Another homeless lady staying here found a three bed house, on the council app, in our hometown (we don't have the log ins for the apps/ bidding page yet, because we're still being processed), its three roads down from our old house!
I emailed and asked if she'd please bid on it for us, and it was a straight out no until our application is finished.

I don't know if I should be cross or just let them do this application in there own time without rocking the boat..
What would you have done when you worked in the local authority in this case? Would you have put us to the bottom of the pile?

You won’t be able to bid until they have assessed your homeless application which they have to within 56 days.

However, as PP said, you shouldn’t have be in a hotel for longer than 6 weeks. They should move you to more suitable, self contained temporary accommodation.

This extract is from Shelter’s website:

Shelter have advisors and solicitors working for them who can advocate on your behalf re the suitability of the temporary accommodation you have been provided with when considering your family’s specific needs eg disabilities, EHCP, distance from school, cooking facilities.

IME though they will try to get you into something more suitable as soon as they can as the hotel will be expensive for them.

This is excellent advice for the OP! You are so right about what the local authorities do, I have experienced this in the past, and now again.
Apologies OP i don’t want to gate crash on your post. But I just wondered if @scott2609would mind just adding in a little about what should I be expecting if at all, from the council of court possession has been submitted by the claimant and I received and submitted my defence form, and I am now awaiting a hearing, Sec 21. As the latest is that the council were supposed to be doing a personal housing plan with me, and looking at next actions, which I know what that often means, not very much from their side sadly, until last minute. No doubt once they hear I have a hearing date, they might drag their heels even more. Thankyou so much if you are able to offer any insight.

@TemporaryHousingdo you have a receptive MP? You can PM me if you like and I might be able to advise you on the MP (not guaranteed and only if you want to say)

It must be costing them a fortune, it's costing us a fortune being here too. I'm never going to moan about cooking again lol. Thank you so much for your advice.

Can I ask what would happen if they did break their own policies, and I/shelter or our MP pulled them up on it? If they didnt have anywhere to put us? If there's nowhere else we can go?

No-one besides me has had any reply, and that was the one email that said to just be patient, which I completely understand.

The social prescriber at our Gp said our council is a law unto their own when it comes to housing, The deputy head from the secondary school sent a lovely email for us and was told nothing can be done until the assessment is finished. The MP that's representing us just said that he'll be in touch with us "when he gets any substantial reply" from the caseworker, and he's had no response at all yet in over two weeks.

It annoyed me a bit he copied her into the email, when I'd asked him if there was literally anything else we can do. I don't want her to think we're badmouthing her to MPs 😂. I think that's my biggest fear actually, Pissing them off. I promise Im not normally such a wimp! But I've never been homeless before, and never thought I would be.

I suppose I feel really out of my depth to be honest. My family's future is in their hands at the minute, unless we can find a private rental.

We got moved twenty miles from home, and I've had one email in two weeks from our caseworker, telling me to be patient, and that's it. I haven't got a clue what's going on, how the applications going, I don't know how to bid on a house when we are approved, I don't know how to claim housing benefit and how long it will be take to come through, I don't know if I can get my kids to school without some help with fuel, and I'm absolutely terrified that if I piss someone off at the council, they'll leave us here longer or offer us a horrible house.

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I'm also a carer for my parents, I'm an only child and we've all lived together my whole life, and the kids have too since they were born. my son has his EHCP and my other two children are at the same and attached primary school.
Might as well say i also receive PIP for a pretty severe mental illness. The council has all our information, medical reports ect.
I'm struggling a bit the past couple of days. I feel pretty useless.

The last thing you are is useless. You are doing the very best you can and are obviously very concerned for your entire family and trying to make the best of things for them. Your love shines out and I personally think you are doing a great job.

I haven't got a clue what's going on, how the applications going, I don't know how to bid on a house when we are approved, I don't know how to claim housing benefit and how long it will be take to come through, I don't know if I can get my kids to school without some help with fuel, and I'm absolutely terrified that if I piss someone off at the council, they'll leave us here longer or offer us a horrible house.

• the application will be going nowhere. They will wait until the last minute to actually process your assessment. The 56 days is a loose deadline by the way - councils often go over, and decisions are often made much later. This will not be down to anything you do or don't do, it's just what happens.
• you will be given a bidding number and a login to the housing website and it will all be obvious. Don't stress about that before you get there.
• you need to claim universal credit and claim for housing costs. I'm surprised they aren't charging you a contribution towards the hotel - are you absolutely sure you aren't supposed to be paying something?
• the council should help with travel costs to school. If your older child is in a special school he should have school transport.
• There is nothing you can do that would cause them to leave you there longer than needed or deliberately offer you a bad house. That's silly thinking.

I am in TA with 2 kids.
I moved to a very vile hotel in June so you’re extremely lucky you have Travel lodge and I’m pleased that you do! :-).
hopefully you have food with it being travel lodge? Anyway, I took in (snuck in) a mini fridge for milk, waters etc and it has a little freezer but for ice lolly’s etc for the kids. I also had a soup maker (pile in a load of veg and it makes your soup in 19 mins!) a great way to stay healthy. I had a snack box with breaky bars and a few snacky bits for the kids, weeetabix etc. we did ok, honestly…
Know your rights. You can be in a hotel for a certain amount of time. Apply the pressure with (chat gpt made) emails with your legal rights after 6 weeks have passed.
No matter how dreadful it is in the hotel, make it exciting for the kids. Play family board games in the evenings.
best of luck!

No advice OP as more knowledgeable people have given it, but I just want to say you sound amazing. I really hope it gets sorted out soon and you get rehoused.

I think you’re doing brilliant OP. Best of luck and I hope rehousing happens soon for you.

As a matter of interest, what do people do with hotel kettles? I don’t use them but I am in a Travelodge in London as I type and I am intrigued?

Ask if you can take your own kettle, they my have to PAT test it. This morning I watched a YouTube vid of 'cooking with a kettle for a week' He does some cooking' using flasks.

Obviously he is doing this for his own amusement but there are things you can cook with just boiling water.

Pasta - in bowl with boiling water - leave for 10 mins.
Kippers, although they re quite smelly.
Obviously pot noodles and ramen.
Cous cous.

I'm so sorry this is happening to you and your family. I hope you are rehomed quickly and to somewhere you can thrive.

@TemporaryHousingthere is a lot to unpack in your post from early this morning. But;
where are your parents then if you are their carer and have always lived together?
Having people ‘on side’ is no bad thing. Being CCed into things just means you have a paper trail.
Councils do go over times regularly as they can’t magic houses up. They can offer out of area mind you (that’s not said to try and scare you am just saying)
Is your husband working?
You can and should apply for HB through Universal Credit. I assume they will ask for something for accommodation at some point.
Bidding is quite straightforward once they have processed your claim. Depending on where you are will depend on your level eg you have lots of things in your favour… disability etc.

Hopefully it will be a quick turn around but that depends on area etc.

You are doing well! Stay positive!

Hey so good to hear it’s going okay. I’m just saying and hope this doesn’t happen to you but we had friends who were in a travelodge in similar circumstances with ND children for nine months (new baby included!) so it may not be as quick as you think. Fingers crossed for you.