To want to move boroughs

[BarbJohnson5]

I'm in a private rented house and was given a sect 21 notice to quit. I'm now waiting for the bailiff's order to finally quit this place. I've been to my local council and they have said we'd be put in B&B for between 6-10 months and then back into PR. I don't want another PR for the lack of stability and the effects the uncertainty of staying put has had on my children, especially the tweens. I have 4 children(18,14,12 &2). We're coming from an abusive marriage and escaped domestic violence from my husband, their father 3 1/2 years ago. I am at a stage where i'm thinking of leaving the borough for several reasons, but mainly for the shortage of permanent housing. I would prefer to be in a permanent place with a long term rental contract, rather than being forced back into private - knowing i can't afford it. I'm already struggling to keep up with bills and sometimes have hardly any food, because i can't seem to make things stretch. I'm trying to keep everyone happy, but it just doesn't seem to be working, sometimes i feel like quiting. I have no luxuries apart from the internet(which keeps me sane) and my car. This i need as i've thought about selling it, but if something should happen to any of my children or my mum, who i help care for as she's elderly and has dementia - i'd never get to them quickly enough.
I have also thought about my children(one has chronic eczema and the other wets the bed from stress and worry) and the schools that they're attending at the moment. My 14 year old has told me about drugs being smoked, passed and stashed around in her school. There was an incident of a girl sat in the corridor giving a boy a blow job. I was totally sickened and horrified. She was so frightened and said if she dared complain or reported them, she'd be stabbed, so she quietly walked the other way to her class. I'm terrified for them and its totally fearful of where we'll end up, having to rely on social housing. Sometimes i really hate my ex husband for causing this to happen to us, but i know that won't help.
My question is this: Has anyone upped and moved areas/boroughs with their children for a secure/permanent council place? How has that gone and what did you make of your new life?
I hope i won't be slated for this, but after years of moving around like gypsies(no offence to any) and wanting to 'disappear' so ex won't find us, i would really love to have a stable place, where we could make a home without fear of being kicked out when the landlord felt like it. Blessings and thanks.

What do your children think?

Do you have a destination in mind? (I mean, have you got an offer you can seriously consider?

I didn't move boroughs specifically in order to get a secure tenancy, but I happened to have moved away from my family in London when I applied for a council place. I can understand your reasoning; some places have more availability of council/HA places and your chances of getting a place would probably increase if you moved to one of those areas.
I doubt I would have got a place if I'd stayed in London, or if I did have, it would have been a 1 bed with no garden (as friends in similar circumstances had ended up with after becoming single parents). Where I was living, in the Midlands, I got a secure tenancy on a 2 bed house with a garden. After five years, I decided to move back to London and arranged a mutual exchange to a 2 bed flat in a nice area. My friends who had stayed in London are either still in their 1 beds, or managed to get a 2 bed eventually but had to compromise on area.

I think you'd have to do your research, my council has reports online which document how much housing stock they have left, most councils with bidding systems will show how many bids have been made. You also need to make the most of your circumstances - you'd get additional points due to ill health (but only if supported by a Consultant) and the DV (but needs to be backed up). Most councils give points for having lived in an area for a certain length of time, so you'd need to weigh up the disadvantage of being a newcomer against the availability of housing stock.

With landlord using section 21 and you awaiting bailiffs, can only assume this is so you can get assistance from the council (i.e. not making yourself intentionally homeless etc). While this is a truly awful situation for you OP, unfortunately you must not rate too high on their priority list. Will moving boroughs actually improve your chances of getting assistance? Can't imagine any of the LBs would be all that much different and assume it might even make things more difficult for you. Is there a housing association you could turn to? Sorry can't offer better advice. Best of luck.

Deckswabber - thanks for replying. My oldest who is in his final year at college says i should go ahead, because he will stay with my mum if it came to it as he doesn't want to move.
My 14 year old daughter wants to move schools badly, because of the things i've mentioned above and my 12 year old doesn't really want to move, because he actually likes his new school. (He did go to the same school as my 14 year old, but was stabbed with a compass, during playtime by a child he didn't even know, who said they were 'playing', so i moved him). At the same time, they're a little afraid of where we'll end up. Some days, they're open to it and others a little resistant. I think its the whole starting all over again, making new friends that bothers them, which i totally get. I haven't any offers at the moment as i'm still in the PR house, awaiting the bailiff's order. I am considering the outskirts of London (Harrow, Houslow etc) as i need to be able to drive into London within an hour or less to see my mum. Its a last resort thinking.

I live in a London borough and I seriously don't know a single one that doesn't have a waiting list a mile long for social housing.

I'm not sure the reasons you've given for keeping on the expense of a car are that realistic though. Plenty of people (including myself) choose not to drive and just keep 'emergency taxi money' in a drawer....plus the public transport is quite good all over London compared to rural areas.

Is there any chance you could up your working hours?

YANBU to not want your child going to that school though...it sounds dreadful.

Theonlychanceihave - Thanks for replying. I've lived in my area all my life, with the exception of living in europe for a few years, when things were great. I'm researching areas at the moment, but as i'm on my own with the children i'm nervous about being too far out of what is our 'normality', but i'm willing to sacrifice that for a better community, schools and a safer environment for myself and the children. My Gp is aware of my children's issues, but feels his letter alone won't suffice enough without the umbrella of our local council, whom i've written to. We're awaiting a response from our council, as they've said we don't have a housing need, being that we're in a house - even though we've been given the sect 21 notice that they know about. With the DV as my ex isn't in the UK, his constant abusive phone calls, or silent calls aren't considered as anything by the police. We had a meeting in May last year after he turned up at my door, banging and verbally abusing me until one of my neighbours called the police. He's had people following and spying on me, again the police said nothing can be done because we don't know the people reporting back to him all that's taking place. Only the information that he passes on to my eldest son about who and when people are coming and going from our home. He knows things that none of my children would volunteer even unconsciously.

Zoobaby - No we don't count at all as we're considered to be adequately housed at this moment. However, my council knows about the section 21 notice and has told us that we are not to move until the bailiffs order arrives. From what i've read online(no one has told me anything on how the whole thing works) that the bailiffs order takes 14 days to expire and on the final day we present as homeless and only then will the council look at our situation. The HA all say that i need to go through the council before they'll look at us, so i can only imagine once we've been taken on as homeless only then will an application form actually be filled in. I have an appointment with the Homeless assessment team on monday 21st, because i've told them i want to move out of the borough. If i can go on the outskirts of London i'm sure our chances will be greatly improved all round...schools, environment, housing etc.

WorralLiberty - Thanks for responding. I agree with the long waiting lists in London. I thought about selling the car cuz Lord knows the insurance and tax isn't helping me out financially. However, as i've said previously, i'm a carer for my elderly mum who lives alone and has dementia. I take her for her hospital appointments and Dr's appointment. Sometimes i have to go and pick her up from odd places, like the council or the police station(like i did yesterday evening) because she gets confused and sometimes forgets to take her keys, or thinks someone's in the house with her. I'm not working at the moment as i am retraining. I was a stay at home mum for 7 years, helping my ex husband with his business, so never needed to work outside the home. I have wanted to move from last year, because of the problems with stabbings in my daughter's school and within the local area. My 18 year old son was attacked on his way home from his own birthday party by a group of hooded youths, who sprayed red paint in his face, trying to blind him just so that they could steal his phone and money. My son was very fortunate because his height saved his eyes that night. Inner London is a very scary place to raise children, especially good children wanting to do well in school. If it means moving completely out of London then i'm prepared to do it, just don't want to be rural at all. I just need some stability until i'm able to get my financial independence and being in a position to buy our own place. I'm not looking to sit on benefits and don't want to get used to it. I'm not looking down on others as i don't know their circumstances, i'm just talking about my aspirations and my life how it was before the silly sod of a man i was married to decided to selfishly ruin things.......but i'm not bitter at all, i'm just down for a little bit.

Oh I see that's totally understandable with the dementia...my friend often has to pick her MIL up from the police station...sometimes in the early hours of the morning

It's just that I live in a Greater London Borough...right on the edge of the East End/bordering Essex and actually the housing crisis (from what I read) is worse here...because it's much cheaper than inner London so attracts far more people.

Also, my DS1 was racially attacked and mugged for his mobile phone at knife point a couple of years ago.

On the plus side, the local schools are absolutely brilliant and both the local Primary and Senior schools are OFSTED outstanding.

Ah, if you're just looking within London then I doubt the move would make a huge difference to your chances. As WorraLiberty says, they all have very long lists for housing. I was thinking that some northern councils, for example, do have reasonably high levels of social housing and so the waiting list would be shorter, and you could possibly transfer back to London like I did. But you'd have to uproot your family in doing so, which would be quite a big risk.

Our schools are pretty good where we are and we are in inner London, but the catchment areas are tiny - there are much rougher schools only a few roads away but served by different estates. I can understand your reasons for wanting to move areas, but it won't be taken into consideration by councils at all when looking at housing priority.

With the medical issues, I'd ask for a referral to a consultant, because GP letters don't carry much weight. They don't like referrals just for housing issues, so you'd have to be prepared to engage in ongoing treatment, but that will make your case much stronger.

Are the police logging the incidents with your ex? Are you in touch with any DV agencies?

WorralLiberty - it can be very stressful can't it! Thankfully, my mum has wandered off during the days and early evenings. I'm scared for my son when he goes out on his own, especially moreso since the attack. Fortunately, he doesn't hang around o the streets and will be at one of his friend's house. I'm sorry to hear about your son, i hope the attack hasn't changed his personality or character in anyway, because i know that sometimes it can. My 12 year old was robbed of his mobile phone on his way to school. That too was frightening as i could hear him crying from the outside and was really fearing the worse when i opened the door. He hardly leaves the house since then, which is a real shame.

theonlychanceihave - I couldn't go that far as i'd be alone(completely) although i dont have a problem being alone, just wouldn't want to be so far away from everything we've known and loved ones. I may just see if going to the outskirts of croydon, which is where we live will be worth looking into. I will look into the referral part for my daughter's chronic eczema, as this has worsened since receiving the Sect 21 notice. My 12 year old has been referred to the Enuresis clinic again, since the bedwetting has started again. Dunno if that will help with our application as its caused from fear and the stress of being homeless. The police did say they would log the stalking incident, but couldn't go any further as we don't know exactly who my ex husband has following and watching our house. Not even the 'unknown' or 'blocked' call to my cellphone will mean anything as the number is withheld and there isn't any conversation from the other end. Its just really stressful and if i can move areas just so that he cannot find us, then i would and then drive in to see my oldest daughter and mum. I'm just trying to stay positive as well as help myself out of this mess, but sometimes its extremely overwhelming and i feel like i'm fighting again.

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow! Based on your mention of Harrow and Hounslow I guess your mum is north of the river? How about a little further afield like Watford? Having said that though, I bet the housing situation is just as dire there too. I think there are so many people who are desperately hurting right now.