Council obligation to house

[Lime19]

Help me settle an argument. I've posted about this relative previously (in terms of benefits she might get which mumsnetters informed me, pretty much nothing). We think the relative has aspergers (not formally diagnosed, she's refusing to go to dr or seek help, we are all extremely concerned for her. If you try to reason with her she cuts you out her life.). She's in her 30s, has now lost her job and seems to think the council will just give her a lovely flat for free when she gets evicted. I think this will not happen.

What exactly does the council have an obligation to do? Surely there's a wait list? And they don't have enough houses/flats to go round?

Aibu to think it's not just that simple?

Depends where she is. NE they hand keys out like sweets, SE no chance and wait list of 7-10 years. Both my experiences.

I think that there are enough grounds here to make a referral to adult social services on the basis of her being a vulnerable adult. By this I mean report her, to get her the help she clearly needs.

Ring them and tell them that she is not managing her life and has unrealistic expectations. Explain the whole situation and they may be able to support her to achieve a different kind of life to the one she is living now. They may try to persuade her to seek a diagnosis on the basis it can get her extra support.

Lime19

Can you encourage her to visit DWP and possibly district council for council tax relief?

I'm up north it isn't cheaper much, and it isn't easier to get housed.

A DD of my Mums friend has just spent a significant proportion of the year in temporary accommodation before being housed. She has 3 DCs which didnt make her get one any quicker.

Poor choices do not mean that someone is either vulnerable, or lacks capacity. I doubt social services will do anything when she is not at immediate risk of harm, they simply don't have the resources.

Those talking about diagnosis may not realise that NHS ASD diagnostic services have waiting lists of several years, and even then few are allowed to go onto the waiting list.

Sorry Lime, but there is very little support available for your friend, even if she did want it. The fact that she doesn't lowers the chances of her getting help even more.

If by Oop Norf she’s considering Leeds, tell her not to bother. I was at an advice centre a year or so back and they said there were something like 6,000 people on the waiting lists for one bedroom flats

Thanks all. It's such a frustrating situation for all involved. I've passed on some of this information to her but she will likely just tell me I'm wrong and send another rude message back. It's really really hard to watch someone on self destruct mode and do nothing. It's not just me, do I continue to try to get her to listen!

It must be so frustrating OP. If she won't believe you she will just have to find out for herself, although that is worrying if she thinks she is going to walk into another property - all I've read on MN indicates that the Council are not obliged to offer if someone is evicted due to non-payment of rent.

EltonJohn's right, they're unlikely to have a duty to house her.

A lot of councils won't even let you make a homeless application unless there's a prima facie case that they have a duty, which saves them the cost of putting people in B&B for 4 weeks while they determine the application.

The council only have a duty to house you if they have housing stock. More councils are turning their existing housing stock over to private housing associations, which although still count as social landlords, do not have the same obligation to house. They can use the intentionally homeless clause to wash their hands of you and the council can do the same if they no longer posses any houses in which to house you.

If they have a statutory duty, they have to help you, regardless of whether they have housing stock or not. That's why councils have people in B&Bs for months, or lease properties from private landlords.

And most housing associations get their tenants by local council nomination, there are few that do direct allocations these days.

My local council state that they have no obligation to house you if you have no dependent children or aren't classed as vulnerable (e.g. disabled,very elderly or living with a medical condition that would endanger you if you were living rough). They certainly wouldn't house a person in their 30s with no dependents and with no formal diagnosis of a condition,physical or mental. They would not accept a 'self-diagnosed' condition,they would require doctor or consultant confirmation.

You could be helpful and give her the Shelter helpline number. They'll tell her the same but maybe she'd accept it coming from them.

Short term, she needs to claim benefits asap. Even if she's evicted the rent arrears won't go away.