Posting for traffic homelessness

[Oranges121]

I'm asking on here on behalf of someone else. They have had to stop work through health reasons and can't return until an operation. They were never good at saving money but earned well. The benefits he's on are a 1/4 of what he earned. Landlords wanted him out when he couldn't pay the £600 rent. They kept sending incorrect section 21 and everytime the council rejected it they didn't communicate. They eventually took him to court and he needs to leave the property tomorrow. The council have said to stay until a bailiff kicks him out

It sounds like if the council can't find him anywhere by then he will be on the streets. He's unwell and he's really depressed and worried. He's turned to charities and done everything he can to get grants and help. He's in a new relationship too and he's anxious about this affecting that.

I just wanted to know if anyone has experience of this and is he likely to be housed? It's horrible having no answers and he's worked from 16 years of age and is now 49.

Unfortunately he just has to wait for the bailiffs to turn up and evict him before the council will act. Once they've been he needs to contact the council's homelessness team for an urgent housing needs assessment. He needs to stress his disabilities and poor mental health so that he's found in priority need. The council will then find him emergency housing that's covered by housing benefit. The type of emergency accommodation he's offered will depend on whats available on that day but is likely to be a room in a shared house or hostel. Once he's housed they will put together a housing action plan for him which is likely to involve him finding a private landlord who will accept him and they'll pay the first months rent and deposit for him.

It's a shit place to be in but he needs to follow the system or he risks being found intentionally homeless and the council won't have any obligation to help in those circumstances.

He's now had a note from the job center saying they want £8000 back as he failed to upload his contract. Landlords never sent a new contract to him. He's well and truly in a mess now and won't have a single penny coming in.

Who is he waiting for surgery with? Does he have a consultant? We have homelessness nurses at work that we can refer patients to for extra help and support.

£8k over how long. Did he ever give them a contract?

Bet he wishes he'd saved a bit for a rainy day.

Oranges why are Universal Credit asking for £8k back? Did your friend realize that some of his monthly payment was to pay his rent? Yes, expecting people to live on the Standard Rate of £325 per month is impossible but that's what the system says. Feel the outrage for all.

The fit note is so your friend won't get sanctioned for not fulfilling his 'duties' as a Claimant so easily - it means he has Limited Capacity For Work. NO extra money like under the JSA/ESA system.

Council Tax is sorted by your Local Council (usually the same one in charge of housing) and nearly every Local Council insists that any Council Tax Support (CTS) Claimant pays something, no matter how poor they are. My current Local Council deducts 25% of any CTS that a Claimant might receive. Very few don't deduct something so likely your friend has built up a debt if he's ignored it.

And Local Councils start threatening action and adding on costs after just 6 weeks of non-payment.

Housing - well, your friend is now part of the Housing Crisis - if you can take his dog that would really help as 99% of rentals won't take pets; many won't even take children. He needs to make an appointment with the Council's Housing Options Officer.

As well as with Citizen's Advice to deal with the debts.

And you need to calm down, or you're no help. It doesn't matter how hard anyone has worked before or how nice they are - the system is the system and don't expect much from it. We've been living under the Poor Laws for centuries no matter how we look at it.

It's not fair, it's not right and it's not just. And I don't want to be harsh but this is the pack of cards we are we dealing with.

This sounds shitty. He shouldn't have had to wait to be evicted if the system worked properly. Anyway you are where you are.

He needs to make a homelessness application to the council. I would strongly suggest that he emails the HPU before arriving or brings a written letter that says clearly ' I want to make a homelessness application', he should go on to explain when and why he's homeless, explain why he's eligible for help from an immigration point of view, straightforward if he's British and explain why he should be considered to be in priority need of housing. In his case because he's vulnerable due to his ill health.

I would then ask for accommodation whilst they look at his case. This is called s.188 Housing Act 1996 accommodation and should be given to him if he 'may' be eligible, homeless and in priority need. So a low bar.

They should then help him for 8 weeks under what's called a 'relief duty'. This involves trying to secure him accommodation that lasts at least 6 months. After that period has passed a 'main housing' duty could be accepted, but best to cross that bridge when he come to it..

Shelters website is excellent for all this info and will expand on what I said above.

Bless him I hope it gets sorted.

He's awaiting a plif operation repair with a Dr who will be brave enough to touch him. Last time it was Cambridge. They want £8000 back as he never uploaded q requested document prooving his contract. Does anyone have any knowledge if there's a benefit he should be on instead ? Disability allowance?

I agree that the systems always been wrong. I'll go look on shelter.

What an exhausting day.