To ask what you would do if you has absolutely no money but

[ashamedmum007]

Needed some desperately?

I have to move in the next two weeks. I have virtually no furniture, no sofas or beds. What I do have probably won't survive a move. I have no white goods as they were included in my current rental. I have no car currently as I could afford to keep it on the road so cantmove myself. Working more to earn more isn't doable. I have 3 kids I'm solely responsible for. No financial help from there father just £1000s of unpaid debt via cms ill never see. I have nothing of value worth selling. I can't get credit due to the ex-husband. I have seeked help through charities and been declined. I can't get an advance from UC as I've earned more than £2600 in the past 6 months. I don't have family prepared or able to help. Nor any friends who would be in a position to help. I've scoured Facebook market place, neighbourhoods and Freecycle etc for furniture but always get let down. 3 times I've found sofas waited in for them to be delivered only to be ghosted and them not show. No cooker. No washing machine. No fridge. No beds. No sofas. Not even curtains or lampshades.

What do I do next?

We have a local charity can provide a basic furniture package for next to nothing and sometimes for free. Local churches sometimes have funds they can use.

Do you still have a health visitor if you have child under 5? They might be able to refer you to somewhere

The scheme for cheap furniture has stopped due to lack of local funding. The place they sent me to was £250 for a sofa and no white goods under £200 each. I didn't even stay to look at the prices beyond that

I ended up buying white goods through catalogue more expensive but only place I could get credit and spread payments

No all my kids are high school aged and the school offered nothing when I approached them

If you’re willing to share the county you’re in someone may know a local organisation that could help

That sounds really tough. Have you posted asking for help on the Nextdoor.co.uk app? There are still some community minded people about who do thinks for others. There may be someone able to help you move or donate things for you to use.
As for money, would you be able to apply for a small loan from a credit union? They have really low rates of interest and are cooperatives so your ex may not affect your application?

www.findyourcreditunion.co.uk/
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/borrowing-money/types-of-borrowing/loans/credit-union-loans/

Do you claim housing costs in UC? Can you claim a discretionary payment to help via your local council?

Why are you trying to get sofas delivered to a house you're about to move out of? That makes no sense.

Do you have a local Freecycle/recycle page in your town? Ours is very active and if someone posts that they're moving in somewhere and have nothing/need X, y, z, people generally fall over themselves to help. If you have a page like this on Facebook, might be worth a polite post.

Try your local councillor, they will know of schemes in your area who might be able to help. Also try your local residents group on FB as there are often people who are upgrading white goods and will offer them to people just starting out.

I didn't. It was to the new house I got the keys to but I had to give 4 weeks notice on the place I was in so I haven't left yet. So I've had to cover the rent on two houses.

Have you been in touch with your local councils welfare rights service?

Google your councils name and welfare rights. Ring them tomorrow. They should be able to help you apply for any benefits you're eligible for that you don't know about. If you are ineligible for them all, I am almost positive they will be able to signpost you somewhere. You won't be the only person they've dealt with in this situation.

Also, download the Olio app on your phone. Put up wanted posts and look through the stuff that is being offered for free. You may find some furniture on there that would see you through the short term. Someone you know must have a car and be willing to at least drive you to collect anything you may find on there.

Also, freecycle and Facebook groups are food for free stuff too.

The only payment I could apply for is the loan but my earning make me ineligible for it

As above poster said, maybe a local Facebook group. Someone to do a post on your behalf and what you need. We've kitted out people a good few times on our local page.

Have you tried Freecycle? People give lots of things away for free and you can also ask for things. I have given away plenty of items on there over the last few years

Ok…stop and look it logically, how much do you earn? What is most essential? And take it from there.

You could try turn2us online grant search and see if there are any available to you

Charities such as Salvation Army or auction if you have a little money? If you post your rough area, I’m sure people could help.

I wish I knew where you were OP. Im trying to empty a house and would much rather give it away to you than sell it for peanuts to chancers

There are often freebies on Gumtree

Is the property council or social housing? Or a private let?

Where are you roughly?

I've posted on our FB pages. 2 of the sofas were offered from that and I never heard back once they agreed I could have them and set a date. The rest of the messages I got were items I didn't need, coffee tables, drawers, and book cases etc. The bigger items just don't come up. I've checked multiple times a day and my groups are just spammed by dodgy adds by people who made an account this month. It's impossible to navigate.

We have a local place that fix broken small appliances that are donated to them. They sell them on for very small amounts. Do you have something similar near you?