To think that the council should not be leaving a single mum, with her three children to kip down on her mothers floor

[ijustwanttoaskaquestion]

I am not entirely sure of all the details but i just feel that the situation my niece is being left in is not right, as in, i think something has gone wrong with her local council housing system.

So, she is 23 has three under three, her partner left her when she was pregnant with her third - he just disappeared. Hes a twunt apparently, well rid. They had a rented place but he didnt pay the rent so they were evicted. Because of this, the council told my neice she was "intentionally homeless" and woudlnt put her on the waiting list. Eventually she contacted her MP who contacted the council, as it was not my niece who was evicted but her partner who she now has nothing to do with. She was told she was a priority case and was given a password for the online bidding system. She since has her third child and informed the council - now, this is second hand, but apparently she was told this "we have changed the system now, you are now on the bottom of the list and you can expect to be living on your mother's floor for the next three to five years".

She has three children, she sleeps on the sofa and the children are sleeping in travel cots. Her mum basically lives in her bedroom, although why its like that i dont know - its a three bedroom housing association house, but there is the my neice, her mum, her brother living there - the third bedroom which was my nieces is a box room and apparently being used for storage.

This cannot be right?? Surely, leaving aside the fact that she was less than sensible to put herself in this situation by not sorting out contraception after the first child, there are still three children living in unacceptable conditions. Apparently, my niece is coping very well but it must be so hard for her.

She does not get on with her housing officer and feels she is prejudiced against her for getting the MP involved in the first instance, i cant say whether this is true or not.

What can she do?? Can she not rent privately and claim housing benefit? The council have told her they wont support her in this.

As i say, i don't know the full situation but wondered if anyone has any advice for organisations to approach etc - people to write too, appropriate thigns to write to the council to make sure her case is being handled properly.

I dont want to say where she lives in case she is a mnetter. But i know it varies from council to council. I just find it hard to believe that someone in her position wouldn't be on the priority housing list.

bump

Why won't her mum clear her old room out for her? At least then she wouldn't be on the sofa

where i am, there are 800 on the waiting list. i'm on it. but tbh, i think the childrn will be grown up by the time i get to the top of the list.

the point i'm making is, i think it's more like that there are a couple of hundred people ahead of her, than that she's upset the one person at the top!

sadly she has a roof over her head, a 3 bed house with 3 adults and 3 under 5s - yup, they are adequately housed and no longer a priority.

I feel for her, but they wont do anything unless her mother writes a letter of eviction, kicking her out.

She can rent privately but the housing benefit will only cover a certain amount. Her best bet is to get a letter from her mum which says that there's no space and she needs to be out of the house within a certain time. Shelter have an advice phone number which is really helpful, they will be able to support her and tell her what she needs to do from here.

she isn't homeless, she has a roof over her and her children's heads.

If she was truly homeless then she would be housed - would probably be in bed and breakfast though.

It is crap yes.

merry, i find that a bit weird too, however the room is extremely small and is apparently full up with all the baby stuff. It awful, shes quite a big girl bless her and had to sleep on the sofa right through her pregnancy

but sorry, missed a part of your post - if she can find a letting agent/landlord who will take HB then yes she can rent privately - the council should tell her how much they will pay weekly.

Go back to her MP and explain the situation. She can rent privately and claim housing benefit, whether the council support her or not.

She should go to the CAB

I live with my mum and dad and my two children. I left a violent man, had nowhere else to go. Now that I live with my m&d, I'm not a priority. I'll never be housed by the council and obviously my m&d would never ask us to leave, but it is hard for them. Their house is like a bombsite and they can't really invite their friends around anymore.. they used to do that more. They're happy we're safe. But we are all realistic about the likelihood of me being offered a council house. It's not at all likely, seeing as I live with family and that housing is adequate.

it's awful OP- but I think now when the council counts bedspaces in a property they actually count the living room, hallway etc- that way they can say everyone's adequately housed when in caases like this they're absolutely not

Dreadful, the way people get treated in this country

She might have a roof over her head but they're hardly adequately housed. By my reckoning, they need a minimum of 5 bedrooms to adequately house 3 adults and 3 children. Of course, the council will not care that there is a bedroom unused, but even if all the bedrooms were fully occupied, they would still be short. Each adult should have a room to themselves and I doubt that most bedrooms would be able to accomodate 3 beds so the kids need 2 bedrooms between them - the baby would only reasonably be rooming in with the mother for a few months, after all.

yes if her mum evicts she will once again be a priority and should get homed quickly initially probably in a B&B but at least then she'd have a bed?

A front room is classed as an available sleeping area for an adult (two if in a couple) - like if it were a studio flat.

Children can share up to 4 in a room until they are 10, then its 2 to a room if they are the same sex and within 5yrs of each other in age.

The other adults have a room each.

Tight, but adequately housed. If there is a seperate dining room, even more area.

Sad, but thats how they will work.

and most council houses have a room big enough to house 2 sets of bunk beds - if it means the main carer has the box room and the kids the main bedroom then sobeit.

would suggest she contacts the shelter advice line as to best course of action from here

I was a single mum years back and i managed to get a two bedroom house - i was worried that i woudlnt be entitled to the housing benefit as my DD was still in a cot in my room, but when the fair rent officer visited he said that she was entitled to her own room. I guess things have changed since then and different area.

I definately think that private renting should be this young girls route, as to be quite frank, in her area any council housing is going to be dire anyway. I might make a few enquiries for her in that direction

thanks, will pass that on betsy - i think as everyone has said, the council can only do what they can do and have to stick to guildelines, i dont think its a personal issue, however my niece and her gran (who this info comes from) have taken it this way.

ijustwanttoask - my friend had 2 children in a 1 bed council flat. They couldnt move as were adequately housed (she had front room, they had bedroom)

However when they went private she was elgible for a 2 bedroomed rent rate and got a private 2 bed house fully paid on housing benefit.

There just isnt the housing stock through the council, so what they class as adequately housed is a lot different to what they will pay out for private rent wise!!

What does her mum have to "store" that is more important than giving a bed to her daughter?

Renting privately is an option and seems like the most sensible one at the minute. She will be entitled to a significant amount of tax credits with all the associated benefits (milk, fruit/veg scheme, school meals etc) She would most likely qualify for housing benefit and she would only need a maximum of 2 bedrooms.

mp - i feel about it too, even if the children had to sleep downstairs, she should have a bed poor cow!!! although its not her mums stuff, its the childrens bits and pieces - i dont get it, if it were my child, i would move into the box room (her mum is single) and let her have the master bedroom.

Does anyone know if and how DN would get help with deposit for a privately rented place?

She can absolutely rent privately and will be entitled to housing benefit and other benefits. She will need to find a landlord that will accept housing benefit, and with a sensible rent, but she can certainly do it.

All she needs to do is contact some letting agents and find a house, then apply.

The council should run a scheme for rent deposits. Or the Shelter helpline could give more information. There should be help out there for her - I know a couple of letting agents round here will take DSS and ask for no deposit, but thats not everywhere.

I don't know if different councils work in different ways but my council considered me homeless when I left my first husband and myself and the DC were sleeping in the dinning room of my mums 3 bed house on put up beds.

In fact I was told by the housing officer that it was dangerous to be sleeping in a room that has a gas burning appliance like a fire. So they definately don't count any such room as available sleeping space

It took 3 month but I was finally given a council house. The fact that we were sleeping in the dinning room put me right to the top of the list.