Homeless help

[Ilovecustardxx]

Myself, partner and daughter have been made homeless today - our landlords were selling our house - council advised us to stay until the last minute - which we did and we have now been placed in a b&b.
has anyone been in a similar situation? We currently have no cooking facilities and no money right now - as my partner is long term sick and I have taken some time off work due to my mental health with all this stress, so can’t get takeaways and things like that. we are in a pretty run down place with a shared bathroom and some very loud neighbours!
What can I do to cook meals?! How can I take the best of this for my 5 year old? At the moment it’s an adventure for her but I’m in pieces! I have no clue how long we will be here - no family very nearby either. We are also 2 bus rides away from
my daughters school, no car as had to scrap it due to broken gearbox, we’ve had it all thrown at us recently!

My DD and I were in a hotel for three days in similar circumstances.

Wash plates etc up in the bathroom. Plastic camping plates and plastic knives and forks are easiest.

Agree porridge pots for breakfast.

One meal can be a picnic type meal - buy bread and jam and crisps/whatever to go with it.

You can cook pasta by putting it in a large bowl and adding boiling hot water. If necessary replace with new boiling water after 5 mins or so, jarred sauce will stir through.

Cous cous also cooks like this.

You can also buy "boil in the bag" type meals which if you put in a large bowl of boiling water and replace the water every 5 mins will cook.

You'll want a good sieve.

Unfortunately many many many families are in emergency or temp accommodation that is not suitable - with no cooking facilities. It’s absolutely shit. Plus The burden of additional costs to just feed your family and the transport to get your child to school.

Look at the homelessness code and push back on suitably. I’m assuming you are on housing register. I hope you are allocated soon but it could be a long time.

I agree too. Don’t breach the terms of the accommodation by sneaking in appliances. It’s shit they have that rule and I’d be asking why. But don’t give council any reason to end their relief duty.

Look at the shelter website
This is a snippet from it re appropriate accom when you have kids

I was in your situation a couple year back and no breakfast in b&b but the woman who ran it was lovely...... she done my clothes washing once a week and allowed me to use her fridge and microwave (no cooker due to insurance) so I lived off microwave meals and always made sure I washed any dishes straight after use and never used any food from the fridge that wasn't mine. I hope the people who run the b&b your in is as good as the one I was lucky to have been in

Sorry to hear your situation. My friend is a housing officer and yes shouldn't stay in a b&b for longer then 6w as have a child

But obv hard to find spaces for everyone so you May be temp houses further away

You can get a uc loan which you pay a little back each month so make sure you write in your journal what has happened

If on any local Fb groups then ask about food places

Look at the Facebook group feed yourself for £1 a day and their sister group 50p per day.

Lots of advice from people who have been in the same position and many ingenious kettle based meals.

Thanks all will look through all this advice while dd is at school and try to put together some plans. I feel stronger today from all your support thank you!

Also if she goes back to work she may have to pay for the hotel herself which will be £££.

OP I speak to people in your position daily. Keep on to the council. Annoy the hell out of them. They might be good but they might also not be. Make sure you know the law and your rights about this and don’t let them fob you off.

agree with pp you can legally be there 6 weeks but there’s no guarantee the council will keep to this, so that’s why you need to know your rights and keep on at them. And also agree do not sneak anything in and make sure you keep to the rules.

Thousands of families are put in hotels
or hostels with shared facilities. Don’t waste your energy on fighting this aspect. Other families struggle even to get this believe me!

Make sure you’re on the housing list and able to bid for properties. Make sure they don’t keep you there longer than 6 weeks. They may move you to temporary accommodation next.

No point seeking advocacy or legal help yet , there’s nothing any of the charities can do - so far the council are following the law. It’s shit but it’s what this country allows.

Hi sorry to hear this. Just to add, if you live near a Sikh temple (Gurudwara) they all provide free hot meals for anyone, regardless of faith/background/race. I really hope you find better accommodation soon.

Get an egg boiler machine. You can get various ones ie from just 2 eggs. And they just plug in like kettle so no gas or flames for safety. And no cleaning required.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9451306

2 single beds!

If the person providing the accommodation will lend you a toaster, consider buying some toaster bags from Poundland or a similar shop. They are quite versatile and can be used to expand your diet.
Worth reading is “A Love Letter to Toaster Bags” on the delish.com site. There are other ideas elsewhere.
Good luck for the future.

You're welcome OP and I'm glad you felt stronger today from all our support. Don't lose your hope, nothing lasts forever, one day everything will be good again for you and your family.

Don't let words of a few ignorant people to make you feel bad about yourself or give up your hope for a better life in the future. Take it slowly, every day do a little bit more and you'll get through this hard time.

Some people are either ignorant on purpose or uneducated about what it means to have mental health issues or be on a long term sick. Those people were born with a healthy body, they never experienced any kind of serious physical health issues or mental health issues and can't understand what it is. I'm not sure why they can't realise that nobody has any kind of super power towards their own body. That everyone wishes to always be fit for work, have an active life, have enough money, have a house etc. But, sometimes it's not possible, not because we don't want it, but because our bodies don't let us have it.

If people with health issues would have been able to cure themselves only by wishing it, then everyone would have done it. Some people actually don't understand that a healthy body is something for which everyone should be grateful for and it's not their own personal accomplishment for having it. They were born with it, they are lucky to have it, that's it, nothing more and they should never look down or judge other people who don't have it at the moment. Because nobody knows what is going to happen with our body tomorrow, if it will still be healthy or not; and who's going to be the next person in need of the help with housing and live on benefits. Sometimes life is unpredictable.

I wish you and your partner to get well OP and get through this hard time. Take care of yourself, your mental health and your family.💐💐💐

I know people are saying don't sneak stuff in but if you can get hold of a toaster then cup-a-soup and toast is a nice meal. Toast good for brekkie too and cheap.

Sounds like will be a rough time until you can get something better. You sound very positive and grateful for a roof over your head, tough if you can't cook though. I would second the trying to get back to work - assuming your partner is able to do the bus journeys with your little one.

Is there a garden or yard? Might have a bBQ in it?

Some people are either ignorant on purpose or uneducated about what it means to have mental health issues or be on a long term sick.

Others are speaking from direct experience with mental health issues and difficult life situations, and understand it's rarely black and white. It's about weighing up what is best for you in your situation, what more you may lose by not being in work and comparing against the gains. Work can be a lifesaver when the rest of your life is falling apart.

As an aside and
I appreciate I’m commenting after the horse has bolted and I appreciate the council told you to wait till you were chucked out of your accommodation
but
im wondering OP why you didn’t look for alternative accommodation as soon as you were told the landlord was selling up.
Given they have to issue a s21 and wait ages,then there’s court cases, deadlines to move then ultimately another court case to allow bailiffs to remove you there would have been loads of time to look. ( yes I know renting is expensive ).

The council telling you to wait to be made homeless means
you end up in a B and B, why do this to yourself.

Because there is. Housing crisis we live in the most expensive area in the country we don’t earn enough for private rent. Have no guarantor ( we were lucky to ge the house we had) so erm yea we had no choice

The op and her partner are both unemployed, very few places accept housing benefits now. It would be nigh on impossible to find somewhere. The only option would be for the council to house them in reality, if you are unable to work your options are very limited.

If you found private rent , would uc help with the rent

This has happened to my friend with 2 children and she's in a hotel at the min
She simply can't afford private rent - the cheapest near her is about £1600, she's a teaching assistant and single

Just checking in to wish you all the best tomorrow with the housing officer. I would advise writing down the questions you have and your essential requirements. If they offer you a flat or place with a kitchen tomorrow that's good if not I strongly advise you state that you need access to a microwave as a minimum tomorrow, it may be that they can negotiate this for you.

Whilst I do understand why you have gone down this route, I would also spend time between now and your meeting searching for potential rentals as they may be willing to guarantor it for you, they do this here. Finally you need to prepare yourself to be told that you need to move a considerable distance and them saying that if you refuse their offer you will be considered voluntarily homeless - I know this is tough but I've supported multiple people who have been relocated to where I used to live from London in very similar circumstances to you. I hope you aren't faced with this but mentally be prepared. Take care op