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Potentially homeless- council hostels

3 replies

Ilovefries · 10/02/2021 11:03

Hi all,

I am pregnant and my mother wants me and my partner to move out in a week (she initially gave us one month but council applications take a while) I’ve applied for housing and I’m waiting for them to assess my application which will definitely take longer.

They mentioned they can put us in temporary accommodation for now but they will soon contact me to discuss this further.

I am wondering if it would be a good idea to try and convince my mother to let us stay a bit longer to avoid going to hostels. I’ve got anxiety disorder and the thought of me living in a hostel is quite scary. Plus we have a dog which we can’t leave.

I worry that if my mother agrees (I don’t know if she will) then the council will not give us priority because they will think that we can stay with her and she won’t really kick us out. This is not the case- she really wants us out and giving us some extra time would not mean that she will wait forever for us to move out.

What do you think?

OP posts:
gamerchick · 10/02/2021 11:15

What is your bloke doing to house the mother of his baby and himself? Unfortunately the dog will have to stay where it is or be fostered until you're settled. You don't really have a lot of choices atm.

If you tell them you can hold on at your mother's then it might bump you down a bit. I'm not certain though.

SendMeHome · 10/02/2021 11:26

The council are very likely to meet with your mother and see if they can change her mind first, and get her to agree to you staying. They did a really hard push on my landlord when this happened to me, and I was 17 and not at all related to him.

Anyway; what it does to your priority status will depend on where you are, I expect - but if you’re looking at going into hostels, I’m going to presume there’s a shortage of housing. That means that they’ll likely not offer anything over legal limits, so you won’t be considered highest priority if you don’t stay in the hostel.

I had to stay at the Salvation Army, and they were very clear that if they found that I was spending time or sleeping elsewhere; they’d consider me as having other options. The doors didn’t lock and it was pretty scary, and I already had very severe anxiety, but I got through it and you will too. I wouldn’t do it again, given the choice, but I’m okay - and it sounds like you’re looking at somewhere a bit better than that, and you won’t be alone.

You are very likely to have to start contacting charities about your dog, though. I think there are some that will look after them temporarily until you can take them back - the Cinnamon Trust used to, I don’t know if they still do.

Have you been told how long you’ll have to wait for more permanent housing? Temporary council housing where I am (Midlands) is for an average of four years at the moment.

Have you looked into the other options? Your council should have a list of local landlords who will accept a bond from the council rather than a deposit, so if you or your partner gets a job (any job, it doesn’t matter what it is right now), that might be an option for now?

If it really is a case of nowhere to go and no prospect of finding somewhere yourself, then it’s worth getting your head around how it’ll go - you won’t have much say in where you live, and you won’t be able to take your dog, but you will be housed and warm and have your partner and it’s so much better than it could be, honestly.

The worst part of this will be the unknown, especially with the anxiety, so make sure that you’ve done all you can to have more control over this yourself; and use lots of coping mechanisms if you are having to take the homeless route - it might feel like none really help by themselves, but it’s really worth a shot.

user2466 · 16/10/2023 15:02

Hi OP. How did things work out for you?x

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