The likely outcome of housing if no where to go?

[Saphwoodman]

This isn't a post about me it's regarding a friend of my younger sister, she has asked me for advice as I did some work with CAB a few years back but non the wiser on housing issues.

She is 19 has a one year old daughter and is 4 months pregnant, no partner. She lives with her parents but since learning of her new pregnancy they have told her she has by Monday to find some where else to go if she intends on continuing the pregnancy which she does.

She is a student so she is not getting any income support etc just tax credits for her daughter. She doesn't get housing benefit currently as she's living at home although she says she would be entitled to it if she was private renting.

The issue is she can't find any landlords that accept housing benefit. She says that even if she did find one she doesn't has money to pay the deposit and fees let alone buy furniture (although furniture not really a major issue) she has just got in to her £1500 student over draft and the next payment is in April so that over draft has to last her till then.

So what happens from here when she has to leave on Monday? Where does she go? And what will be the likely outcome of her housing situation?

She would need to go to the council. They will need a letter from her parents saying she is homeless.

The council will more than likely put her in a b&b or homeless hostel until they can find her somewhere to live.

As pp says she will need to turn up at her local council. She will be put in a B&B or hostel until longer term accomodation becomes available. If there is no council accomodation available then some councils run a scheme whereby they will loan the deposit and first months rent for a private rental then you claim housing benefit. The outcome will depend on what coucnil accomodation is available, some parts of the country have huge waiting lists and some don't.

what heartless parents! shame on them for leaving their daughter and Grandchildren homeless?

Her parents have now said that she is to join the housing waiting list on which you "bid" for properties. So she is homeless still I guess but just not as urgent as it was. Her parents have said that she needs to find somewhere before her due date, I hope this property bidding thing goes quick for her sake! She lives in Bournemouth so fortunately not as much of a crowded area as say London

The council would visit her parents and try to convince them to change their minds, first.

If they did, she'd stay there - the council may allow her to join the list and begin applying for properties herself anyway, but as she'd be sufficiently housed, she may not be very high priority. Around here, the bidding system is so full that even joining at the highest band has a wait of around 11 months. People in the second band of around 25 months, and people in the third priority band are pretty much not housed. I'm in the Midlands.

If her parents won't let her stay, they'll put her in temporary homeless accommodation - usually a B&B but sometimes a room in a house/flat. She'd stay there until something more suitable was found.

It's not an uncommon situation, unfortunately - I hope she can come to an arrangement with her parents, is there any chance it's just anger speaking and they'll get used to the idea of a baby?

Have they checked the housing association list? Living with parents is not homeless. It puts you at the lowest band. At least that's the case in Hampshire. We have that experience with MIL. She has no where to go and we took her in. She was given band 4, ie low priority for housing. Band 3 is private renters btw, which would be the majority of applicants. DH became his guaranty and she rented a home privately on housing benefit. (No landlord will accept her otherwise). She is elderly which has a shorter waiting list. A year later she has got a council house and is moving in later this month.

She would need to find a deposit and a guarantor basically. Or she would have no chance on the housing list.

Band 3 in my area for adults was 8 years. That's MIL old neighbour. They got a flat last year after 8 years on the list.

I don't know if it makes a difference but they are not her parents they are her grandparents. They have a large home (7 bedrooms) and rent out rooms to other lodgers. She pays £300 a month for her room that she shares with her son.

Even if she was to find the money to move I really doubt she would be able to find a guarantor. I think the only people that may be able to stand as guarantor would be her grandparents (if they even would) but they're retired.

So are you saying she has basically no chance or getting a council property unless she is on the streets sort of homeless and even then would only be taken to temporary accommodation?

that's the situation, yes. Sorry.

'temporary' won't mean a time limit, but it will mean a hostel, or b and B. The pregnancy doesn't count until it is a baby.

no chance of getting any support from either sperm donor?

They have the same dad. He left her with the first pregnancy then came back in to their life's in July and left again in October for good this time as he's moved abroad. I don't think she has the guts to ask to be honest although I know he works full time (the reason he moved abroad) child support agency contacted him when child was born but when he came in to their life's again she canceled claim. She's trying to start it up again but proving difficult as he's living abroad. I think he was accepting he had a child but when he found out there was going to be a second he walked again.

She's worried that if she's living in temporary then social services will get involved? I think she's just worrying to much but as its not sort of a "suitable" place to live, are they likely too?

SS will definitely not get involved just because she is in temporary accommodation. I was in temp accommodation for months and they had no involvement.

he may not have escaped by going abroad:

www.gov.uk/child-maintenance-if-one-parent-lives-abroad/paying-parent-lives-abroad

and I hope she's learned now about his true colours.

Has she approached her college or university to see if they can help at all? The students union may be able to offer advice and even a hardship/crisis loan or grant, and the accommodation office just might have accommodation for student parents. It depends greatly upon where she is studying, but I know that the student support services at the University I work at would do their best to advise and support a student in this sort of situation.