I was bullied out of my job 2 and 1/2 years ago and have been suffering from severe anxiety and depression ever since. I got a 10K out of court settlement from my employer but used this to live on, pay my rent and pay off debts. Eventually, when the money was dwindling, I applied for housing benefit. It doesn't cover all my rent though as I am in shared accommodation so I still have to pay £250 from my own money each month to cover the rent and bills.
My landlady has now said she is going to sell the flat I share and my notice runs out on Tuesday 22nd July. I have been in touch with the Housing Needs Officers in my borough (am in London) who has told me I can go and whistle if I want social housing and that depsite them acknowledging that I have mental health problems, I won't qualify for any priority points. I had a DWP assessment for ESA in April and have been signed off for a year by them.
My Housing needs officer said that if I stay within my borough that I will still have be able to stay on Housing Benefit as I am under the Old style benefits but that if I leave my borough that I will have to claim Universal Credit.
Yesterday, I had to attend a training workshop with a charity who might help me to find somewhere and they said that it doesn't matter, that regardless of where I move to whether within my current borough or out of it, that I will still have to make a claim for universal credit because it is a change of address/change of circumstance.
Can someone who knows please clarify this? I am so worried because of all the horror stories about people getting evicted etc because of universal credit not being paid on time by the powers that be. Thank you