What does a 62 year old man on just above minimum wage do when served with section 21 eviction notice and cannot afford anything on the current rental market?

[Mxflamingnoravera]

I have a friend aged 62 who has been living in a pretty awful but liveable one bed flat for six years. He works full time in a call centre on little more than minimum wage. The flat was recently assessed by the local authority as part of a new local licensing scheme for private rental properties in our city. It needs a lot of work done on it and today he was served with a section 21 order because (he was told) the builders say it's too much work to have him stay there whilst the place is brought up to standard.

He has looked around an there is nothing under £900 a month in our city. He cannot afford this. He has no car and cycles everywhere. So he needs to live fairly close to his workplace.

He is devastated, he cannot live in a shared house at his age. He is a very private, shy man, has few friends and no family.

I'm at a loss to know how to help him. He cannot live with me, i have no space and do not want a lodger.

There is literally nothing affordable in our city. He is looking at homelessness in January. What happens to people like him?

I came from a poor family who depended on getting the 20p back on returned bottles. it was super tight. Managed to get to university and now have a good lifestyle. I worked hard but I was blessed with a decent IQ, parents who valued education and student loans were affordable. My childhood had its challenges but not so much as to give me insurmountable trauma. I was blessed with one particular teacher who really encouraged me.

So many things make it harder and often impossible for some to get out of poverty. So many things stacked against many. And in order to create wealth, you need the grafters. You need the workers. The pandemic showed us that ‘essential’ workers are at every layer of the workforce. It’s absolutely right that they get a living wage and aren’t worked so hard it leads to a shorter life span and more health problems.

The other thing is that we are all really only three major life events away from destitution. Even Cruella Braverman.

I need to do something with this anger!! I do what I can at work but honestly, I’m so so depressed by this attitude, mainly promoted by Conservatives and the right wing press, that poor people should just work harder. Workhouses will be back if we don’t get a change of Government- I’d put money on it!

Labour don’t seem to be in the mode of changing this much - but at least it’s in the more progressive direction. I’ll look to see their policies nearer the time but we so need to get this self serving bunch of bigots out.

Aaaaaaand breathe. I’m going for a cuppa. Sorry to rant!

If this helps OP, when it comes to shared housing, over a certain age isn't expected to share when it comes to housing support. For example, someone in their early twenties would only get housing element of universal credit towards a roomshare, whereas someone in their late thirties would get a one bedroom private place entitlement. So don't be fobbed off into thinking he has to find a house share. Make sure he gets classed as homeless by the council and they will have to find him somewhere private. They won't find him a houseshare. And if they try to suggest it, stand your ground for him. Ignore posters saying this, it's unethical, whichever way you try and frame it.

Do you know with which one of the Armed Forces and for how long?

I'm asking in case one of the relevant benevolent trusts can assist in a small way.

He sounds ideal for an Almshouse place

https://www.bristolcharities.org.uk/housing/

he would get his own flat with kitchen and front door, and security

I’m sure they are popular but it’s worth a try!

No, but it is rude to castigate posters for suggesting it.

I hope your friend finds a good solution to meet his needs.

I have so much empathy both for your friend living like this in a home with 'mould, no insulation, damp and vermin' and the countless others in similar positions.

Your friend does not know that he is likely entitled to UC to help him afford somewhere better and is no doubt so ground down by getting through each day and surviving financially that there is no energy to think about how to improve life. I hope once he contacts the council and housing organisations that they help him navigate the systems and he gets everything he is entitled to get him to that peaceful, private, secure home life everyone deserves.

Based on him taking home £1700 per month, I think he could get about £300 a month UC. That's based on the Bristol LHA rate of £695.02 for a 1 bed property.

As he has a section 21 notice, his local council should accept a duty to work with him as part of their duty to prevent homelessness. Gone are the days where councils could ignore people until they literally had nowhere to sleep that night. I'd suggest he speaks to them urgently.

I think @SingleMum11 was annoyed at the PP who seemed to be suggesting that if he managed to get himself a diagnosis of ASD he’d jump up the housing ladder. That’s certainly how I interpreted it too.
Sadly, obtaining an assessment for a possible diagnosis is nigh on impossible via the NHS these days, and very costly via self funding. The OPs friend needs help now, not in 2 year’s time

I think getting referred by his Dr does help he will be put on the waiting list for diagnosis and he can self diagnose

My Doctor told me if I were to go down the diagnosis route I could be waiting years.

8 weeks later I was walking out of the Mental Health Clinic clutching my first prescription of Elvanse
Apparently I live in an area that is the quickest in the country.

Whilst being moral and kind and stepping back with the attitude that there are people worse off than you is all very good and kind. But if you don’t use the support offered then no one else is going to come to rescue you when you are failing in life because you needed help and didn’t take it when it was there.

I wonder whether he can get his old army records because they might have in there the reasons why he was discharged. They might not go as far as diagnosing him but like school reports there are comments that are pointers to Neurodiversity and if his scoliosis is mentioned again it would help to show a life long disability

Read some of the earlier thread but not the whole lot. I know someone suggested a place that was too far to cycle but has he considered getting an electric bicycle? You need to be careful when charging them, dont buy any second batteries as some have caught fire, but I know several people who use them happily.

He can contact the council and local housing associations: there is special provision for over-55s, and he is being made homeless. You don't have to be out of work or claiming benefits to be housed. I know this because I have just helped a 57-year-old cousin who has a learning disability but works full-time in minimum wage employment, move into a small, secure flat in an over-55s housing development run by an HA.

More Bristol almshouses here. I would get him on the waiting list for any alms house where he is eligible (some require CofE) and the location works for his job.

https://www.thebeehivebristol.co.uk/almshouses/

https://housingcare.org/housing-care/facility-info-83713-colstons-almshouses-st-michaels-hill-england

http://drwhitesbristol.co.uk/

https://www.fromesidechurches.org.uk/benefice/perry-almshouses/?fbclid=IwAR07kRs1EoWIyRxNf5-Z9sjYUU583t9goH5lLu9i45btQ-K-3nw_QTWVuL0

https://asclcharity.wixsite.com/allsaintshouse

I know a 58 year old and a 63 year old who both live in shared houses. Both say it's better than sofa surfing or temporary accommodation which are other only other options. Does this man have a stoop and thick glasses because most 62 year olds don't stoop? Get him on the council waiting list but we all know Bristol has lists a mile long and he'd be put somewhere in temporary accommodation first.

I think he should stay there until he is formally evicted ( he doesn’t have to get nasty but just tell them he has nowhere else to go ) once he is evicted he can go to the council. His age should help him and he should mention any health conditions. He may have to stay in B&B for a while but he can bid on properties etc. it’s really rubbish isn’t it :(

You mention his extremely poor eyesight,could he be registered as blind? This would surely push him up the housing list and also qualify him for help and benefits. The whole situation is so sad and must be causing your friend terrible stress. I truly hope the situation can be quickly resolved.

Also contact local councillor as sometimes they can help with the process.

https://www.gov.uk/if-you-become-disabled

I’m a bit out of the loop but I’m sure there are disability benefits which are non means tested, he could contact Citizens Advice or similar orgs locally to help?

Sorry last post about almshouses!

Wikipedia has a list of all almshouses in Bristol that might be useful:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_almshouses_in_the_United_Kingdom

They are all separately run (apart from the 4 run by Bristol Charities) so unfortunately it’s a case of applying to each one individually. They really do seem ideal for him though so worth the effort.

No she isn't. People are being rude in continuing to push this aggressively when she has said over and over again that it is impossible. She knows this man and there's clearly more to this than she feels able to share.
Of course she's getting frustrated.

@Mxflamingnoravera I havent read all the replies, but just to say, in my LA area, he could be housed into a sheltered housing scheme within a week. He may not feel ready for sheltered housing, but it's a secure roof over his head for as long as he needs it, abs at a reasonable rent.

As others have suggested, I would strongly recommend your friend applies for PIP. If he's successful (and it sounds like he would be entitled), as long as he starts claiming before 65, it will continue to be paid after he reaches pension age.
It is not means tested (although it sounds like your friend doesn't have much in the way of savings/pension anyway). It's also known as a 'gateway benefit' which means that it can open doors for other entitlements.

The form is hideous though and he will definitely need help with it. CAB can help. You need to really stress all the things he can't do. A person doesn't need official diagnosis of conditions to claim (although these of course help), it's about how their difficulties impact on their day to day life.

You can call up the DWP and request the form on his behalf.

I have a family member who went through a similar thing to your friend. I went with him to the council's town hall to help him declare himself homeless. He turned up with all his possessions in bin bags. My family member is neuro divergent but had managed to live 'under the radar' until he reached his late 40s when he became homeless due to a falling out. with the family member he lived with. A couple of things I would say:

Under no circumstances tell the council that you can offer your friend a bed/sofa even for a night. I know it's hard but they will try all options to make him someone else's 'problem'.

You will need to really emphasis how vulnerable he is. The council tried to offer my family member a room in a shared hostel but my family member had a history of being talked into give large sums of money away etc.

The council did accept they had a duty to house and put him up in temporary accommodation (which was self-contained). He's now in a housing association studio flat and it's the best thing that could have happened to him.

I am NOT saying that what is happening to your friend is a good thing but my concerns for him going forward is that he's in such a precarious position he's one pay cheque from being homeless anyway. What is going to happen when he retires or if he's made redundant? I know how hard it can be for neuro diverse (if he is) people to deal with change but I really hope that this crisis can lead to a better more secure life for him in the long run.

Definitely prioritise the council or housing association over 55s schemes as this will be secure and affordable. Trying to find a private rental in Bristol is incredibly difficult.

And he’ll be absolutely fine when he reaches retirement age in a few years as he will then get housing benefit, state pension and pension credit meaning no council tax.

I'm sorry but £900 a month is doable out of £1700 take home pay. That's £800 a month to live on as a single man. I earn and pay similar in rent. I also pay £120 a month on travel to work.
Also trying to claim disability to jump the housing queue is not on. His back is so bad he needs a stick to walk but can ride a bike ditto the bad eyesight.

People are not suggesting he pretend to have various conditions! They are suggesting he look into whether or not he should be registered for them/if he is eligible to be given extra help due to them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.