Advice for meeting with Housing Advice Officer?

[Sophiack26]

Hi everyone,
My relationship with my 19 month old daughters father ended in December, and we had to move out of our house as I couldn't afford it alone. We're now staying in a cramped room together at my mums. My mum is an alcoholic who is very nasty and unpleasant to live with. I've managed to get an appointment with a housing advice officer today - does anyone have any experience with this? I'm very scared of getting my hopes up that this could mean we could be helped out with social housing for a while until I get back on my feet...
Thanks!

They’ll discuss your current housing situation with you, your housing options, and whether they have a duty to assist you and add you to the housing register for social housing. If you are currently living with your mum then they’re very unlikely to assess you as in need of temporary housing - unless your mum indicates that she’s going to kick you out immediately, in which case they’ll place you in emergency accommodation, which is likely to be a room in a B&B or hostel anywhere they’re able to find a space.

Everything else is dependent on where you live and the local authority. There are relatively few parts of the country where permanent social housing doesn’t involve a very long wait, during which time you’d remain in emergency accommodation (if eligible) or at your mum’s. They will strongly encourage you to consider private rented accommodation, with a council bond to guarantee the deposit.

Thank you for your response! My mum has told me we aren't welcome anymore and wants us gone, that's why I completed the homelessness form. We're in Kent and the private rental costs are so so high, I just couldn't do it alone, I tried to stay in our old house for as long as possible and depleted all of my savings before we had to give up. It's extremely depressing. My mum gets very violent and I hate having my daughter around her

Your mum will need to confirm to the council that you’re no longer welcome in her house and that you need to be placed in emergency accommodation. If you’re in the South East, you’re likely to be several years away from permanent social housing: there are generally thousands of households waiting in each local authority.

Do you need to stay in Kent / the South East? Is your job one which you could relocate with? It doesn’t sound as though your mum can be relied on for support, so considering whether you could move to a more affordable area would be preferable to years in insecure accommodation.

Get your mum to write a letter to you saying that she wants you gone by x date.