We went to meet a lovely lady who will be DS's respite carer for 1 day a month, this morning. (She was lovely). She has a disabled teenager and lives in a lovely big 4 bed. house that is completely disabled-adapted. We assumed they owned it and it cost a bomb.. but during the course of the convo she told us that it was currently rented (they do plan to buy it) but the rent figure she named was the same as the rent on our matchboxed size council house!
We are waiting to be re-housed by the local authority housing assoiciation because our house is so very very very unsuitable for DS's needs. It is making life miserable. I am not suggesting that ALL out family stresses stem from our housing situation, but having seen that house this morning, I can see that more stress than I had previously considered does in fact come from.. or is exacerbated by.. the fact that we are all on top of each other constantly.. no space to use/store all DS's special equipment.. he URGENTLY needs his own bedroom/specialist bathroon facilities.. we have to carry him up and downstairs constantly to the detrement of our back problems.. there is no space to sit round the table for mealtimes, at least not comfortably. Maybe these things may sound like luxuries (probably not, actually to you folks with SN in the family) but having seen how life for us could be improved by more space and a few disabled facilities, I am not surprised we are struggling in many respects.
The repsite carer's house is owned by Hyde Housing. I have just rung them.. they said - as expected - that we have to be referred by our current housing assoc. on a priority basis. I rang our housing assoc. (again - I phone them often just to try to keep us fresh in their minds not that it helps) and she confirmed that yes, we WILL be referred to Hyde and or/other relevent housing assocs. if we are considered high enough priority and subject to availability. She didn't even want to discuss our points and the fact that we ARE priority.. nor that we have been waiting 2 years and that DS is getting bigger/heavier/more high maintenance all the time. They are so dismissive and always make me feel like scum for enquiring but I make myself do it.
We have 300 points which is on par with involuntarily homeless people.. and I know that makes us 'priority'.. and there MUST sometimes be available disabled properties.. but we have not had one offer.
Just needed a whinge really. I KNOW there are people worse off than us.. and I KNOW we have a roof over our heads... but GOD some space would help us no end..