Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm trying to find a swap with my council flat, preferably within the area I live in. This is because my mum is 70 and I'm worried if I leave the area she'll be lonely as I'm the only child who still lives near her.
The place I live has loud and inconsiderate neighbours, and they scare me, and there were misunderstandings and things just seem beyond the point of healing now. For now, I'm struggling to cope. Loud banging every day. I can wear earphones and listen to music or a film and do sometimes but I can't do this constantly, it irritates my ears having too much of that after a while.
I can stay at my parents' house sometimes but my dad is noisy too and won't listen to requests to be quieter. So I get the stress there too.
I feel my life is wasting away, I've been in the flat with neighbours I don't like for 2 years now, and before I got that flat I shared a house with my mum and noisy, inconsiderate dad for about 4-5 years, all of which were difficult and stressful.
When am I ever going to catch a break?
I tried a couple of different ones but they kept falling out. I think I have unusual ears. Thank you for the good wishes!
As a temporary measure, have you considered earplugs? They feel a bit weird at first but aren't uncomfortable once you get used to them, and the foam ones are pretty cheap. Should block out some of the noise so you can maybe feel a bit less stressed. Good luck getting something more permanent sorted too!
Thank you, it's encouraging to know the CAB have helped you with housing. I'll try to remember to mention my Autism when I book. We're lucky to have them, a real British treasure.
You're welcome - hope it works out.
I hope you catch that break that you need. Trying to get the bureaucrats to understand just how profound a problem it can be to deal with constant noise when you're hyper-sensitive can be like trying to explain colours to someone who was born blind.
The last time I asked housing services for help with this, they may as well have just laughed in my face when I told them what my needs were; though I realise that they're constrained by national housing policies which mean that social housing always ends up being in the worst possible areas for people like us (living in Manningham, Bradford when there was rioting was, erm, an "experience"!)
I'd second DuckBread's advice to get in touch with CAB - they have saved my bacon several times, including when I've been on the verge of homelessness, and I'm totally in awe of their ability to navigate red-tape and local government jobsworths. Make sure to mention your autism when you book in with them; they quite often have staff with specific training for helping with health and disability issues.
Best wishes.
Hmm, yeah, may be worth a try! Thank you.
That's frustrating. Fingers crossed for you - hope you manage to find somewhere.
It might be worth contacting Citizens' Advice to see if there's any way they can help (e.g. if you let them know that you're hoping to live closer to your mum, but feel the council are only presenting options in unsafe areas).
Hope it all improves for you soon.
I did but they were only offering me a flat on streets that are known for drug addicts and crime. So I'm trying to arrange my own swap, haven't found anyone yet.
Sorry to hear you're having a tough time. Have you spoken to the council to see whether there's anything they can do to re-house you?