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Please Help Me... (Housing - benefits)

Luke

My anxiety is skyrocketing at the moment due to housing issues.

I have lived with my mum and step-dad for the past 8 years or so.

My mother is a Methodist Minister, and housing is provided integrally to this job.

She has been assigned a new manse along with a change of location.

The new location will not be appropriate for me to live in - it is too small.

I also do not want to move away from this area, which has been a base for nearly 20 years.

For a long time a local organisation have been promising that autism appropriate accommodation would be available imminently.

They knew that the start of August 2014 was my deadline for moving out, ever since my initial application, which must be at least 18 months ago now, maybe 2 years or even longer.

Only now, at short notice have they confirmed that they in fact do not have any autism appropriate vacancies available, nor will they at any time in the forseeable future.

Up until this point they had always presented a rosey outlook on the availability of their services.

As such I am suddenly left in the lurch, struggling to source a local autism appropriate property, together with dealing with all benefits related issues and so-on, then move out, all within a time frame of weeks.

It is going ok I guess, I have a social worker assigned to me, and I also have the involvement of a local autism specialist charity.

My big problem at the moment revolves around housing benefits.

A disability advice organisation has told me that I can get housing benefits up to the amount of the average price of the average comparable property rate.

When I pheond the council helpline the council say I can only get the shared rate - around £58 per week.

I've only found one property that I could afford with that, and it seemed entirely inappropriate - I am quite scared by the idea of living there at the moment.

I have viewed at least 2 properties at about £80-90 mark that seem ok - there seem to be quite a lot locally, it is just the money that is the issue.

I am on ESA, I also claim low rate moblity DLA, but I am studying and still paying for that.

I think I might be able to top up my rent about £10 a week but I would struggle with much more than that.

I thought my social worker might help with all of this but at the moment he seems to have left it to me - with the help of my charity support workers.

I discovered Discretionary Housing Payments with an application form on the council website.

Do you think that this is what the Disability Advice organisation was referring to?

Please - what are other peoples experiences and knowledge around this area?

I would greatly appreciate it if somebody could share. The thought of being homeless, or in horrible housing is terrifying me - it is so frustrating that nobody seems to be able to help me or give me a straight answer.

I am just going round in circles and I can feel it making me quite ill.

Parents
  • Former Member
    Former Member

    What alternatives do you think you have? Have you thought about sharing a flat with a friend?

    One of the things that is happening here is that you are being given some freedom as an adult to work things out for yourself. If you would prefer to have a larger, more convenient home then you may have to work harder to obtain this. You may have to make some compromises about what you want and what you can afford and tolerate.

    People will sometimes be reluctant to give straight answers and this is an area where an aspie can struggle, we expect a very straight black and white answer to questions. Often, people will say nice things to get you to leave them alone and they won't tell you the honest truth that we expect.

    This may cause some anxiety but you might be able to grasp your new liberty as an adult as an opportunity to make your own choices rather than relying on your parents or social workers to do weverything for you. This can be liberating even if it is scary at times.

    Does this help? I don't want to stress you out and I do want to assure you that this is a forum where you are among friends who have real experience. I hope that we can help you as you come to grips with being a more independent grown up.

    :-)

Reply
  • Former Member
    Former Member

    What alternatives do you think you have? Have you thought about sharing a flat with a friend?

    One of the things that is happening here is that you are being given some freedom as an adult to work things out for yourself. If you would prefer to have a larger, more convenient home then you may have to work harder to obtain this. You may have to make some compromises about what you want and what you can afford and tolerate.

    People will sometimes be reluctant to give straight answers and this is an area where an aspie can struggle, we expect a very straight black and white answer to questions. Often, people will say nice things to get you to leave them alone and they won't tell you the honest truth that we expect.

    This may cause some anxiety but you might be able to grasp your new liberty as an adult as an opportunity to make your own choices rather than relying on your parents or social workers to do weverything for you. This can be liberating even if it is scary at times.

    Does this help? I don't want to stress you out and I do want to assure you that this is a forum where you are among friends who have real experience. I hope that we can help you as you come to grips with being a more independent grown up.

    :-)

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