Hello there!
I strongly suspect I am not in the minority here!
I am 33 years of age, autistic among other related neurological conditions - 10 years without a job, seeking ways to move from my childhood home, and truly stuck; I contribute towards the bills.
As it currently stands, I do not drive, and cannot afford to take lessons; lower rate mobility, motability is a no - no. I live in a small town that truly drains me regarding social and working opportunities, the nearest city from myself is roughly an hour either way through transport *bus and train*... this can prove expensive and time consuming should I need to travel several times a week, coupled with chronic fatigue issues.
While my mother is fundamentally a good human being, I cannot escape the fact that under this household, there is no walking away from the facts of a traumatic upbringing with little opportunity for privacy and self autonomy… I really do need to find personal space, as my mental health truly is approaching a tipping point, unmasking at home with the means to ground is not always an option, unfortunately.
Currently, I have a FDSC in computer science, acquired in 2015 - the short story is, I attempted to top this up to a degree, found employment, left the course, experienced a mental breakdown at the whims of this awful work place, struggled to get back on my feet; I might like to try and retackle education, although I do not feel computer science was ever the degree for me!
In addition to the FDSC, I also have several other qualifications, ranging from level 3 award level to day courses.
While I am incredibly keen to find paid work - for many reasons, I have voluntarily worked with 10+ charities, providing a range of experiences and transferable skills.
I am very much sure of myself when it comes to interviews and application processes - this is not something I need much assistance regarding.
As it stands, my UC payment is £666PCM, with the PIP component being approximately £400PCM.
I would prefferably like to try and find a single bed flat, although, I will accept the possibility of a house share, despite my caution of unknown people; from my research, the cheapest flat in my nearest city is £800~ with a rented room room being £600~
Unfortunately, social housing in my area is not in the best shape… currently, I am reassessing my Home Choice application with an Adult Social Worker in order to try and upgrade my banding through appealing for accessibility needs, although, this individual has gone MIA! I cannot access the bidding system until this has been completed.
I appreciate this is a bit of a read, so thank you for sticking with me! I’d really like to see what advice people might have regarding this situation.
Thanks - Laggy.