Disabled and homeless not receiving any support from Council

Donny94

Hi i need some help and advice with regards to my housing situation.

I receive UC with LCWWRA and was also receiving my housing benifit element with two bed lha allowance due to my need for imformal over night care. I receive ESA and am in the support group and i receive the standard rate in both daily living and mobility from pip due to having a physical disability due to a health condition and also due to my mental health. All of my benefits have been awarded due to my mental state instead of the physical disability. 

Now how i become homeless and have had no assistance of any sort from my local council baring refusing to help as im a single male under the age of 30 and apparently have no priority need. 

In August 2022, i was sharing a property with a freind who acted as my informal carer (no one has ever recieved carers allowance). She assisted with my day to day tasks when she was not working and helped with the overnight when needed. 

She was moving out and between her my mum and a few other family members a plan had been made so she could move out to live with her partner i could remain in the house and i could get the help i needed. 28th of August day before we was going to inform the lettings agents of the plan we received a section 21 no fault eviction after discussions the Landlord said i could stay to then change there mind on the 3rd of september. 

3rd of September contact the homless prevention team and am given a section 184 and told they had a duty to help and prevent me from becoming homeless. Skip to the 7th of March day baliffs arrive to evict me council were updated along the 6months and all i kept being told you have a legal right to stay untill the baliffs arrive. Done as i was told on the basis i would receive emergency housing. Not the case they did not contact my lettings agents till 5 days prior to the baliffs if they would of done i could of stayed as it was due to a rent increase of £400 on the property. 

7th of march no were to go. Have to resubmit all forms and everything again told i have to look for private. 6 months i had done this no one will accept me council have stated they do not have to house me but will help me find a private rental. I apparently have no priority need and would not be more vulnerable then anyone else being homeless ignoring the facts of medications and its effects on my physical and mental health and loosing routine 

i have had to full support of Citezens advise housing team who is currently cunducting the mandatory reconsideration. I have had porchlight assist informing the council of my vulnerability as well as shelter and i do have a priority need. 

Ive also had doctors clinicians and my social worker contact the council informing them the effects its having on me sofa surfer and not having that routine and also im loosing freindships due to the sofa surfing

so 9 months after first contact ive recieved no help at all from anyone at the council im sofa surfing disabled cant afford privat even if i wanted to due to rent rates and receiving benefits which still happens landlord wants someone earning over £55,000 etc . 

What can i do i honestly just feel like a burden to everyone and especially as my anxiety prevents me leaving somewhere unless with someone i know and face to face contact with new people i can not do as i just freeze up and panic i cant even just disappear from people houses in the day to give them space 

what can i do im at a complete loss if the council refusal the reconsideration as theres no other options 

Alex_Alumni

Hi @Donny94 thanks for sharing your situation, and I'm sorry to hear your council haven't been able to support you.

I'd encourage you to contact Shelter, who can provide more tailored support around housing and homelessness issues, but if you feel that we can support you further, please ask.

Noorudean

Hi Donny,

Just wanted to say I’m sorry you’ve had such a tough experience trying to get help from the council. 

I know how hard it can be, especially as a young single male with mental health problems, you’re in the demographic that literally has to fight the hardest to access any help. They see male, young, single and then ignore pretty much any other issue unless your a dying amputee with cancer. And they see mental health as, airquotes “mental health” if you know what I mean.

Don’t give in just yet, we’re a similar age. I myself was in the exact same position at 26 and had to fight for my life to even get into a hostel.

At the time I approached the council, I was suicidal, only had notes from my GP as evidence. Told my housing officer at the time my story and he felt I was in priority need, his manager took one look and said, not enough evidence. And rejected it. Little did I know that was against the law. See at the time I had zero idea about the laws as it was an extremely turbulent time in my life, I wasn’t looking into laws I just needed help. If someone says they’re suicidal, that gives them “reason to believe” you could be priority need. Even anxiety/depression could count as reason to believe. They don’t need to prove you are in priority need, they just need reason to believe to trigger help, and from there they then conduct an investigation to find out if you satisfy priority need. In the meantime they’re supposed to house you while they gather evidence. But what councils do is instead they ask you to prove your priority need at the point of application. That’s not the law.

Heres a YouTube channel that is honestly incredible and really helped me understand it in detail:

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8LknABd9AnRR1_XfCfDmOA/videos

Check out the video on priority need, specifically but watch through a lot of their videos they can help immensely. It can at least give you hope that you can arm yourself with the right tools to have a successful application.

After almost two years of living in a hostel, and I was under the CMHT, I got privately diagnosed with autism, moderate/severe depression, severe anxiety. I had a care coordinator assigned who supported my housing application, and my key worker in the hostel as well. Only last week I got accepted onto the housing register, and just received LCWRA. I can now finally bid and put the last two years of hell behind me. I hope this info helps, just know you’re gonna have a massive fight on your hands but if you’re willing to fight, and fight hard, it’s not impossible. I wish you the best of luck,