Having a nightmare

shellbell20

Please excuse if this is a long-winded essay, but it's a long story.   A year and a half ago I rented a flat from a Housing Association. I signed up via mobile even though I told them my eyesight was bad. They said don't worry all you have to do is press the green button, so I did.  Upon returning back to my son's home where I was living I looked at my email with the tenancy agreement and it said Asbestos Report. I nearly reeled over, but they had kept me waiting 3 months and my son was due to have a baby, so I carried on to give him privacy.  I wasn't happy about the state of the place no washing machine point, and asbestos but then the day I moved in I found out that my neighbour had assaulted 2 previous neighbours of his, both single women and they HA hadn't informed me.  I was his next victim. Its going to court in January has been postponed twice.

The HA moved me to a place in the middle of nowhere, literally nowhere a management move, only to find the woman upstairs playing music full volume until 4 a.m. and the woman next door has her dog barking until 3 a.m. and then shrewns my walkway with litter, not only litter but glass. I have never met these neighbours, don't even know what they look like.

To cut a long story short I took the HA to the ombudsman for the last place about the neighbour who attacks women, the damp, the asbestos. They lied through their teeth. I won the case though and they have to pay compensation, not for the neighbour who attacked me as the Ombudsman didn't know everything and the HA lied but for all the other stuff and they were basically told off about the way they treated someone with a disability. They haven't learnt, they don't care, not only that they have 4 weeks to write an apology and I still haven't received it. No doubt it will be a backhanded apology.

Forward wind, today after many complaints about my neighbours and their lack of action.  I received a nasty email from the Housing Officer's manager, saying I should have the neighbour on camera smashing the glass in my walkway, although I have been told I am not allowed cameras. When I asked about their disability policies they said it's not for me to know, it's only for the staff to know. I asked them about their policies because they refused to move me due to them already moving me to get away from their tenant whom attacked me.  They have my psychologist's report which has advised that it is a necessity due to my deteriorating health and needing to be near my family to care for me but it is worthless according to them. I really want to take them to court for disability discrimination.

I am so desperate to get out of here, my family have to travel miles to care for me and there is no train link into this village, it's closed down. I applied to the local authority who accepted me and I sent them the report and asked to be moved up a bracket which they have for medical reasons and they said to ring them, I have tried to ring them and tell them this but each time it says we are too busy try again. I have tried when my anxiety allows, but when I told them how my anxiety kicks in just to ring them, they replied ring them.

I feel lost, I feel bullied by the Housing Association, I am in desperate need of moving for my own well-being and my MH is just getting worse, I phone the Samaritans nearly every other day. My psychologist wanted social services to get involved and had to let me go so I got the help here as she was in another county, she did that to get the help for me, to address my housing need, but I am left just picking up the pieces and each and every door is shut in my face. As for disability I never realised there was such bias. I know this as when I was at work last, I sat at my desk crying due to depression and anxiety and I got sacked. 

Can anyone put me in touch with someone who might help me move? Are there any organisations that can be advocates and help me with my situation?

Sorry for the rant, but this is the only place I know that I can unburden too and who will listen? 

Sorry, not proofread it.

shellbell20

woodbine said:

@shellbell20 I'm sorry to read all that you have been through, I'm afraid I only have one suggestion and that would be to contact your local MP and see what they can do to help.

Thanks. I do believe the housing association or doing it on purpose as I keep having to complain. They say loud music at 4an in the morning is acceptable and I have to proof that rubbish in my walkway every other day came from next door. The woman upstairs at 3 am in the morning drunk with her boyfriend said I'm going to bury the old bag in the garden. I have never met her and there has been no altercation. I recorded it though and that wasn't good enough for the HA. I guess me being attacked again will make them listen. I don't hold back my contempt for what they have put me through though and I  guess it's doing me no favours but when you're sleep deprived and already suffer with MH it's hard to rule in emotions.

chiarieds

I'm sorry for all that you have experienced with your housing @shellbell20 - as well as the good idea above to try contacting your MP, there are also advocates who may be able to help. Please see: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/advocacy/what-is-advocacy/

https://www.voiceability.org/    tho they're not in all areas unfortunately

shellbell20

chiarieds said:

I'm sorry for all that you have experienced with your housing @shellbell20 - as well as the good idea above to try contacting your MP, there are also advocates who may be able to help. Please see: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/advocacy/what-is-advocacy/

https://www.voiceability.org/    tho they're not in all areas unfortunately

Thanks, I appreciate your help., I guess I will contact my MP about the move, as the council insist I ring them and I can't get through and my anxiety will only allow me to ring them when I have a good day which is few and far between. I wish I could get this bad taste out of my mouth with the HA. Today they stated that the housing officer told me that I could bid on their site or do an exchange. I know the housing officer didn't say any such thing and the reason I know is I would remember it, not only would I remember it, but I would have asked my family to bid for me or put my flat up for mutual exchange for one and for another, because this tenancy where they moved me to, starts a whole new one, like I haven't been a tenant before. And their policy is  I can't bid until I have been a tenant for a year nor can I exchange for a year. So these are the blatant mistruths again,  which I have been dealing with since day 1, hence me taking them to the Ombudsman. I got my MP involved with it all then, but they just dug their heels in and lied again, so I took it further to get justice. I can't keep doing that, as I really am so poorly and half of it I blame on them for all the trauma/drama they have caused me.  Sorry for the rant, but they really need to be accountable for their actions and I don't think they ever will be unless I take them to court for disability discrimination and damages to my health.