What help is there for chronically ill and out of work for years?

baloo80

Hello. Newly joined here .

I am in a desperate state, I hope, somebody has more knowledge than I do and could advise something.
I have been ill for over 10 years but I did not ask for any help also sadly nothing from the social system as I do not not understand the social system at all.
Two years ago I have tried to claim PIP and, after a very humiliating assessment they gave me standard daily living , ignoring and manipulating what I was saying so, I got many points less than I should have done. I was scared to dispute and to lose even that. Now. I was married all these years and my husband has provided me with the housing and food. Our relationship has broken down as he cant cope with me being ill all the time anymore . Maybe it is for the best as I mentally struggled with being a burden on him as he made sure I feel that way every day . Lots of mental abuse etc.

However , this leaves me facing homelessness and I just have £290 a month from PIP . I havent worked for so many years since falling ill and I have never claimed any benefits. My local Citizens Advice wasnt very useful and they were not able to tell me what help am I entitled to apply for .
main issue is that I was not working for many years. I assumed I am entitled to nothing at the time because my husband was earning enough.
Now I am in this desperate state , facing homelessness while I barely can sit even.
I hope there is some help for people in my situation -who were cared after and provided by the family and then they have to go alone.

many thanks in advance for any advice anyone might have

poppy123456

I’m sorry that Citizens Advice weren’t helpful.

Assuming you are under state pension age then It would be Universal Credit (UC) you would need to claim.

If you are still living with your partner but are no longer living together as a couple then you can still claim. You will need to tell them your situation and may have to prove that you live separate lives.

As UC is a means tested benefit if you have savings/capital of more than £16,000 you’re excluded from claiming.

Do you own or rent your own home?

baloo80

Thank you for your reply. I still live with him as he is still covering all bills , food, we only have one bed and one tv , one small fridge and kitchen so we are stuck in one small flat together. We have not been “a couple” for years now yet we share the tiny space and he is doing a lot of things for me even putting my socks on , helping with bathing and getting groceries. This is a bit I am stumbling on as to get registered for housing help I need to prove we are not living as a couple, yet , we do live together still , he is cooking for both of us as it cheaper plus he would not be able to cook in two turns as he is exhausted after work and I can not cook most of times. No , I have no money to my name and he owns nothing, in fact we are in debt, which I also will have to think how to deal with (later).
Am I entitled to UC at all if I did not work for many years ? And, I guess , as I did not work for many years now, I can not look into getting work incapacity assessed? Are these benefits attached to NI contributions?

onebigvoice

@baloo80,

You have started be looking here and just remember you are not alone. If I had a £1 for every time I have heard this plea, I would not have to work.

There are many that will give you advice here and just remember that the advice is free, but the decision to whether to go down the suggested routes is "Yours"

So, I do not want to start off by "Slagging off the system" but to say we need a system of assessment to monitors the care needs of the individual. I did not say customer, appellant, or any other name used since we are all here in the same boat, so if by Laws, Charters, or statements made give everyone the same assessment up and down the country then that's a start.

Please contact your local council hub to look at housing, benefits, and what is available. Be truthful with what you say, as they will help, and will point you to the right department.

Don't expect miracles but everything is done in Date order, but depending on your case you may get certain things done quicker. Not knowing your situation, the earlier you start the ball rolling the better it will be for you. If you have any Physical or mental issues then make an appointment soon and talk to them about your issues. The same thing how can they fix you when you don't tell them you're broken?
Some housing companies will only take referrals from the council for No fault Eviction, Notice to quit, or other issues around housing so again go to the hub and maybe list the issues you have and need help with as once at the interview you will forget.

poppy123456

If you’re under state pension age then you will not be able to claim housing benefit as suggested by @onebigvoice because it no longer exists for new claimants, unless you’re living in either supported or temporary housing.

Your situation is complicated because it sounds like you are still living as a couple, due to the bills and sleeping in the same room. For this reason I don’t think a claim for Universal Credit as a single person would be possible.

I’d advise you to contact shelter who will hopefully be able to give you some advice about moving out and finding somewhere else to live. https://www.shelter.org.uk/

It will also be worth trying to find a different advice agency such as Welfare Rights for some expert advice due to your situation. This link will help you find what’s local to you. https://advicelocal.uk/welfare-benefits

baloo80

thank you all for all the info. As I predicted it all looks very grim and I mentally can not even deal with any of it. Such as me being dependent on the man I married yet we do not have the marriage for years now and I , by the look of it, wont be able to prove we cohabit only because I have nowhere else to go.
this is exactly why Citizens Advice did not think I will get any help unless i file DV charges against my husband. I can not do it as even if I have suffered from him he is the only who has fed me and gave me the roof over my head. He has his own struggles and was never equipped to be a carer. I already feel i ruined his life by falling very ill.
it does sound like there is nothing for me to survive on esp if housing benefit is inaccessible to me (yes I am in my late 40s so, very far from retirement age).

onebigvoice

@poppy123456.

Hi poppy123456,

Thank you for the correction, my point was just to state that there is help out there but you need to make the first move, and this is as good as any here.

It was a general comment as others who have not been sign posted to anywhere or have heard stories of the "system" give up before they start, unwilling to ask for a reconsideration, or just don't know what they are entitled to, and not knowing the case or to try to read to much into what was posted just gave some options going forward.

Thanks again, and baloo80 you really are not alone.

joslin

Good morning, I am not homeless, but like Baloo have a chronic illness and have been unemployed for many years. I took care of family members over the years with varying illnesses and disabilities as well as my late husband who passed not long ago. I am looking to work from home remotely as my disability limits my movements and some days are worse than others. However, is there anyone here who can point me in the right direction? 50 something widow, looking for work, very nervous about applying for work, but willing to learn and enthusiastic, just need lots and lots of advice.

Many thanks.

Jimm_Alumni

Hi @joslin, welcome to the community 🙂 It can be very difficult to know where to start. We have a section on Finding a job when you are disabled in our advice section. We also do have a support programme to help people with employment. Read more about it here: Support to Work | Disability charity Scope UK

I hope some of these links and our other community members can help you with finding the path you'd like to go on!

joslin

Thank you so much. I have registered withe the Support to Work Team. Have a lovely day.

andteneyes

Hi Balloo 80,

Thank you for sharing your post, it seems like you have lots of things to navigate all at one which in my experience can be overwhelming and it’s hard to know where to start. But we have rights. Lots of rights.

Shelter and Advocacy helped me loads to work out what I needed, what was available and where to get support.

You have human rights - even without a disability you have loads of rights including a right to feel safe and to be able to access support when times are hard. And there is support out there.
As someone with a disability you have rights designed to protect you from discrimination because of disability - If an organisation knows about your disability they may need to make reasonable adjustments so you are not excluded from accessing that service.

I’ve needed the services of Shelter in the past and can only say amazing things about the support they gave me.

One of the things I’ve also found incredibly valuable has been advocacy - here is a link to what they do and how you can access them. https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/resources/advocacy-get-your-voice-heard An advocate helped me understand my rights and what my options were. They helped me fill in forms. They had a wealth of knowlage about services in my area and did some research when they didn’t have answers straight away. They met with me face to face (this was my choice, however they offered phone calls and video calls too) and liased with various organisations for me. Advocates also tend to keep records of conversations and build action plans to achieve specific things agreed between themselves and the person they support. Having an advocate was very empowering and it helped me regain some control of my life.

I’ve not personally used CLA service but it looks very useful. They may also be able to help you understand your legal rights regarding housing and also disability rights. Heres a bit from their website:

https://www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice
Civil Legal Advice (CLA)

You might be able to get free and confidential advice from Civil Legal Advice (CLA) as part of legal aid if you’re in England or Wales.If you’re eligible, you can get help from CLA for problems including:

• debt, if your home is at risk
• housing, if you’re homeless or at risk of being evicted
• domestic abuse
• separating from an abusive partner, when you’re making arrangements for children or sorting out money and property
• a child being taken into care
• special education needs
• discrimination
• some child abduction cases