Women's Shelter

JessicaP

Hello there

In need of support for a friend, please.

If she TEMPORARILY left the home, and went into a shelter, would her partner immediately lose his Carer's Allowance?

If she PERMANENTLY left, reclaimed her SDP once his Carers Allowance was removed and she went into a women's shelter (or was sofa surfing) until a new home was found, would she be allowed to keep her SDP on her ESA Claim?

If the Woman's shelter was outside of her normal local authority, would that force a change to UC, before her given migration date?

Would she therefore lose transitional protection?

Sorry for multiple questions. She's very confused at the moment & struggling to see the way forward.

Thank you

Rosie_Scope

Hi @JessicaP, welcome to the community. Is your friend safe at the moment? I'm really sorry she's having to deal with all this but I'm sure she appreciates you helping her through. It can be extra tough leaving a difficult situation if you are disabled, so I hope she's doing as well as possible. Women's Aid and Refuge are great if she needs some support for anything she's going through.

With regard to her benefits situation, I found this information that suggests that the carer can still receive carer's allowance if they stop caring for the person temporarily:

Carer's Allowance: Report a change in circumstances - GOV.UK

If you wish for this not to be the case, she would likely have to put in a change of circumstances to ensure it is stopped.

I'm afraid I'm not sure if moving the shelter would mean that she'd lose her transitional protection or SDP. Our members might have more experience of this area, I hope they'll be along soon if they're able to share. But might just be worth speaking to Women's Aid or Refuge about the situation to see what the impact might be and whether they can give any further advice and resources.

You could also try speaking to a local benefits adviser to see if they're able to clarify things for her. Advicelocal have a directory to search for local advice.

I hope you can get some answers soon and your friend can stay safe.