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Help with housing for my son

Horses123

Hi im new to this i am looking for advice or help my son has digeorge syndrome he is a vulnerable adult and has a mild learning disability my question is how can he get help to get a flat somewhere safe as he wants to go to blackpool i havent got a clue how i can get advice for him

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Adrian_Scope

Hi @Horses123. We have some information on our website about finding suitable housing. However, you could also get in touch with Shelter who are a housing and homelessness charity. He might find it difficult to get into social housing within Blackpool unless he's currently living there or has a local connection. Does he live with you at the moment?

Horses123

Yes he live in leeds with me at the moment

david235

As @Adrian_Scope indicates, it may well be impossible for your son to get social housing in an area where he does not currently live and has no local connection to. Private renting is an option, but does not give the same security of tenure.

The starting point to my mind is whether your son is capable of independent living, or whether he needs some sort of support to live independently. If he needs any sort of support, that has to be in place alongside housing for the housing to work out. If carer visits will be enough, they should be reasonably easy to sort out via a needs assessment from Social Services wherever he's going to live. However, if more structured support is required for the transition to independent living, that might require seeking some sort of specialist supported living placement.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @Horses123 and a warm welcome to the community! Do you have any social connections to Liverpool that would help your son to move there?

Horses123

Its blackpool where he wants to live he moved there a while ago for a few months independently however it was a bnb and full of drunk n people taking drugs they had parties and fights took place the police were called which scared my son so no more bnb i would prefer he had a safe flat somewhere as he is determined to go back to blackpool to live he can live independently i just worry as he is naive

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @Horses123, I'm sorry about that. There was a thread similar that mentioned Liverpool! Because your son has previously lived there, this could help with gaining support, but I'm not certain of this as it only was for a few months. Were Shelter able to help at all?

You could try speaking to the local council of Blackpool who might be able to point you in the right direction. It would be about building a picture around why it would be beneficial for him to live there and why it is outside of his current location.

Please do keep us updated and let us know how you get on.

Horses123

Thank you for your advice

david235

Horses123 said:

Its blackpool where he wants to live he moved there a while ago for a few months independently however it was a bnb and full of drunk n people taking drugs they had parties and fights took place the police were called which scared my son so no more bnb i would prefer he had a safe flat somewhere as he is determined to go back to blackpool to live he can live independently i just worry as he is naive

I'm sorry to hear that. Unfortunately HMO accomodation such as a "B&B" (which would actually be a HMO for long term residents) can concentrate antisocial behaviour such as you describe in ways that would understandably be distressing for anyone who just wants a peaceful life.

Sadly, a few months' residence would not be a local connection for social housing purposes - to have a local connection with Blackpool based on residence you have to have lived there for the "last 3 years" (which I take to mean currently resident and have been resident for at least three years).

Renting privately would be an option - but affordability would be a concern. I am guessing, perhaps wrongly, that your son is under 35. He would be exempt from the shared room rate and entitled to the 1-bed self-contained rate of Local Housing Allowance (assuming, of course, he qualifies for housing cost help under Universal Credit rules) if he has PIP daily living component or high or middle rate DLA care component. Currently, in Blackpool, the shared room rate Local Housing Allowance is £60.75 per week and the 1-bed self-contained rate is £85 per week - these rates are capped by law to cover only the bottom third of rents being charged in the area. The challenge is finding a decent property that is affordable and where the landlord is willing to accept benefits.

Does your son have any input from Social Services? If so, is his social worker able to do anything to help facilitate a transition to independent living? It is possible that Social Services will say they can do little to help a transition to independent living outside of Leeds.

Horses123

He hasnt got a social worker we have been left with no support all his life even through nursery to leaving school i had to fight for 1 to 1 as he wasnt diagnosed til he was 12 but i knew from birth i think a self contained flat his own front door would be the best option i will try my best but i dont know blackpool . Thank you for your advice it was helpful.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @Horses123, has your son ever had a needs assessment by the local authority? This would allow him to access a support worker and see what support could be put in place. You can self refer here.