Housing and Mortgages and the HOLD scheme

kiwi_1706

So, I had a surge of hope when the "Home Ownership for People with Long Term Disabilities" was mentioned to me... but after months and months of research etc, it turns out it is yet another dead end... even though a small mortgage would be affordable now...

Recap - I am a carer to my husband and two children, all of whom have significant learning difficulties and various autistic spectrum conditions, and mental and physical health problems. My husband has been unable to access any real support to access employment, so has been unemployed for many years now. In the days before we managed to convince anyone of his issues, I had to support him, and the children without any benefits or support, and ended up with a tonne of debt, and an IVA. I couldn't afford the mortgage, so we sold the house, and now live on a boat which has no water, electric, sanitation, etc etc etc. It is very far from ideal. 

I thought the HOLD scheme would help us... but it is apparently, only for disabled people who have not got themselves into any prior financial difficulty. I find that kind of ironic, as it was his disabilities and the lack of support, that caused the financial difficulty.

Even if the Local Housing Allowance would actually cover the cost of renting (which it won't anywhere near here, and most places won't take DSS anyway), I don't have the time or the energy to be moving three disabled people from one home to another over and over again, which I know is a reality for many renters (I should maybe mention here that I am also disabled with fibromyalgia, and cervical spondylosis, so have chronic pain and fatigue anyway... and it has taken me three years to arrange all the support for here). I have looked at various other options including shared ownership (my self employed income is not high enough or audited, so not eligible for that), and council accommodation (we have no "local connection" where we are, and where we lived in the house won't prioritise us because we are not living there). 

The only solution social services/housing officer could come up with, was to rehouse my husband in accommodation separately to us (he does have a local connection so they will house him, if a flat becomes available, but no properties available big enough to meet the needs of the whole family, so they won't house us). 

I'm pretty sure I've exhausted all my options. Would love to hear from anyone who thinks I may have missed something...

janer1967

Hello and welcome. I am so sorry to hear about your housing situation , have you contacted shelter they are a charity dealing with these sort of situations. They have a website shelter.org,uk or a helpline 0300 330 

I hope this helps

kiwi_1706

Shelter's advice was to contact my council's housing department and explain to them that the boat isn't meeting our needs, so that they would process a homelessness application for us.... and I spoke to the housing department... they would do that, but we would be placed in temporary accommodation potentially a long way from my husband, who will need me to care for him when he moves into his flat... and probably a long way from the children's schools, which would mean another long battle with the LA to secure the appropriate schools for them (special school waiting times here are about 18-24 months). Also, the kind of temporary accommodation they are talking about is just as unlikely to meet my son's needs, as where we are now ... it seems like a case of "better the devil you know"... 

I think my point is that we are not entirely without means... we have the boat which we can sell, and enough money to pay a small mortgage, or rent for somewhere... but we don't have access because of a combination of poor credit history (due to disability) and disability. Schemes which are there supposedly to help disabled people are still not entirely inclusive... what I could do with is a housing specialist who understands the whole housing system and can find a way in for us... but there doesn't seem to be such a thing... or at least I haven't managed to find them.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @kiwi_1706, I cannot imagine how stressful this has been. Just wanted to check in to see if there has been any changes. 

kiwi_1706

No, no change. 

Chloe_Alumni

Sorry to hear this @kiwi_1706, it cannot be easy.

newborn

The angle which jumped out to me was the council offering to house your husband, who has local connection. 
House him, and reject his family.

Err......hallo.....what was Shelter thinking of, when they failed to leap on that?   
Get legal advice, and get back to the council fully armed with information, and ideally with a lawyer or a lawyer's letter.....
(Maybe also the local  M.P. should intervene. Maybe your councillors. Maybe social services.)

But it looks as if there is a breach of statutory duty, a breach  of national human rights and equality legislation,  and a breach of .U.N. declaration of human rights. 
The chief executive  of your local  authority  will have heard of international human rights, which are breached by denying the right to family life !!!

pollyanna1052

Cant believe you are treated this way by anyone! Where are we?..Outer Mongolia for heaven`s sake!

This is just not acceptable in UK.....surely?