Looking for help for my daughter's boyfriend.

MV22

Hi. I'm asking for information regarding my daughter's boyfriend. He has Asperger's / autism (diagnosed) and is struggling to get along in life. He is 22 years old and his own family doesn't help much and haven't gotten him the help he's needed in the past. He lives with his grandparents who are selling up and have told him he has to be out of the house soon (could be early next year). I've got nowhere for him to stay so he's worried sick about being homeless and doesn't know what to do, he simply can't handle situations like this and finds it hard to speak to people on the phone and to fill in any forms (although we are trying to help but we're not experts either). He has no case worker, nobody to help him make sure he's on the correct benefits, or just generally help with things like this.

His autism means he's quick to anger and ready to walk away from any situation he's in, which doesn't help. He's not aggressive to people, just angry that he can't handle it which leads to anxiety and worry. 

My question is, how does he go about getting help? He lives in Burnley and has no idea where to even start looking, I thought asking here would set him in the right direction as you've helped me in the past.

Should he have a case worker to help him in his situation with things like this? It's really frustrating, watching him struggle and not being able to help him as much as we'd like.

Thanks for any help in advance.

chelseadagger

He absolutely needs to contact his local council. They'll be able to advise on applying for social housing if he's eligible, and he can also ask them about a needs assessment to see if the local authority can provide any more support to him. Citizen's Advice will be able to support on this if he's struggling with it

Tori_Scope

Hi @MV22 Thanks for posting about this. It sounds like a stressful situation for you all! 

Yes, as chelseadagger has said, it might be helpful for him to have a needs assessment from his local authority. You can read about that on the NHS website. You can self-refer for one. 

He could also try using a benefits calculator (Turn2Us) to see whether he's claiming all of the benefits to which he's entitled. Is he claiming any benefits at the moment? 

If he feels he needs some professional support with claiming benefits, he can search for support local to him through advicelocal.uk

If he's worried about homelessness, Shelter are another good charity to get in touch with. 

Is he receiving any emotional support to help him get through this challenging time of change and uncertainty? I'd encourage him to speak to his GP if he can.