Can I get an advance as I’ve been made homeless

shanegwarner · July 2021

I am currently claiming UC and I was made homeless on Friday, which is also when I got my last UC payment, however I have had to use that money to spend the weekend in a hotel. I now have a friend who is willing to let me stay on the sofa from tomorrow, but I am currently out of money and need some to tide me over till next month (for food and to help out, at my friends house) will it be possible to give UC a call and explain the situation and maybe get an advance?

Thanks

janer1967 · July 2021

Hi and welcome

You can give it a try it maybe depending on the reason you become homeless

I'm not sure how advance work tbh

MarcKeirle · July 2021

If you are still entitled to an advance you can apply directly via your journal, not sure how long you have to apply for one from claiming UC it could be just for the first month to cover you until you get your first payment ,if there is no option to apply in the advances tab might be worth ringing and asking or if you have been claiming for over 6 months you can message your work coach and apply for a budgeting advance I believe, which is about £300 or so for a single person, tough situation if none of the above can be applied for you can contact your local CAB and get a voucher for the food bank I think they can issue 3 total which should help you a bit

MarkM88 · July 2021

Universal credit advance is normally paid in the following circumstances:

How to apply for a Universal Credit advance

You can apply for a Universal Credit advance:

before you get your first payment
if you are already being paid Universal Credit and have told us of a change in your circumstances that means you will be paid more Universal Credit but have not yet been paid the increased

MarkM88 · July 2021

Budgeting advance information:

Budgeting Advance

You might be able to get a Budgeting Advance to help with:

emergency household costs such as replacing a broken cooker
getting a job or staying in work
funeral costs

You’ll repay it through your regular Universal Credit payments - these will be lower until you pay it back. If you stop getting Universal Credit, you’ll have to repay the money in another way.

How much you can borrow

The smallest amount you can borrow is £100. You can get up to:

£348 if you’re single
£464 if you’re part of a couple
£812 if you have children

What you get depends on whether you have savings of over £1,000 and can pay the loan back.

Eligibility

To get a Budgeting Advance, all of the following must apply:

you’ve been getting Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or State Pension Credit for 6 months or more, unless you need the money to help you start a new job or stay in work
you’ve earned less than £2,600 (£3,600 together for couples) in the past 6 months
you’ve paid off any previous Budgeting Advance loans

How to apply

Sign into your Universal Credit account and contact your work coach. They can tell you how to apply.

rubin16 · July 2021

Hi @shanegwarner ,

I'm sorry to hear you have been made homeless, I can't imagine how stressful and upsetting that is. Have you spoke the council regarding your situation, as they might be able to offer you somewhere or get you put on a list for a property.

Heres some information regarding a budgeting advance you might be able to get: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-advances#get-a-budgeting-advance. I would personally phone UC themselves instead of leaving a message in your journal for a faster response as seems a more urgent matter.

Also depending on the area and which council you are with you can apply for food vouchers, I would speak to your local council asap for advice about housing and whether or not you can get a food voucher.

Hope this helps.