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karategirl
karategirl Community member Posts: 13 Listener
in Housing and independent living
Just wondering if anyone could help and give me some advice please. We are in private renting at the momemt but im looking at wether we would be able to get onto the council housing list as our adoptive son has complex needs and his last hospital appointment they are now going down the route of mri of his brain as he has muscle weakness and isnt working yet. I know we could be waiting years so i thought if we put it in now. 
Now looking at the council criteria it says that if we have a boy and girl under 10 they can share a room so we would only be offered a 2 bed but as we are going through the adoption process with the son they say he has to have his own bedroom and he cant share so would the council take this into consideration. Im really sorry im very new to this and never even looked at council houses before so if someone could please talk me through it that would be brilliant, im going to try citizens advice after the new year.
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  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Pioneering
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    Hello @karategirl,

    It's not clear from your post if you have other children living with you?

    If Children's Services are stating that your adoptive son needs his own bedroom then yes the housing department would take this into consideration and it's likely that they will allow an extra bedroom if he can't share. Evidence will be needed to confirm this though.

    I would be happy to look up your local council's housing policy and some local advice services if you could tell me which council is involved.

    It's also worth having a read through Shelter's website. They have lots of information about housing including council housing.

    Let me know if you need any further advice.

    Best wishes
    Debbie
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  • karategirl
    karategirl Community member Posts: 13 Listener
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    Thank you so much for getting back to me yes i have a 5 year old daughter as well as the 16month we are in the middle of adopting im sure i can get a letter from the social worker regarding the bedroom for him.
    Im in the south kesteven sector, iv tried ring citzen advice but they couldnt help.
    Iv got our sons adoption medical reports as he is classed as having global development delay and complex needs, we are under peads plus others and we are waiting on mri scan for cerebral palsy 
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  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Pioneering
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    Hi @karategirl,

    Thanks for that information. It sounds to me as though there shouldn't be too many problems here once you've provided all of the evidence required. I can't promise that if you're accepted onto the housing list that you won't be waiting for a long time for a suitable property to become available. You should go ahead with your application and see what the council determines once they've received all of your information. Let me know how it goes.

    @Mickey do you work in the South Kesteven area and do you know of any local sources of support that might be available? (Mickey is one of our Regional Information and Advice workers but I'm not clear if you live in his catchment area.)

    I look forward to hearing from you with further updates and I hope that everything goes well.

    Very best wishes
    Debbie
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  • karategirl
    karategirl Community member Posts: 13 Listener
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    Thank you so much for that. Its been a nightmare trying to get help with this. Ill fill in the forms and see what happens and ill up date with everything 
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  • karategirl
    karategirl Community member Posts: 13 Listener
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    Hi
    So i went to citizen advice who said i stood no chance as our son is too young. This put me off applying if im honest as i dont want to waste anyones time.

    But now he has been diagnosed as having cerebral palsy im not sure if this changes anything as he now has a walking frame and he cant use it inside as the door frames are not wide enough and he gets stuck and has a meltdown lol. He is 20months
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  • karategirl
    karategirl Community member Posts: 13 Listener
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    I went to speak with citizen advice and they basically said he would be too young for us to be coincided on his needs so i didnt bother putting the forms in.
    Things have changed and he has been diagnosed as having cerebral palsy and we have just got him a walking frame. So again im looking at whether we can get on the register as being in private rent we wont be able to adapt the house as and when. 
    If theres anyone that could advice me i would be really greatful 
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  • Geoark
    Geoark Community member Posts: 1,463 Disability Gamechanger
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    Hi @karategirl

    My suggestion would be for you to see if you can make an appointment to speak to one of the allocation team at the council. If you can then at least you can find out if you will be considered.

    Or you could just make the application and see what happens. If you are turned down on your application you should get an explanation as to why you don't currently qualify. If you don't qualify now at least you know what changes will be needed to qualify, and will know it when it occurs.

    For example they may decide where you live currently meets your needs and/or your income is sufficient to find suitable housing in the current private sector. Just a heads up that making yourself deliberately homeless - handing in notice to your current landlord for example could make you ineligible to council housing.

    Even if you don't qualify they may be able to advise you on your rights or additional help in making your current home more suitable with the landlords permission.

    Even with council property you may not be able to make some of the changes you would want to make without their permission. For example widening doors.

    I noted that there is a high demand for council housing in your area, you should also be aware that many council homes may not be suitable for your needs and this could further restrict your options and make the wait longer. This has been a huge source of frustration for those with disabilities or disabled children where needs change over time.

    What I don't know is how your son's medical needs will affect your priorities in housing needs, but it will likely be a slow process so the quicker you get on the housing list the better. If for some reason you won't qualify at least you know and move on to other alternatives for the future.

    I do wish you good luck, and hope things work out well for you in the future.

    As an individual I stood alone.
    As a member of a group I did things.
    As part of a community I helped to create change!

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  • karategirl
    karategirl Community member Posts: 13 Listener
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    Hi thank you and your right and this is why we have been toying with the idea as we know it would be a very long wait and i dont want us to wait till we are struggling with him to then have the start of our wait if that makes sense.
    Im going to have to bite the bullet and see how we get on we have nothing to loss.
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  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Community member Posts: 932 Pioneering
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    Hi @karategirl,

    I don't think there's any harm at all in going ahead with an application. I don't like that you've been told that your son is too young to have his needs considered. I think this needs further exploration with your local housing department. Whilst it's true that at this current time you may be considered adequately housed. @Geoark is quite right that your situation can change at any time so it would make sense to apply anyway and definitely explore all available options.

    Good luck with the application!

    Debbie


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