Day Four - Diary - Living in a Homeless Shelter

Sorry for the delay in this posting, we were out all day yesterday with my mum and got home very late, so I was too tired to do anything.

So, today I am going to start by giving you some information on the Banding system Epping Forest District Council use to decide who needs priority houses. We have 6 Bands and depending on your situation it depends where you are placed on this list. When we joined the housing list in January we were in Band 6 (not a chance at least 10 years before consideration) but with a letter from my GPwe moved to Band 4 (not much difference there those,still looking at 10 years). Below is a is exactly how the Council decide where you should be on this listing.


Band 1

(a) Homeseekers with Council or RSL tenancies in the District wanting to move to
accommodation with fewer bedrooms.

(b) Homeseekers living in the District for more than a year immediately prior to application,
needing to move on strong medical or welfare grounds or for reasons of disability. **

(c) Homeseekers accepted by Epping Forest District Council as homeless, eligible for
housing assistance, in priority need and not intentionally homeless, who are living in:

• bed and breakfast accommodation secured by the Council, but excluding those
referred to another local housing authority under S.198 of the Housing Act 1996.

• Living at the Council’s Homeless Persons Hostel, Norway House or the Women’s
Refuge for 3 months after the date of their homelessness decision under S.184 of the
Housing Act 1996

• Properties under the Council’s “Fresh Start” scheme or Hemnall House for 6 months
after the date of their occupation in that property, where the Council has accepted a
duty.

• Living in Brook Haven for 6 months and having been served with a S 21 Notice (giving
notice of ending the assured tenancy) following their situation being resolved
In respect of (c) above, where the Council has accepted a duty, homeseekers in these
four categories will be able to participate in the Choice Based Lettings Scheme for a
period of 8 weeks (4 cycles). If no successful expressions of interest are made, the
Council will make the homeseeker one offer of suitable secure accommodation. If the
offer is refused, the Council’s homelessness duty to provide accommodation will be
discharged.

(d) Homeseekers living in the Epping Forest District for more than a year immediately
prior to application, residing in insanitary, overcrowded or unsatisfactory conditions. *

(e) Homeseekers whom the multi-agency referral panel for S.A.F.E. (Single
Accommodation for Epping Forest) has notified the Council as having been on the
project for at least 9 months and are ready to move on.

Band 2

(a) Homeseekers having to live apart from other members of their household because of
lack of accommodation, but not for personal reasons (i.e. family disputes) where the
applicant or their partner have lived in the Epping Forest District for more than a year
immediately prior to application.

(b) Homeseekers in Epping Forest District Council accommodation that is non-secure by
virtue of Schedule 1 of the Housing Act 1985, excluding those referred to another local
housing authority under S.198 of the Housing Act 1996, accepted by Epping Forest
District Council as homeless, eligible for housing assistance, in priority need and not
intentionally homeless.

Band 3

Homeseekers meeting the criteria of Band 4 (a) or (b), and one other criterion in Band 4
(which can also include (a) and (b)).

Band 4

(a) Homeseekers living in the District for more than a year immediately prior to application,
needing one or more additional bedrooms.

(b) Homeseekers living in the District for more than a year immediately prior to application,
needing to move on moderate medical or welfare grounds or for reasons of disability,
or needing to move to a particular locality in the District where failure to do so will
result in them or others suffering hardship.**

(c) Homeseekers accepted by Epping Forest District Council as homeless and eligible for
housing assistance but not in priority need, living in the District for more than a year
immediately prior to becoming homeless.

(d) Homeseekers living in the District for more than a year immediately prior to application,
and sharing accommodation with another household.

(e) Households including a child under the age of 15 living in the District for more than a
year immediately prior to application who have no access to a garden.

(f) Households including a child under the age of 5 living in the District for more than a
year, immediately prior to application living in a flat or maisonette above ground floor.

Band 5

(a) Homeseekers living in the District for less than a year or outside the District in
overcrowded, insanitary or unsatisfactory conditions.*

(b) Homeseekers living in the District for less than a year or outside the District needing to
move on medical, welfare or hardship grounds or for reasons of disability.***

(c) Homeless people over 60 years of age in non-secure accommodation prior to
receiving a decision under S.184 of the Housing Act 1996.

(d) All homeless people (by virtue of the Housing Act 1996) who are not eligible for Bands
1 to 4.

(e) Single homeless people accommodated in bed and breakfast hotels who in the view of
the Director of Housing would benefit from the S.A.F.E Project or the Floating Support
Scheme.

(f) Homeseekers accepted by Epping Forest District Council as homeless, eligible for
assistance, in priority need but found to have become homeless intentionally.

(g) Homeseekers accepted by another local housing authority as homeless and eligible for
assistance, including those in temporary accommodation secured by another authority.

(h) Homeseekers living in the District for less than a year or outside the District sharing
accommodation with another household or needing one or more additional bedrooms.

(i) Households including a child under the age of 15 living in the District for less than a
year or living outside the District with no access to a garden.

(j) Households including a child under 5 living in the District for less than a year or living
outside the District living in a flat or maisonette above ground floor.

(k) Homeseekers who, in the opinion of the Council, have sufficient income and/or assets
to enable them to purchase accommodation as set out in paragraph 8.5 of the
Scheme.

Band 6
All other homeseekers

*Where the permitted number, in accordance with the provisions of S. 326 of the Housing
Act 1985 is exceeded, or the property is in a serious state of disrepair, of poor internal or
external arrangement, or the property has been classified as having at least one Category 1
Housing Hazard under the Housing Act 2004 or is lacking one or more of the following;
kitchen facilities, inside W.C., utility supplies.

**Medical priority to be determined by one of the Council’s Medical Advisers or a company
commissioned by the Council to provide medical advice on written evidence and taking into
account all known facts relating to the application. Welfare and hardship grounds to be
assessed on written evidence by the Housing Options Manager, in consultation with one of
the Council’s Medical Advisers and one other member of the Housing Options Section as
appropriate. Welfare issues will encompass care and support needs and social needs, for
instance, where a secure base is required for a care-leaver or any other vulnerable person to
build a stable life or where a person needs to move to make a fresh start to recover from the
effects of violence. Hardship may also include a need to move to give or receive care as well
as for access to specialist medical treatment or to take up a particular offer of employment or
training opportunity.

***Written medical evidence to be accepted by staff in the Housing Options Section without
referral to one of the Council’s Medical Advisers. Welfare and hardship grounds to be
assessed on written evidence by the Housing Options Manager.

The housing problem in the UK is huge, we have so many people entering the country who are put in homeless shelters or alternative accommodation whilst waiting to be housed, people like ourselves fight tooth and nail for a home and unless you are declared homeless, like us, you have a 10 year wait. But people coming in don't have that problem. There is no justice.

Personally if people wish to come a live here, they work and support theirselves and their family like we all have to. They don't come in and expect to live off our state, which is a huge problem and the governmet is so soft!

Anyone can come in the UK but its impossible for us to get out!

Currently we are in Band 5, as after you have moved into Norway House you are all put in Band 5 until your letter arrives and then you have 3 months before you move up to Band 1. This is so the Council can move people through the system smoothly.

__________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, 15th April 2009

After I logged off last night, I spent some time talking to an couple of across from us, they have 4 children and they were generally talking about the stresses of living here and how they cannot wait to leave. They too, spend most of their night playing musical beds and get very little sleep.

The father was made redundant last year and they have been in the Shelter since November, they can start bidding next and they just hope they are successful. The stresses of being in here are really taking its toll of them. The father cannot wait to get work, but as things are at the moment he does not know where they will end up living, at least when you have a job you have the upper hand on not being moved to far due to work.

They are fed up with the mouse and the other day, they found maggots in the kitchen. They keep their work surface immaculately clean and they still had a problem.

Tonight events were pretty quiet Casey slept later than normal and Taylor stayed in her bed. But Steve did not finish work until 12midnight so obviously he wanted to sit up and use the computer which makes it very hard to sleep. But you manage, you get use to being tired in the end.

Up early today, as we are going out for the day with my mum, as I have mentioned before my mum is off of work this week as her company closes down. She works for a Civil Engineering Company and if the company is part of a Union they close. Only problem is this comes out of her holiday allowance for the year.

So we are off to Brighton, sorry there was a last minute change of plan, we are off to Southend. Due to a specialist operation being run on the M20 the road is closed, although you go on the M23 to Brighton, the M20 being closed means the M23 will be choatic.

So running late as normal we finally leave my mum's at 9.30am. But as we did not realise the road problems until after we have gone through the Dartford Tnnel so £4.50 lighter we decide we are not going to Brighton and turn back. The Dartford Tunnel Toll is £1.50 for a car to cross, so turning back it was £3.00, but my mum throw the money and missed the basket completely, don't know where the money has gone and cannot get out to search for it so it was £4.50!.

So we finally get o Southend at 12.30 after stopping for something to eat. Parked and off we go, first to the shops, my mum's favourite pasttime, use to be mind as well, but I was able to buy the children some colouring books and pens in the £1 shop. Went to a few more shops and then off to the seafront. I can assure you Soutend is no par on Vencie Beach (been a couple of time), you don't venture in the water, as it is part of the Thams Estuary, a bit like Venice Beach was before they did all the work years ago. But the Adventure Park is great. Its free to get in, but you pay for a wrist band which allows you use of the rides.

The great thing about having small children, you only pay for them, as they need to be accompanied by an adult. Obviously, you don't get to go on the really big rides, but it doesn't matter to me.

As Taylor is over a metre she can have a green band which we means she can go on some of the intermediate roller coasters and can too, yippee!

Casey has a red band for the baby rides, which my mum takes him on. The bands are £10 for Caseys' and £15 for Taylors'. But they have great fun. After a little while we leave to have some dinner and then return for another 1 1/2 hour before leaving to go home, by now its 8pm and the children are exhausted.

I finally back at the Shelter at 9.30pm, the place is almost deserted, but thankfullyhas a carry Taylor to the Chalet our neighbour is out so is able to find the keys, Steve had hid and let me in. Taylor goes straight in bed while I get Casey. But sound a sleep.

I am exhausted only thing for me tonight is bath and bed. I put Steve some dinner on and off to the bath I go.

See ya later!