Help on benefits please.......

[Hamber25]

Hi everybody!

I am new to this site and after reading all your threads on benefits etc, I can not find the answer to the questions I have at the moment.

I am 33 years old, and have recently spilt from a 'not nice' relationship. I had worked full time from leaving college up until I met my ex-partner 6 years ago when I gave up working. Therefore I have paid no National Insurance in that time as I was a 'kept woman'. My situation has now changed, I have had to move back into my parents home as I have no money to rent or buy a property and am going mad living there. And to top things off I am now 3 months pregnant, but the child is not my ex-partners. I do not have any other children.

I have been reading on various websites that I am unable to claim benefits because I have not paid enough National Insurance,. I can not get through to my local Citizens Advice Bearea for advice and to see what I am entitled to. I am not claiming any benefits at the moment and have been to a couple of job interviews, but I am sure as soon as I said I was expecting they did not want to know.

So at the moment I feel like I am in limbo and need advice on what I am entitled to as a single expectant mother? I have been told by friends that I should be receiveing this kind of benefit before the baby is born and then that kind of benefit after. To rent a private property and the council will pay the landlord rent and council tax instead of waiting to be housed, I am totally confused on how I do this? I really need to leave the area I live in and move somewhere else.

Does anyone know the answers to my questions? Any advice would be much appricated.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[nat]

Hi Hamber25,

I think you should be entitled to JSA at the moment and then as your pregnancy progresses Incapacity benefit. You would need to claim these through your local jobcentre.
As for Housing benefit, you would need to first find a landlord that is willing to accept someone on HB, then find the deposit required. You then claim HB and Council Tax benefit from your local council. If you are not working then most if not all of your rent will be paid.

You will also be able to claim a sure start maternity grant if you are still not working 3 months before the baby is born. After the baby is born, you should claim Income support, child tax credits and child benefits and also inform your HB department of the change in circumstances.

Hope this helps.

[maggieboo]

Hi

If you just apply for income support, they will tell you whether you are entitled to it or not, and if you are not they will tell you what you are entitled to.

concerning housing, if you find a private landlord who will accept HB, you may not get the full amount of rent paid by HB. for example, if you rent a 1 or 2 bedroomed flat the HB department may decide that is an adequate size for a mother and baby and pay the full amount, but if you can only find a 3 bedroomed place to rent the HB department may decide that is too big and will only pay a proportion of the rent. I'm not trying to confuse you, but i have been in a similar situation some years ago.

waiting to be housed can seem a bit daunting and impossible, especially if you live with family. the council are likely to decide that as you are with family that is fine and not prioritise you. the council score your need for housing on a points system. for example you would need your own bedroom, a place to dry washing, if you are in receipt of benefits, no immediate threat of evicition, the list goes on, the more you have on their list, the higher your points and the quicker you move to the top.

when i was in a similar situation (left on my own and pregnant) i was sharing a flat with some friends, the council decided that was fine and wouldn't rehouse me, so I asked my landlord to evict me which he did (and felt really bad about) but it pushed my points up and meant that i was able to move into a council flat very quickly after baby was born. it wasn't ideal but we had our own home and stayed for a couple of years whilst i got my sorted and went back to college etc, now I am back at work, met someone new and we all live together with no benefits just the child tax credits.

i don't know if that helps, but it might a bit.

good luck

[emmaf01]

Hamber- ring your local council welfare rights officer. They will inform you what you are entitled to now and in the future. They will also help you fill in the forms if you take them with you.

Is staying with your parents unworkable long term? Was the "not nice" relationship you left abusive in some way (it doesn't have to mean physical abuse- psychological abuse is just as bad- and no need for details you aren't comfortable with)? If so, a talk to Refuge or another organisation might help with advice.

[sallysas]

The law on hb changed in April. Can't remember what it is called - something like 'local housing allowance' but what happens now is that a rent figure is allocated to every postcode in England/Wales and revised every month. The rent is deposited to your bank account and YOU are then responsible for paying the landlord. If the landlord is charging say £15 a week less than the authorised rent figure you get to keep it. If he is charging more you make up the difference. As far as I am aware this will only apply to private tenants but I only know these basic details as I am due for training in the autumn. I would imagine size of property is still a factor but yes your local council will fill in the gaps in my knowledge. It may still be possible to apply for a deposit from a charity. All the best.

[Elenathion]

There are 2 types of jobseekers allowance, 1 for those who have paid contributions, 1 for those who haven't. The application process is exactly the same though.

You can claim JSA until either 8 or 9 weeks before you are due to give birth, then you can claim income support.