What Benefits is My Daughter Entitled too?

[dillon21]

Please can someone give me some advice my daughter worke as an apprntice doing an nvg her boyfriend beat her up last night she has no whrer to live she wants to stay in her job she earns £95 per week what help is she entitled too and what can she do about emergency accomadation while we sort something out for her she is homeless please can someone help

[rebel11]

Hi Ruth,

 

I think it might be an idea to lodge a complaint with the police.

 

These guys will help to rehouse your daughter,

Shelter England - Domestic abuse

 

Theres a freephone number.

[ErikaPNP]

She's not entitled to any means tested benefits on £95 per week. Once she gets accomodation she should be entitled to help with her rent and council tax.

 

Benefits Search

 

In respect of housing, she can go to refuge or women's aid who will provide a planned resettlement programme for her and house her in a shelter if there is availability up until she gets rehoused.

 

Refuge

Women's Aid - Homepage

 

She should definately report the incident to the police. She may not feel that she can at the moment but it is important that she does so.

[ErikaPNP]

Oh, once she is rehoused she may be able to get a Crisis Loan for basic furnishings.

 

Freecycle/freegal will be useful as well for stocking up ready for when she moves into more permanent accomodation, and some local councils offer a starter pack for people in your daughter's situation once they are housed for smaller household items like bedlinen and kitchen utensils etc. They may also pay her a decoration grant - it's not much but it helps. Women's Aid would help her in securing all of this.

[rebel11]

I'm probably way off the mark, it might be worth asking about a crisis loan. Crisis Loans - DWP

[dillon21]

Many thanks for your replys i thought she would be entitleld to top her wages up becase shae on a learning course and works 40hrs a week for £95 the problem we have today is where she can stay shes nowhere to sleep and needs to be there for her work we live 70miles away we could put her in a bandb but thats going to cost any suggestions for tonight

[loan_ranger]

If she can face reporting the "domestic violence" to the police (as recommended by Erika ) this evidence (Doctors statement, police photos of injury caused by violence) would put an obligation upon the council to re-house under the Housing Act 1996 - Parts VI and VII, as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002. Persons accepted by the Council as homeless under the definitions in the legislation above can apply to them for help with a Deposit, they may get a DWP/JCP Crisis Loan for rent in advance if their health and safety might otherwise be at risk (i.e. as in this case).

 

The police may be able to help immediately with overnight accommodation and then she needs to see the council on Monday. The council can get her into temporary accommodation (shelter, hostel or B&B) while they work on a longer term and better solution to her housing, unfortunately the temporary accommodation may be quite some distance from her work-place.

 

As someone mentioned Shelter, they haven't anywhere themselves for re-housing people but their web-site is highly informative/authoritative and their help and advice is first class.

[dillon21]

We have sorted her for tonite put her in a bandb for 2 nights she really wants to keep her job so tomorrow i will ring council were she lives and also try and get some help with what finacial help she can get she wont report it to police shes become a real victim and we my hubby and I cant get through to her i cant belive how shes turned into such a silly girl he smashed the flat up broke her mobile i could not take in what was in front of me in the flat last night but thats the way these **** work so from now on with her having no no money and no phone sorting things out is going to be a nightmare sorry for the ramble

[rebel11]

Nice work Erika:D

[ErikaPNP]

Hi Ruth.

 

I really feel I have to stress to you the importance of reporting this and/or getting help from womens aid/refuge. As loanranger correctly stated, the council have a duty to victims of domestic abuse. Women's Aid/Refuge will be able to help her enforce those rights. Domestic abuse victims have a priority position on the housing list, and this will also stand her in good stead for getting assistance in furnishing her future home.

 

Otherwise, she will just be treated as any single person is in relation to housing. Low priority, which can mean anything between months and years in emergency accomodation (B&B/shared hostel).

 

ETA: Loanranger is excellent on giving advice on Crisis Loans. You should post again when she has the offer of a tenancy and perhaps Loanranger could assist with this.

[loan_ranger]

(re. advice on Crisis Loans) You should post again when she has the offer of a tenancy and perhaps Loanranger could assist with this.

Thanks Erika, it would be my pleasure to help

 

Ruth, I hope that your daughter gets to feel a bit better ASAP and she may have a change of heart and go to the Police, in the meantime it would help if she saw her G.P. so that there is a witness to any bruising etc. for future reference.

What saddens me the most about domestic violence of this sort is that the perpetrators mostly go on to become serial offenders continuing to hurt their girlfriends/partners/wives until they eventually are reported or commit murder. These 'creeps' have serious issues, e.g. emotional immaturity and anger management.

 

I have grave concerns for the disabling long-term psychological problems which the victims may endure (e.g. P.T.S.D.), sometimes for the rest of their lives. In my opinion, obtaining justice helps the victim find "closure"

 

Best wishes,

Paul.

Edited July 18, 2010 by loan_ranger

[dillon21]

oh god i feel awful hubby just got back from dropping her back to the bandb he feels awful but she dosent want to call in sick tomorrow so has to go back for work we have been looking on net for a room she could rent if we found one and its 260 a mth and she only earns 380 would she get help with rent

[insyder]

I agree that this needs to be handled by the police.

 

Isn't a Community Care Grant a possibility here as well, loan ranger?

[dillon21]

I cant make her see that she needs to report this it got to the stage were i was losing my cool and that was not helping the situation shes well and truly in the victim cycle low self esteem its (I Quote) not all his fault i cant make her see sense which is going to make getting her some whre to live more difficult because im not going to have people on board who know how to deal with this in the best way another sleepless night in store

[loan_ranger]

I agree that this needs to be handled by the police.

 

Isn't a Community Care Grant a possibility here as well, loan ranger?

I don't think so because CCGs are more about resettlement in the community after 'institutionalisation', and to help to avoid the need for 'institutionalisation' - by which is meant - to "support the policy of care in the community". I'll have a more careful read of the Social Fund Guide tonight to see if there's "something I've missed", and if so I'll report back.

 

@ Ruth, I don't think she'll get much in the way of HB/LHA because I think she's almost at the income threshold re. eligibility on (low) "income grounds".

Directgov: Check your eligibility for housing benefit

Edited July 18, 2010 by loan_ranger
added link for HB/LHA eligibility calculator

[dillon21]

I have had a quick look and i thougt she might get something her earnings are £380 a mth sojust over £4,500 a year if her rent was £280 a mth surely she woul get some thing shes on an apprentice wage she is over 25

[WelshMam2009]

You don't say how old your daughter is and I'm guessing that she's younger than 25 Ruthill?? Otherwise she might have been entitled to working tax credits if she was working 30 hours or more a week.

[loan_ranger]

Re. LHA This link is also helpful:

The LHA-Direct website has been developed to enable tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord to calculate the possible amount of Housing Benefit available to them from their Local Authority.

https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx

 

Other benefits and tax credits calculators:

 

DWP and HMRC benefits and credits:

Benefits adviser service : Directgov - Do it online

 

Alternative "benefits search" c/o "Turn to us":

Benefits Search

[loan_ranger]

Bad news re. CCGs; a person needs to be on a gateway benefit.

CCGs are intended to assist people on Income Support (IS), income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA(IB)), Pension Credit (PC) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA(IR)), or payment on account of such benefits

[RaeUK]

Just dropping by to offer my best wishes to you all ruthhill. Can't offer anything constructive I'm afraid.

 

If she is unwilling to go to the police, would she let her doctor examine her to record her injuries at least? Failing that, would she let you photograph and document them?

 

Best wishes

Rae

[rebel11]

Shelter England - Emergency advice

[ErikaPNP]

She won't qualify for income based benefit as in personal allowances, as at £95 per week, her earnings are above the threshold amount for weekly income. She will qualify for help with rent and council tax.

 

For working tax credit, she would need to be working 30 hours or more a week and receive a taxable salary or training allowance. If these are not taxable, or if she works less than 30 hours per week she wouldn't qualify for WTC.

 

I do wonder however if her employers are paying her what they should. Is she in the first year of her apprentiship?

[dillon21]

Thank you so much for all your help this is where we are at today girl she works with going to put her up. viewing a room to rent near her work tomorrow her income for the year is £4,940 she is working 40hrs a week and is 27yrs old so i think she will get tax credits room would be £75.00 a week so thats £3,900 so im sure she would get some help also she got her first mths wage last week and paid tax shes under the threshold so what could have happened there once again thnk you

[dillon21]

Hi just thought i would update I spoke to the council where she is looking at renting a room and they said she would be entitked to housing benefit for a one bedroom property i told them it would be a room in a shared house and they said fine so that would help her a great deal just thought i would post as everyones been so helpful

[ErikaPNP]

I'm so glad that she is starting to get things sorted. It will take time to start all over again, and the emotional scars take a lot longer to heal than the physical ones do. I'm really glad to see someone who hasn't waited for it to get beyond that point, and pleased that she has a family who are supportive.