Help with housing

[Kittiekatz]

I wonder if anyone on here has any advice regarding a housing matter. I’m having a fight on my hands trying to get a ground floor property, considering I have 3 lung conditions, depression & anxiety. They are offering me ridiculous houses, firstly 12 floors up in a tower block, which I refused & now I've been offered 2nd floor in same tower block. If I refuse this it's my last offer. I was wondering if anyone else had experienced the same problems with their local council housing department & if so how you overcome it. Any & all advice welcome

[Spacecat1]

Try getting your consultant or gp invovled

[Kittiekatz in reply to Spacecat1]

My GP has done me a letter, however the consultant won't as they haven't saw me in a while (due to Covid restrictions might I add)?& wants to see me 1st, & next appointment isn't until November. However they don't seem to realise that time is of the essence 😕 Thanks for your response 😊

[Pipswhips in reply to Kittiekatz]

Ring his secretary up znd chase your f2f appointmennt up and insist on a f2f with him good luck

[Pipswhips in reply to Kittiekatz]

Tell her you can take a cancellation appointment if znyone cancel before your appoiment the probably ve somd due to people catching covid. Thats only thing i can suggest. Mine was supposed to be last aug got put bzck until november but said i can take a cancellation and got for ward to sept last year.

[Kittiekatz in reply to Pipswhips]

They’ve put me on the list for an appt if there’s any cancellations. So heres hoping 🤞🏼

[Pipswhips in reply to Kittiekatz]

Thats good as they wont want to waste appointments if people are willing to take a cancellation. I do the same for xrays and scans as well. Hope you here something soon🤞

[Nula2]

Hi Kittiekatz, I wonder if citizens advice would be able to help? Hope you get sorted soon xx

[Kittiekatz in reply to Nula2]

Yeah I maybe have to give them a call & see if they can help me in anyway at all. Thank you 😊

[Alberta56]

If your local Councillor is any good he/she may be able to help. This is the sort of thing they were elected to do. If you don't know who they are, your Council offices will be able to tell you.

[Kittiekatz in reply to Alberta56]

I’ve emailed my councillors numerous times & they seem to be hopeless, they’re always saying waiting on an update, however I called members services & they said the homeless/housing dept should respond within 5 days. I even emailed the leader of the council & managed to get him behind me & a few nights ago I saw an article “breaking news” Leader of Council resigns due to sexual misconduct row 🙄 So I’ve emailed the depute leader now & have to go through the rigmarole again of hopefully getting her behind me. Thanks for your reply 😊

[Caspiana in reply to Kittiekatz]

I would cut out the middle man and go straight to your member of parliament. Write an email to their office . It needs to be very well worded. I have had success with this helping a family member. xx

[Kittiekatz in reply to Caspiana]

I actually emailed my MP yesterday afternoon with a summary of what’s going on & asked for an appt at her next surgery. She emailed me back within an hour for my details & said someone will be back in contact to arrange something. Thanks for your reply 😊

[Alberta56 in reply to Kittiekatz]

What a pity your Councillors are NBG. Your MP sounds a much better bet. i hope she will get the wheels turning and quickly.

[Biofreak]

I would try to get in touch with your local MP and ask if he/she could help support you with the housing department. Concentrate on your disabilities and the reasons why you need a ground floor property. It should be obvious with your health conditions but sometimes you just have to spell it out to people.

[Kittiekatz in reply to Biofreak]

Yeah I might have to escalate it to my MP, as the local councillors seem to be dragging their heels. As I said in another answer I had the support of the leader of the council, but he just resigned due to a sexual misconduct row from back in 2019. So yeah I might now go to my MP. Thanks for your reply 😊

[Jaybird19]

local newspaper ? would they be interested, how do you get to 2nd floor is there a lift

[Kittiekatz in reply to Jaybird19]

I’m not sure, good thinking, never thought of the newspaper tbh. Yeah I know, I can hardly get up one set of stairs without passing out, but they assured me there would always be one lift in operation. Like how on earth can the make that assurance?? They tell you anything to fob you off. Thanks for your reply 😊

[Biofreak in reply to Kittiekatz]

Their assurance is all very well but they can't guarantee it. Then what do you do if there's a fire when using a lift is considered dangerous? You would have little chance of running down the stairs with your condition. I can't believe that they wouldn't know this. Fobbing off as you say.

[Kittiekatz in reply to Biofreak]

Exactly, that’s what I pointed out to them when I was offered the flat on the 12th floor. I said in the event of an emergency how would I get myself downstairs, & I said to them have yous forgotten Grenfell Tower, coz I haven’t!! Their response/reaction to that was to offer me a flat in the same tower, only on the 2nd floor this time. I feel as though I’m banging my head against a wall talking to them 😫 honestly I’ve just about had it with them, it’s playing havoc with my already high anxiety levels. However as you say they just fob you off & they don’t care, don’t give it another thought. It’s not their lives that’s up in the air. They are so insensitive at my local housing dept 😕

[Hidden]

You’ve been given a few good suggestions, I would also add shelter to the list. They only deal with/advise on housing issues. Your MP is always a good bet - one call from ours got social services standing on their heads after almost two years of me wrangling with them. The letter from the consultant would be useful, but doesn’t necessarily count for anything in and of itself: when we were trying to get housed back in 2008, we had a letter from the child’s respiratory consultant saying the flat we were in at the time was a direct health risk due to her lung disease, and the council disregarded it completely.

[Kittiekatz in reply to Hidden]

Really, & that was to do with your child’s health & they were that uninterested. That’s a disgrace!! Sorry you had to endure that. Yeah Shelter, I thought of them but then kinda thought to myself do they only deal with like homeless folk who live rough?? I’ll give them a go & also my MP now too & see where that takes me. Thanks for my your reply 😊

[Hidden]

When you contact your MP make sure that you email their local constituency office, not their parliamentary office which is staffed by Londoners who often don't pass things on. Also find the name of your district councillor, not random people at the council. Email your councillor directly. They want your vote and were elected to help you. Cut to the chase and do it.

[Kittiekatz in reply to Hidden]

I had the leader of council involved, however he resigned just a few days ago due to a sexual misconduct row from back in 2019. So I’ve emailed my MP yesterday & had a response already about seeing her at her next surgery. Thanks for your reply 😊

[Hidden in reply to Kittiekatz]

As the leader of the council turned out to be useless because of his other pre-occupations it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get your district councillor involved. It is their job to help you and they have influence with the agencies involved.

[Pipswhips]

Only thing i can suggest get in touch with either cab or age uk see if they can help you wiyh your problems i had a friend who was really a friend of my mums but she got transfered from her own home which she owed but sold ib dtiffieldbut she got copd and arthritis she couldnt manage stairs so she got a bungalow in brid but since she moved back to driffield to a bug alow so if she can fo you should good luck do ring cab or age uk up and the czn give you advice about it even get onto your housing dept at your council .Good luck

[Kittiekatz in reply to Pipswhips]

I’ve involved my MP now, & hopefully see her at her next surgery. Don’t think age UK will deal with me, I’m not a pensioner 😆 However maybe still just ask CAB for info, it can’t hurt. As for the housing dept at local council, they’re hopeless. It’s them I’m fighting with atm over appropriate offers of housing. They’re just not taking my health issues seriously at all. Thanks for your reply 😊

[Pipswhips in reply to Kittiekatz]

Aren't all local council like that uselessGood anyhowkittiekatz let me know how you get on. Hope your mp better then mine.

He blooming useless he won't do anything for locals/voters all he does if anything involves press hes there but that all. I didnt vote for him(con) i usually vote for greens locally they done mord for us then cons or lab ever did but i wont be voting in gov elections anymore.

Our scarborough councillors are green very good our north yorks councillors is lab rubbish.

So i hope your mp can do something about it.

[Keep-positive]

Hi KittieKatz , I'm in a similar position, I'm in an upstairs flat which is on a busy road. I've had bronchiectasis since childhood and lost many jobs I loved due to chest infections, as a result I've not been able to work and get a mortgage and depend on social housing.

My lungs have really deteriorated, and I've been trying to get a ground floor accommodation for 3 years.

My problem is my local housing seem to think because I don't "look" ill I'm not ill, despite letters from my consultant stating my FEV1 is 40%, but they haven't took any notice. I've also complained to the Public Service Ombudsman who have made excuses for the council.

My hands are tied, there's not a thing I can do, because I'm not in a wheelchair I've been told I can manage my stairs.

Good luck with your housing application KittyKatz

[advisor01]

Try contacting Shelter and explain your circumstances - dont forget, although you may have lung disease. Its not what you have got - but how it affects you.

For example, what if the lift broke down and there was a Fire - could you get out safely. Is the address close to familiy or schools etc.

Speak to Shelter or see if a local Solictor will take it on a no win basis etc.

Good luck