Hi, our daughter has mod.learning difficulties and is now happily settled in her own flat owned by Orbit Housing Association This took over 2 years to achieve by joining the local council housing list, speaking to our family Doctor who wrote a supportive letter and when the fortnightly list of available 1 bed homes came we remained determined to be patient until the right ones became free in our own village so I can use my mobility scooter to visit her and her Dad can easily walk there from our home. Don't panic into accepting anything but keep patiently looking for the best one for your circumstances.Once we had bid for her flat then Orbit staff discussed her income from her PIP , part time job and WTCredits and she was fortunately chosen by them to become a tenant.This was in 2018.I wish every one looking for similar for their adult child all the best .
Wytch-Hazel: Hi, our daughter has mod.learning... - Mencap
Wytch-Hazel
Hi i have my sons name on council list but only been on there about 6 months Also rang them but they siad they have nothing as long waiting list and lady siad once they know he lives with me with his own bedroom they wouldnt help anyway. My son is 28 years old so his suppose to live with me untill i die as im 63 years old .im his mother carer and apointee suppose cause im doning everything they couldnt cateless. It seems everyone got a flat expert him. Dont know what to do anymore. Think its alot to do with what council your under.
I your son has learning disabilities you can contact the adult LD team and tell them you’d like to look at supported living for him.
This is where we are at been referred to LD team for accomodation
It’s the best route. Council lists are huge and someone with a LD may need extra support.
That's great news, well done for waiting for the right opportunity and getting everything sorted out. It sounds like your daughter will make a great success of living independently and have a lot to look forward to.
It’s really good to hear your success story. Sounds like you have a supportive local authority which is great to hear. Must be very reassuring for you to know she’s settled. Does her accommodation have live in support for residents? My daughter has a mild learning disability and lives a in a private rented flat two streets away so we can support her. Her physical difficulties are more problematic though and I think within 5-10 yrs she will need to be in suppported accommodation. Good idea to get her on the list now. Thanks for your story.
Hi thats what i want for my son to live independently like your daughter does. As his got same as your daughter. How did you manage to get her a flat near you as my housing council siad they have nothing.
well it’s a private rental so not council housing but she’s on universal credit and gets housing benefit which pays the rent as she’s over 35. Under 35s get housing benefit for a room in shared housing. Don’t know if that would work for your son? She works 12 hrs and has PIP and LCWRA so that bumps up to a healthy income. If your son gets those he could probably afford to rent a flat. The housing benefit would still be paid at the single room rate. We had to take the leap and rent the flat and then get the housing benefit once she lived there but it was very quick. I don’t know his circumstances but I’d get the universal credit claim started and apply for LCWRA and PIP. That takes about four months but that would give enough to build up a deposit for the flat and then apply for housing benefit once he’s living there. The only problem is if the landlord wants to sell up and he has to find a new flat but in that scenario he would count as homeless and the council would have to find something suitable. They can’t force you to take him home. And with your age there’s a clear argument that you can’t care for him. You probably could get carer’s allowance too for supporting him to live independently. All in all it’s sufficient to fund a decent home. Hope that helps. Good luck x
Where did you look to get him a private rented flat as most dont take housing benefit?
We took the leap and acted as guarantors for a let through a respected agent and then applied for housing benefit once she was in there. HB comes straight to her so they are unaware of how the rent is funded. It was a sort of six month experiment. Would have been expensive if it hadn’t worked out but it’s been good. Since then we’ve remortgaged our home and bought a flat as a buy to let which we now let to our daughter. Our Council are fine as long as it’s a commercial let with a proper agreement in place. This gives us certainty over the rental income and we don’t have to worry about the landlord kicking her out.
Hi, Im not familiar with LCWRA. Could you explain please.
Many thanks.
Hi, yes of course. My daughter Ella is on Universal Credit and has been working 20-30 hours pw despite a learning disability for around 15 years. In 2019 her health and mobility started to deteriorate and she has had two rounds of neurosurgery which knocked her for six and she has never got back to full fitness. As a consequence she dropped to around 16hrs per week but even that was a struggle so her employers dropped it to 3 x 4hrs per week which is fine. However, that is below the threshold for Universal credit so we kept having to have meaningless phone calls every week with a different person to explain the hours (ground hog day!!!). Eventually, I did some research and found that if you can't work more than 16hours per week you can apply for Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity (LCWRA). It's a really lengthy form and you have to provide evidence or give names of specialists or professionals to back it up. It took about 5 months in total from submitting the form to getting an assessment. We had numerous specialist letters detailing her conditions so we only had to have a telephone assessment with a doctor who was very kind and patient and stated that she was "shocked that Ella is still working at all". They then submit a report to DWP and we were awarded LCWRA. What this means is that Ella no longer has to work but can if and when she is able which is perfect for us. There is an additional payment of around £354 pcm on top of the standard payments, AND... you don't get the 54%, or whatever it is now, deducted from any earnings
The categories and forms are very similar to those for PIP but you have to apply separately. In the last budget Mr Hunt announced that PIP and LCWRA will act as passports to one another i.e. you will only need to apply for one and not both. Not sure when this starts but for now you have to go through the lengthy and time consuming process twice and can get different answers.
UC don't volunteer information about this benefit !!!! You have to ask them to let you apply for it.
There's lots of info on the Gov.UK websites and also sites like EntitledTo that help you to understand benefits. They also give details of the points system used by assessors to help you when you fill out the forms and make sure you get what you're entitled to. Link below
entitledto.co.uk/help/unive...
If you do apply just brace yourself for hours of work and a long journey but if you're patient and have a genuine case then it's worth the effort without a doubt.
Hope that is helpful. All the best.
Thank you so much for such a comprehensive reply. I had no idea such a benefit existed. Although it won't apply to my son, knowledge is power! Best wishes to you and yours.
Wytch-Hazel
Hi your daughters sounds slimer to my son. I live in south east and put my sons name on housing list but how did you get your daughter to get a flat with orbit housing association as my council siad there waiting list is huge and my son could be waiting years before getting anything or even nothing at all.aa they sias as he lives with me with a roof over his head and his own bedroom and i look after him as his carer they wouldnt help him even though his 28 years old. Dont know what to do and keep getting dead ends
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