26 Feb 2015

A question about : Bipolar, Homeless & getting no help

Hi,

As I never seem to be able to get hold of my local CAB I thought I would ask in here. Basically my situation is:

I had to leave university in January due to my Bipolar kicking in and causing me a lot of problems. I am currently unemployed and living on a friends sofa. I am expected to pay towards rent which I pay Ј275. I am on Incapacity Benefit, but this is not enough as once I pay rent and my bills I am left with no money (and this is before I try and buy food).

I am trying to sort this out by finding my own place and getting back into work, but without any money this is just impossible. I have tried getting help from different quarters, but I just get passed onto somewhere else and it is getting extremely frustrating and worrying and is doing nothing for my anxiety and is just causing extra problems.

On top of this, my bank has started taking out bank charges on top of the interest I always pay on my overdraft and currently pay between Ј40-60 a month which they are happy to take out of my account, but this is causing me even MORE problems.

I have rung the bank, but I was told there is nothing they can do to help and even asked me to start paying more money into my account (they didn't seem to understand that I am on a limited income).

I am trying to get myself sorted - I am on medication from the doctor and (finally) have them arranging for me to see a counsellor - but with the situation I'm in, it's just making me worse.

Any help would be great as I have not had any luck anywhere else.

Regards,

Daniel

Best answers:

  • Sorry to hear about your mental health issues causing you such problems. If you have BIpolar Affective Disorder I take it you are under the care of a Mental Health Community Team? If you are not, and the diagnosis was made by your GP, please ask for a referral to the local Community Mental Health Team. They have access to Social Workers who can assist with clarifying benefits and helping you get them sorted. The team can also help with DLA applications if that is appropriate, and proper support for your illness / CPN allocation etc.
    You could also present at the local neighbourhood housing office and declare yourself homeless, you would be offered a hostel place or b and b accommodation in the first instance, probably, but you would get a flat in due course on the housing list, and you could also clarify Housing Benefit etc with the Housing Officer.
    Hope your health issues improve and stabilise soon.
  • Sorry to hear things are not good for you right now Daniel. May I ask do you claim DLA? You may be entitled to claim, this would boost your income.
    Where I'm based in Scotland we have Welfare Rights Officers who are part of the Social Work department. They can look at your complete situation from debt to benefits to housing. Do you know if such a service is available in your town or city?
    Another option would be accessing a social worker through your mental health nurse or psychiatrist if you attend such appointments.
  • I have tried claiming DLA but apparently I am not entitled to it. I got told by the mental health nurse (who I saw yesterday for the first time) said that they don't have access to other areas of support such as housing, debt, etc. All I was told was "I just have to deal with the situation myself."
  • All mental health teams have access to social workers, who can help. It is true they are not housing officers or benefits agents, but the social workers have experience and knowledge in those areas and usually assist all mental health clients who are referred to them.
    Do you have a Consultant Psychiatrist or does your GP prescribe for you? Who diagnosed your mental health problems? I am asking as this means there are different support levels available. If you only see your GP and the Primary Care Mental Health Nurse, then you could ask to be referred to the local psychiatric team.
    You could also present as described, to the local housing office as homeless.
    Have you applied for DLA or just "been told" you don't qualify? Who said you don't qualify?
    Sorry to ask all these things, just trying to see if we can help with more directed advice for your situation.
  • @Neverenough: sorry you beat me to it
  • Your info is perfectly accurate Magicats, I am sure if Daniel acted on some of the advice given, he may get a positive result
  • With DLA I have actually applied by post and got a letter informing me that I am not entitled to it. I am scared to leave the flat and go to places I don't know which is putting a massive barrier in the way. My family don't live close to help and the only person I know is my flatmate who works long hours and is away a lot so doesn't have any time to help. I also don't like talking on the phone as I find it hard to concentrate as I can't see the person and end up getting tongue-tied and flustered and never able to get across what I'm after. It took a couple of months to just put a message up on here and would've preferred not to (if I'm being honest).
  • @Magicats : Between us
    all I am sure we could write a book on the subject
    I am a Consultant Psychiatrist based in England, so barring the Mental Health Law differences, many of the services are similar for people with mental health problems and a confirmed diagnosis.
    Hope you continue to enjoy good health
    @FoxIII : please ask your GP to refer you to the Mental Health Team, I am unsure if this has been done as you haven't confirmed if it has or not. Primary Care Mental Health may not be the right place for an illness like yours and it sounds as if you need more specialised advice. If you do have a Consultant Psychiatrist, please get an appointment with them and discuss your concerns about your health and see what resources the local team can refer you to.
  • @NeverEnough: I only just managed to get my GP to finally listen to me that I need some help and that's why I have only just had a meeting with the Primary Mental Health Nurse. I am waiting to hear what is going to happen next.
    @MagicCats: I did put on the form about my worst day. I will try and apply again although they are not the easiest of forms to fill in.
  • I thought I could only apply for housing benefit if I was on the lease (otherwise how would they know I'm claiming legitimately?). I was getting DLA about a year ago, but they wrote to me at the time and said that "due to my condition changing" I was no longer entitled. I did enquire about this as I didn't inform them that there had been any changes. I cannot remember what they told me now. I have applied again just before Xmas and not sure if I should claim again.
  • Thank you all for your advice. I know my posts must sound a bit rude. Sorry about that. It's just that I've been in this position in the past and didn't get any help before and I barely got out of it and want to get it sorted before it gets any worse.
    I did not know that a Councillor would be available for a situation such as this (I thought they did important stuff!), but I will certainly look into it next week. Any recommendations of how to go about that? Do I ring someone or write a letter?
    I have had been to a psychiatrist (psychologist?) before and had a bunch of reports written but that was about 6 years ago and don't know if they would still be relevant.
    Again, sorry for the rude messages. Out of all of the problems, money is just the worst for me and always causes everything to 'seem' worse than they are.
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