On Friday, I spent the whole morning at the City Council Housing Benefit department. After taking my ticket and waiting for an hour and a half, I was finally seen by an advisor. I had taken all the requested paperwork and completed the relevant forms to renew my claim for Housing Benefit (my original application only lasted for 13 weeks apparently?).
It turns out that I am unique! Why is beyond me to be honest. I find it totally implausible that I am the only person in this city in my situation, but that is what I was told.
The advisor explained to me that I would not be entitled to further Benefit as I have no income whatsoever. Eh? I had to take letters to prove that people had lent me money to survive and I had to make a written statement that I have no income at all. Because I am not in receipt of JSA, I do not qualify for HB any more. I was totally gob-smacked!
I have re-applied for JSA and also requested for back-payments to when I was first fired and signed-on, but if that is ultimately rejected, I will not get a penny more in HB. If I had no-one in the world to turn to, I would be on the streets very shortly and this was confirmed by the Advisor!! He actually told me that 'the system' is not designed to help people who have worked all their lives and that if I had never lifted a finger (or never would) I would probably get as much as the system allows! To say I was mortified is an understatement! He also confirmed that if I was an asylum seeker who had been granted permission to stay in this country, I would also get whatever I wanted, even more so if I had brought children with me.
In the end, he has managed to get me another months HB at half the rate of my rent, for which I am obviously very grateful. After that, unless I get JSA, I will have to leave my flat and find somewhere else to live.
This is disgusting. The State is quite prepared to make me homeless which I find unbelievable. These past few months have certainly been an eye-opener....for all the wrong reasons. I hope to God that someone will give me a job ASAP, or I will be well and truly on the scrap-heap.