Club Arnage

Dear CA Friends,

Knowing what a wide range of knowledge and expertise is around on CA, I would be grateful for any pertinent advice or help that anyone might be able to offer on housing options and allowances please, not for me but for my son.  Briefly, the circumstances are that he has returned to our home area of Huntingdon, with him having spent the last 3 years working in Norwich - he's a qualified mechanic and MOT tester, 24 and single.  He went to Norwich to be with girl friend, who was studying at Norwich University, and he worked in the Ford and BMW dealerships there and they rented a place together in Norwich; she completed her studies last year and they returned to Huntingdon, although it's an on/off relationship as living together had created numerous hassles for them in a variety of ways.  On return, he decided that he had had enough of being a mechanic, and wanted to to do something different, which he has tried but, after a few months working at it now (installing gas fires) it was not steady work, the arrangement hasn't worked out well, and the snag is that he was renting a room that was effectively tied to his work so that has gone too. 
 
Hopefully it won't take him too long to get a job (whether as a mechanic or not, he just wants to get back into work to start earning properly again).  For another variety of reasons, I'm away most of the time from the area down here in High Wycombe and there's nowhere else he can live with any mates or family etc left in the Huntingdon area; needless to say, he has no dosh in the bank (he's even sold his car as well as hitting his overdraft limit) so he's currently in a B&B which I'm stumping up for to try and cover the initial period while he is trying to thread the maze of bureaucracy relating to getting jobseekers allowances and housing options (or the lack of them) and while trying to find a job as a mechanic again. 

Hence my question for any advice on housing and allowances should anyone out there have better knowledge than I of the subject (which is expanding rapidly as I hit Google...) about any handy tips or useful short-circuits.  It's a bit like Catch-22 for him - he doesn't score highly enough (he's single, fit, under 25, and has no kids etc) to warrant anything other than a place in homeless shelter somewhere miles away, doesn't have a job so renting privately is difficult until he does, and any allowances (jobseekers, housing allowance etc) take weeks to kick in, and so the circle goes round and round.

Anyone got any ideas please (or a job available for him in Huntingdon!) as the only viable option I can see so far is to rent somewhere privately on his behalf, which will open up a whole new world of very severe domestic grief and pain (not just financial)...

MG Mark

Mark,

as I live in Huntingdon and work around the area at various locations, I will ask about at all of the places I visit.  I also know Simon Murkett quite well and am out with him tonight so will enquire if he has any jobs going at the moment.  If your son is up for doing any kind of work Quebic on St Peters road are a good temping agency - my wife is the HR manager at Solocup europe and uses them all the time.  There are always jobs going around the Huntingdon area - you just sometimes have to look hard!

If I see anything on my travels I will PM you.

Tell him to keep his pecker up.

Cheers

Jon

Jon,

Many thanks- I had forgotten that Simon runs that dealership and that he might remember me as well from Marham track days that he attended which I help organise, and through another mutual acquaintance who runs plant hire company in Huntingdon! 

Thanks very much for the other advice and offer of spreading the word and finding out what's about - gratefully received.  He really does want to get back into work and is, not unreasonably, tryiong the avenues of all the garages (dealerships and others) in the town first - if that draws a blank he will be on the look out for anything else.  I'll PM you my contact details,

All the best,

Mark 

Hi Mark
This may be a long shot but even as a temporary measure what about asking if the local Toyota dealership needs any help while they get through all the modifications they look like they're going to have to do?
Just a thought!

Steve

Dear Mark,
A bit of a pickle, and I am afraid that there is no straightforward answer.
You are correct in your assessment re benefits, but I would advise a prompt application in any event.
The attitude of Local Authorities and Housing Associations varies from area to area, and the only people that will be able to advise (on housing and benefits), employing sound local knowledge, will be the Citizen's Advice Bureau or Community Legal Advice Centre, (although the latter is run by the government to offer advice on the cheap and is often staffed by second rate lawyers.)
The best of fortune to you and your son,
Doug

Mark. Pm me your contact details and I might be able to give some Housing association advice.. I have worked for a few over the last few years!!
Your son falls in the lowest category due to age and status but a chat would be helpful if nothing else.
However, should he wish to become a criminal, Homosexual or junkie with mental health issues... it wont be a problem :(

My last contract that was due to run through till March but was cut off on 20th Nov and nothing since... so my 8 years with 2 weeks out of work in the whole time has come to a nasty end.

Pizza delivery is funding the daily expenses.

Thanks for the advice and help chaps - latest is that the applications for jobseekers allowance and local housing allowance have been made and gone through; the latter covers (bar about 3 quid) the weekly rental of a reasonable room in a reasonable house with a couple of others, so he's out of the B&B and there now.  Jobs wise, he's doing the rounds of the local dealerships, garages and service stations with his CV and, hopefully, that will turn up something soon.

As you rightly point out, he falls firmly into the lowest category for any help or allowances - yet the irritating thing is that, not so far away from him round the corner, a single bloke, with a recreational substance addiction habit, no job or prospect of one, on disability alowance (that one is difficult to fathom as he doesn't appear to have one) has been moved into a 2-bed house all on his lonesome, and all paid for....really does makes me wonder sometimes.   

MG Mark   

cheers for th PM

Taken a little while, but the house share has been working out fine and I'm please to say that the lad has got himself a job with the local BMW/Vauxhall dealership nearby. ;D

Thanks for the help and advice various,
 
MG Mark