better off on the dole?

hi, im in a predicament, im renting an apartment with my girlfriend and my daughter, im 21 and my girlfriend is 20. My girlfriend is 7 months pregnant again, due in October, she has never worked as i had a good wage and was able to support her, recently i was asked to take a fairly high pay cut or face job loss so i agreed and i can no longer afford to pay the rent, i now earn 440 a week and my rent is 1200 pm and on top of my bills and loans i can no longer afford the rent, i have a choice to either pay rent or feed my family. My girlfriend has no income at all and was refused dole as she has no stamps paid. and she cant find employment due to recession, no experience/qualifications and because shes pregnant. i hate the thought of getting money for nothing as i have worked since i was 11 years old but its looking like my only option. Am i entitled to some sort of help from the welfare or am i facing homelessness? Also would i be better off signing on the dole myself as id get rent allowance and could claim for her and the children? i would appreciate a response asap. thank you

Stevie,

A couple of things:

1. Time to renegotiate rent or move. What sort of a lease do you have? When is it due for renewal?
2. There are welfare support mechanisms like Family Income Support (FIS). If you use the Search function on AskAboutMoney you will find lots of information about this and other aspects of your situation.

With your wages at that level you would definitely qualify for family income supplement.

hi ontour thanks for the reply, lease is up in October, landlord wont renegotiate because he knows if i move out he will keep the deposit and i think he has a new tenant lined up, as for moving? i looked around but cant find anything in my price range that will suit a family with 2 children, and as for the fis? all ill get with that is an extra 40E which is not enough to get me out of the situation..

If it were me I wouldn't go on the dole. Over time it would be soul destroying, you'd be in a welfare trap and might not get work for 10 years. FIS in your case, with two children, should be €90 per week. You may well qualify for a full medical card which would exempt you from the 2% income levy and the 4% health levy. You should be able to find suitable accommodation with lower rent.

Wouldn't recommend the dole option at all. Rates could easily be cut in the near future. It may take a long time to find another job. How would you feel being at home every day with your partner and kids. Dole may seem like an attractive option now but think long term.

You cant get the dole if you voluntarily give up work.

the rental prices included on daft at the moment are asking prices, not what they're actually getting, my landlord's agent have asked for same rent i suggested to agent i wouldn't pay more than 250e less than that, they didn't laugh and will get back to me with a new offer, so i would ask again.
why will your landlord keep the deposit if you're moving out at the end of the lease? it's your deposit and you should get it back.