Rent allowance appeal

R

Robyn.

Guest
I hope someone can help.. Im 20 years old and due a little girl on 12th October which is in 30days.. When i was a few months pregnant i left my family home because my mother suffers from an illness called lupus and is unable to have me living at the family home with a baby..she is also a single parent with two young kids.. my grandfather agreed 2 pay my rent in a bedsit,costing 500pm just to take the heat off.. so i moved into a bedsit and have been there since may.. i went to the local welfare officer who was very good to me and agreed to pay me 204.30 pw and also told me i qualified for rent allowane of 930 pm and that i should start looking for an apartment closer to home because my bedsit was assesed and she said under no circumstances should i have to live there with a baby.. i finally found a place 3 weeks ago,went to the welfare officer of that area but he told me there are new rules.. you have to be renting for 6 months before you qualify and i am only renting 4... he had me in and out of his office with different paper work,told me it should be no prblem considering my circumstances and he would refer me to his supervisor... his superviser said no way can i get it...hes stickin to the new rules.... i appreciate the rules have changed but where does that leave me and my daughter? homeless? i gave my current landlord 2 weeks notice before i went to this new welfare officer as i didnt think id have any problem whatsoever so tomorrow is my last day in the bedsit,then where do i go?.... i sent a letter to the HSE appeals officer...but what chances have i got? i've even been looking into hostels around me,but i dont want to let it come to that.. im so so worried.. someone please help
 
Robyn, you posted this four times, three times in the wrong forums. Since you're a new user, and obviously in a state of some anxiety, I've moved it here and made it a new thread in the hope that you'll get more helpful answers. But please read the and try to follow them; you'll get more out of the forum that way.

DrMoriarty
Moderator
 
Anyone any advice for Robyn ??

I have little to no knowledge of how the Social works... but would appreciate it if any of the regular posters can help her out....

Her post has gotten to me... time is against her being a month away from giving birth...
 
Have you approached your current bedsit landlord and asked for an extension?

The place may not be suitable and you may have to stick it out for a couple more months until you qualify for RS but I'd be surprised if (given the terrible state of the rental market) your landlord wouldn't be able to accomodate you.

I also don't know a lot about the SW side of things but there are a couple of folks here who work there and know it all inside out. I'm sure they'll be able to shed more light on the process when they read this.
 
my landlord who was renting my bedsit never gave me a lease,so i have no proof that i was there other then a rent book,which the welfare officer said wasnt enough
 
If you were in receipt of Rent Supplement at your bedsit, then the landlord completed a form for the CWO dealing with you at the time, stating the date your tenancy began - this could be copied for the appeal.

The regulations also mention the following as items which may be accepted as proof: rent book, lease agreement, rent receipts or utility bills. Do you have anything other than your rent book?

You are perfectly entitled to appeal the decision which was made - your claim will be looked at by an indepedent person (i.e. not the CWO or SCWO). Decisions can and have been overturned. I'm not saying it will or won't be in your case, but it's certainly always worth a try.
 
Robyn
Would it be possible for you to get a copy of the assessment done on the bedsit by the original social welfare officer. Her assessment may carry weight. It would appear that you were seeking better accommodation for yourself and the baby on her recommendation. Also as you are so close to giving birth you will probably be attending prenatal clinic weekly now so maybe you could speak with the social welfare officer there. Social welfare officers in maternity hospitals are trained in the area of care for mum and baby after they leave the hospital. I wish you the very best of luck with this Robyn.
 
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