# pregnant and home less



## smileycelerys

hi there 18 im 6 weeks pregnant and baby is due 1st January. i currently stay over my boyfriend 23yrs (he rents a room in his mums flat) and in two weeks we are moving in with his ex brother in law and renting a room for 6 months. after that i have no idea where we will live. we are going to put in a application at the council asap. but i dont think we will get many points. as u have to be like 32 weeks gone for them to accept u as preg. 
anyone else in a similar situation, or been in this situation? who can offer advice.

thanks
sarah


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## Blob

I have totally no advice for you really sorry sure someone here will give you some good advice tho didn want to just run away :hugs: and congrats!! :happydance:


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## Jayden'sMummy

i put my name down on the council list when i was only 26 weeks gone an they are currently lookin for a house for me + my baby. It doesn't matter how far gone you are, its how much of a priorty they see you as, as you can tell them you NEED to be re-housed in 6 months they HAVE to re-house you. contact the citazens advice bureau (sorry about spellin) an ask about your rights etc. 

hope this helps xxx (+congrats on your pregnancy xx)


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## buttercup1980

have you tried the local mother and baby unit.


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## mynamescharly

Rachel16+Bump said:


> i put my name down on the council list when i was only 26 weeks gone an they are currently lookin for a house for me + my baby. It doesn't matter how far gone you are, its how much of a priorty they see you as, as you can tell them you NEED to be re-housed in 6 months they HAVE to re-house you. contact the citazens advice bureau (sorry about spellin) an ask about your rights etc.
> 
> hope this helps xxx (+congrats on your pregnancy xx)

the council do not HAVE to give you a flat. 
they can just put you in a bed sit. 

Thats what has heppened to a friend of mine and they just have her in a bedsit atm and keep promising her a flat. 

Her baby is 4 months old now and she is still waiting.

You just need to pester and pester and it will also help getting a letter from the person you are renting from at the time to tell them you will be made homeless after a certain amount of time. 
But again that will probably only add a few more points and you will still be kept in the Bedsit.

Sorry to rain on your parade by not saying its all smooth sailing, but ive seen from the outside in someone struggle. and in an even worse situation then yourself.

British council just dont care as much anymore im afraid.
xx


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## Jinty

mynamescharly said:


> the council do not HAVE to give you a flat.
> they can just put you in a bed sit.
> 
> Thats what has heppened to a friend of mine and they just have her in a bedsit atm and keep promising her a flat.
> 
> Her baby is 4 months old now and she is still waiting.
> 
> You just need to pester and pester and it will also help getting a letter from the person you are renting from at the time to tell them you will be made homeless after a certain amount of time.
> But again that will probably only add a few more points and you will still be kept in the Bedsit.
> 
> Sorry to rain on your parade by not saying its all smooth sailing, but ive seen from the outside in someone struggle. and in an even worse situation then yourself.
> 
> British council just dont care as much anymore im afraid.
> xx

I live in the UK I've been told to put my name asap as you have to wait at least 2 years for a house but it could lead up to 4 years. I'm not sure if it's the same in your areas but i think theres quite a big amount of people who sign up for a house thats why it would take so long....


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## mynamescharly

yeah alot of people are under the impression that because they have a child they have to be given a proper flat.

They really dont. because as far as the coucnil are concerned a bedsit will surfice. untill the baby/toddler is at school age or you have more children. and even then it doesnt have to be the highest end of flat/house.

I know when i was younger my parents were made bankrupt when i was 2 years old and we had to wait 7 years for a council house!! 

its a upward struggle. but sometimes people are lucky :).

Where abouts in the UK are you from Jinty?


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## smileycelerys

thanks for eveyones responces, i know that being pregnant wont mean that they automaticaly house me. ive never wanted to have to rely on the council but the baby was unexpected and right now finacially we will really struggle to house ourselves. im just going to try and stay positive and other half may have to work all hours, but hopefully things will be ok. 
thanks


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## mynamescharly

hey babe.
im not saying they wont house you. and its soo great that your wanting to stand on your own feet. 

They will not see you out on the street. but the most they will give you right away is a scratty B&B or bedsit. 

But like someone else also suggested. try finding out about local mother and baby units. 

xx


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## cuddles314

Hi hun, 
I am a housing resettlement officer in London, so thought I could offer you some advice. My job involves liasing with the homeless unit, and the allocations department to help homeless people find accommodation and set up their new tenancy.
Firstly you need to approach your homeless persons unit and ask for a homelessness assessment. DO NOT simply ask for housing forms as this will only allow your name to be added to the general housing list, and is not the route which you want to take. You need to tell them that you have nowhere to live, and are currently staying with various friends and relatives. It will help your case if you can get a letter from whoever you are staying with stating that they can only let you stay for a certain period of time, due to overcrowding/financial strain etc.
Initially you will probably be placed into temporary accommodation, which could be a bedsit, hostel, hotel etc, and is unlikely to be very nice accommodation. Evebtually you should be moved on to permanent accommodation.
I am not sure where you live, and housing rules vary across the country. In some areas, you may be awarded a priority, and may have to "bid" for properties which are advertised weekly. In other areas you may still have to collect a certain number of points, before you are offered a property. It is true that your baby will not be officially recognised as a person, who requires their own bedroom, until you are approximately 5-6 months through your pregnancy. After this point you should be eligible for a 2 bedroomed property, but may still be placed into a 1 bed/bedsit until you are housed into a permanent tenancy.
If you or your partner have any vulnerabilities, such as physical or mental health problems (including depression, anxiety, panic attacks etc), learning disabilities, drug or alcohol misuse issues (past or present), offending history, have been victim of violence or harassment (past or present), or similar, then it is important that you mention this in the homeless assessment as this has to be taken into account when working out your priority need. Also you can ask to be referred to a floating support service, such as a resettlement team, which most councils have internally, as they can help you to progress your case better.
The most important thing that you can do to help your rehousing is to be proactive and keep contacting the housing department. Even if you are placed into temporary accommodation, you need to maintain regular contact with them, and keep asking when permanent accommodation may be available to you. The more they hear from you, the more known you are to them, and the greater they believe your need to be. After all, if they hear nothing from somebody for a whole year, for example, then they would immediately think of them as being desperate to be rehoused.
Hope this helps a bit hun, good luck xxx


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## Younglutonmum

Hiya hun

Sorry to hear about your situation. Is your OH working?? Because if he is all i'd say is save save & save! 

Your local council may run a tenancy deposit scheme where they lend you the deposit for a property & you pay them back interest free over a period of time. You also may be able to claim housing benefit which is a huuuge help. That can take a few weeks to be processed though so its a good idea to save up a few months rent to cover just incase. Is there anyone who could possibly lend you money to help you get by?

This is what I plan to do when my baby comes along because at the moment im sharing a one bedroom flat with my dad. Hardly ideal!!


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## xpaigex

hi hun,sorry about your situation.:(
i hope you get housed:hugs:i have my fingers crossed for you:)
:hug:
also just try and save as much money as possible!! good luck honey!:hug:
xx


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## Jayden'sMummy

mynamescharly said:


> the council do not HAVE to give you a flat.
> they can just put you in a bed sit.
> 
> Thats what has heppened to a friend of mine and they just have her in a bedsit atm and keep promising her a flat.
> 
> Her baby is 4 months old now and she is still waiting.
> 
> You just need to pester and pester and it will also help getting a letter from the person you are renting from at the time to tell them you will be made homeless after a certain amount of time.
> But again that will probably only add a few more points and you will still be kept in the Bedsit.
> 
> Sorry to rain on your parade by not saying its all smooth sailing, but ive seen from the outside in someone struggle. and in an even worse situation then yourself.
> 
> British council just dont care as much anymore im afraid.
> xx

Well why have i been offered two houses then! i haven't took them because of things goin on at home an i am stayin with me mum.


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## mynamescharly

Rachel16+Bump said:


> Well why have i been offered two houses then! i haven't took them because of things goin on at home an i am stayin with me mum.

you are clearly lucky then.

it doesnt work out for everyone so i was just giving my advice and warning her of the struggle she may have ahead.


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## smileycelerys

cuddles314 said:


> Hi hun,
> I am a housing resettlement officer in London, so thought I could offer you some advice. My job involves liasing with the homeless unit, and the allocations department to help homeless people find accommodation and set up their new tenancy.
> Firstly you need to approach your homeless persons unit and ask for a homelessness assessment. DO NOT simply ask for housing forms as this will only allow your name to be added to the general housing list, and is not the route which you want to take. You need to tell them that you have nowhere to live, and are currently staying with various friends and relatives. It will help your case if you can get a letter from whoever you are staying with stating that they can only let you stay for a certain period of time, due to overcrowding/financial strain etc.
> Initially you will probably be placed into temporary accommodation, which could be a bedsit, hostel, hotel etc, and is unlikely to be very nice accommodation. Evebtually you should be moved on to permanent accommodation.
> I am not sure where you live, and housing rules vary across the country. In some areas, you may be awarded a priority, and may have to "bid" for properties which are advertised weekly. In other areas you may still have to collect a certain number of points, before you are offered a property. It is true that your baby will not be officially recognised as a person, who requires their own bedroom, until you are approximately 5-6 months through your pregnancy. After this point you should be eligible for a 2 bedroomed property, but may still be placed into a 1 bed/bedsit until you are housed into a permanent tenancy.
> If you or your partner have any vulnerabilities, such as physical or mental health problems (including depression, anxiety, panic attacks etc), learning disabilities, drug or alcohol misuse issues (past or present), offending history, have been victim of violence or harassment (past or present), or similar, then it is important that you mention this in the homeless assessment as this has to be taken into account when working out your priority need. Also you can ask to be referred to a floating support service, such as a resettlement team, which most councils have internally, as they can help you to progress your case better.
> The most important thing that you can do to help your rehousing is to be proactive and keep contacting the housing department. Even if you are placed into temporary accommodation, you need to maintain regular contact with them, and keep asking when permanent accommodation may be available to you. The more they hear from you, the more known you are to them, and the greater they believe your need to be. After all, if they hear nothing from somebody for a whole year, for example, then they would immediately think of them as being desperate to be rehoused.
> Hope this helps a bit hun, good luck xxx

Thanks for your advise, will talk it over with boyfriend.


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## foxyroxie

when i was pregnant the council was about as usefull as a chocolate teapot one of the women said if u can avoid saying ur homeless then do so cause they will put u in a hostel then whatever comes available u have to take so could be a 1 bed flat up 8 flights of stairs luckily we found a house to rent abou 2 weeks b 4 i got induced


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## smileycelerys

The guy we are renting a room from says that he doesnt mind us staying until the baby is one :) :) :). Which is a relief as at least i know where im bringing the baby home to. Going to be keeping an eye out for affordable flats or small houses in the mean time.


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## Jayden'sMummy

congrats on the good news xx


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## AmysBumpNo3

i can remember being in the exact same situation! so i can understand how scared you must be. i stayed with reletives untill my son was around 4months old. (i was only 16 then) then we became homeless. they council couldnt even offer me a bedsit as there was no room for 35miles around what so ever!! i was stood outside the council office with all the clothes of mine n my son i could carry, scared, crying and not knowing what to do. i got escorted off the premisis by security for breaching peace!!! B*****DS!

luckily, i found a privatley rented house that day with the help of a local lady. didnt have a clue who she was, she must have felt real sorry seeing us stood there . the house was a state but was somewere to live and the landlord was kind enough to take the deposit in instalments.

7years laters, ive not even once been offered a council house!!! and im still in a private rented house.
please dont rely on the council. try looking for a private rent house. if your not working, youl get help with the rent and i think they even give you money to decorate and furnish the house these days.

dont worry yourself too much,im sure things will turn out fine :hug:


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## AmysBumpNo3

ooo didnt see the above post!

great news! glad things are working out now! :happydance:


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## vickilouise

as soon as they have your mat b1 certificate (normally get it between 18-26 weeks) ask your m/w about it. they recognise your pregnant.


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## mBLACK

Well, I'm in Canada, and I know here they have shelters for abused women and pregnant women, they are all over the place. There are also programs that will set you up with your own apartment, cover your food charges, pay for daycare and pay for all of your bills from when you get pregnant and for a few years after. I'm not sure if they have these programs where you live, but you might want to look into it, I'm sure there's SOMETHING out there that will help you and your little one.:hugs:


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## 7WZ

I tried to put my name down on the coucil when I was only 10 weeks gone and they said come back when I'm 20 weeks gone with a note of the midwife so in 2-3 weeks I'm getting a note from the midwife and getting put on the waiting list. If you have nowhere to live, tell them that. They will not leave you homeless whilst heavily pregnant or with a newborn!


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## alyxzandra

I am a senior practitioner (caseworker) in homelessness and assess homeless applications. So, I actually assess applications when someone applies as homeless. I would like to add to what Cuddles wrote. 

If someone approached me and was 6 weeks pregnant and renting a room I would say you are not currently homeless within 28 days. The reason being is that the baby has not yet been born and the accommodation is currently suitable and available to you. However, if you have other complications, as Cuddles wrote, the accommodation would have to be assessed as to whether it is reasonable or not. 

There are two avenues into council housing - the homelessness route (which is what I work in) or the housing register. I always explain it like this to my clients: Homelessness is if you are going to be homeless within 28 days, already homeless or in accommodation that is not suitable (e.g. severe overcrowding). The housing register is when you are already in accommodation, but not facing immediate homelessness. However, if you do go on the housing register, you can apply for more points depending on your circumstances. Some people do go on the housing register when they are in unsuitable housing and are allocated extra points in order to be housed faster. 

Also, a 1 bedroom flat for a person with a baby is considered to be reasonable since the livingroom can be used as a bedroom and you can be granted a permanent tenancy for this. Babies are usually counted as 1/2 a person. 

I agree with being proactive with your application. When you apply for either route, it is always good to have the following items:

ID (passport, home office document, birth certificate - original only)
Proof of income (proof of benefits, wages - last 3 month payslips, last 6 weeks payslips)
Any documents with your addresses on them for the last 5 years
Your 5 year address history in chronological order
Antenatal notes
The above applies for both you and your partner. 

The more information provided, the easier it is for the caseworker to investigate your application. The guideline is that a homelessness case should be completed in 33 WORKING days (not 33 days from the application, but take into account it is 5 working days to a week), but it is only a guideline and not a rule. 

However, I wish to add that your caseworker will not have any power over how fast you get housed once you are accepted no matter how much you hound them. Most councils are now on a bidding basis and it is up to the person to take on the responsibility to bid for properties.


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## alyxzandra

7WZ said:


> I tried to put my name down on the coucil when I was only 10 weeks gone and they said come back when I'm 20 weeks gone with a note of the midwife so in 2-3 weeks I'm getting a note from the midwife and getting put on the waiting list. If you have nowhere to live, tell them that. They will not leave you homeless whilst heavily pregnant or with a newborn!

If that was me, I would challenge them. Are you homeless within 28 days and have your antenatal notes?


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## elle.08

All you can really do is look for sumwhere to rent for more than 6 months tbf .. or see if you can stay with a family member until you to find sumwher.

Don't rely on the council to look for somewhere because if they cant find you anywher or dont accept you then you defiantly be homeless.

I wish you all the best, keep trying 
xx


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## ricschick

if they say they will put you into a bedsit then refuse and stay with a friend because as soon as they put you in a bedsit you lose your points so stay with a friend and call them everyday and ask if they have something because if you stay with a friend then you dont lose your points thats what happens in my council. good luck


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## smileycelerys

im going to wait for my mat b1. i just really want to be housed with the father, i dont want to raise the baby with out him and he doesnt want to be housed seperate, as we live together atm. but hopefully it will work out.


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## dizzy65

i dono hope everything works out for u


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## ls27

.


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## LucyS

cuddles you are near me arn't you? would you be able to give me some advice please if you wouldnt mind, ref Greenwich Council? x


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