The 26-year-old hospitality worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, is affected by a little-known rule which leaves people with debt barred from social housing.
Orla has been stuck in temporary accommodation for four years.
Councillor Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said local authorities have to “develop solutions which make the best use of their scarce social housing stock”.
“This can include qualification criteria to exclude people who have, for example, current or former rent arrears,” said Mr Hug, adding that “more and more councils are having to make tough decisions” due to social housing shortages.
Mr Hug said local councils “have the discretion to disapply these policies in exceptional circumstances”.
Orla was evicted by a private landlord in June 2021 after falling behind on her rent while she was pregnant. She is desperate to find a permanent home.
Yup. We waited four years to get a council place after I got too sick to work. The rent was £1300 and the maximum housing benefit was £650 so we were deeper and deeper behind. I had to sell everything including my wedding ring to pay this off because we were told debt = lose your place on the waiting list. Thankfully we were offered a place when we were down to the wire. And if you’re behind on your energy bills you have to have a pay as you go metre which is even harder to keep on top of. It’s madness and incredibly cruel.
LHA pays more than her rent was in 2021 in every constituency. With the 5 week wait for housing benefit she could have only got into £500 rent arrears waiting for her payments to start, after which her rent would have been fully covered. Where did the extra £2100 of rent arrears come from? That’s an extra 5 and a half months of non payment.
If she was in regular debt she would be offered social housing, you don’t get an offer when you have been paid housing benefit yet not paid your rent. What was the money for rent paid to her spent on?
Why did someone in their early 20s think it’s a good idea to get pregnant and keep the baby if she had no savings or any means to provide for the baby? Contraception and abortions are free
Is there no Dad around?
OP is the publication
If ya don’t pay they take it away, equality is a bitch 🙁
The amount of debt that councils are missing out on from housing is really staggering. People know that they can pay the council last, because they aren’t going to come round with a hammer, or take your telly.
Not that I don’t have sympathy for people who have to make shit choices about which bills to pay, but at the end of the day all of us are suffering because of how cash-strapped local councils are, and housing is a significant revenue stream for them. I can see why they would try to lower their risk like this.
If only they arrived on a boat… Very unlucky of them to dare to be British in Britain
9 comments
A [single mother ](https://inews.co.uk/topic/single-parents?ico=in-line_link)who is [homeless ](https://inews.co.uk/topic/homelessness?ico=in-line_link)has said she is blocked from applying for [social housing](https://inews.co.uk/topic/social-housing?srsltid=AfmBOor441GFuSw9bGq1thWXXZEevLnsfdC33FZtz0E19xRDnCoKI-Ne?ico=in-line_link) because she is in [debt](https://inews.co.uk/topic/debt?ico=in-line_link).
Orla (not her real name) told **i** that she and her young daughter cannot escape their [temporary accommodation](https://inews.co.uk/news/more-council-bankruptcies-fear-temporary-housing-costs-billion-3135919?srsltid=AfmBOopz0l2oLD_ACVOhWu1gpTEkdqjjgBhOLbLtWYa9jaJUXJ6I7LKs?ico=in-line_link), which she described as a “one-room prison” in “a run-down 1950s block” in Greater Manchester.
The 26-year-old hospitality worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, is affected by a little-known rule which leaves people with debt barred from social housing.
Orla has been stuck in temporary accommodation for four years.
Last week **i** revealed that [nearly 3,800 households, including families, are banned from applying for a permanent place to live](https://inews.co.uk/news/housing/homeless-families-barred-social-housing-debt-3339582?srsltid=AfmBOorQ0VS-cPzHek9phcsfbRUOgvYAckOMMWAGYqUs3fxC1RAchc6M?ico=in-line_link) through their local council because of the rule.
Councillor Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said local authorities have to “develop solutions which make the best use of their scarce social housing stock”.
“This can include qualification criteria to exclude people who have, for example, current or former rent arrears,” said Mr Hug, adding that “more and more councils are having to make tough decisions” due to social housing shortages.
There are [1.29 million households on social housing waiting lists across England](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/social-housing-lettings-in-england-april-2022-to-march-2023/social-housing-lettings-in-england-tenants-april-2022-to-march-2023).
Mr Hug said local councils “have the discretion to disapply these policies in exceptional circumstances”.
Orla was evicted by a private landlord in June 2021 after falling behind on her rent while she was pregnant. She is desperate to find a permanent home.
Yup. We waited four years to get a council place after I got too sick to work. The rent was £1300 and the maximum housing benefit was £650 so we were deeper and deeper behind. I had to sell everything including my wedding ring to pay this off because we were told debt = lose your place on the waiting list. Thankfully we were offered a place when we were down to the wire. And if you’re behind on your energy bills you have to have a pay as you go metre which is even harder to keep on top of. It’s madness and incredibly cruel.
LHA pays more than her rent was in 2021 in every constituency. With the 5 week wait for housing benefit she could have only got into £500 rent arrears waiting for her payments to start, after which her rent would have been fully covered. Where did the extra £2100 of rent arrears come from? That’s an extra 5 and a half months of non payment.
If she was in regular debt she would be offered social housing, you don’t get an offer when you have been paid housing benefit yet not paid your rent. What was the money for rent paid to her spent on?
Why did someone in their early 20s think it’s a good idea to get pregnant and keep the baby if she had no savings or any means to provide for the baby? Contraception and abortions are free
Is there no Dad around?
OP is the publication
If ya don’t pay they take it away, equality is a bitch 🙁
The amount of debt that councils are missing out on from housing is really staggering. People know that they can pay the council last, because they aren’t going to come round with a hammer, or take your telly.
Not that I don’t have sympathy for people who have to make shit choices about which bills to pay, but at the end of the day all of us are suffering because of how cash-strapped local councils are, and housing is a significant revenue stream for them. I can see why they would try to lower their risk like this.
If only they arrived on a boat… Very unlucky of them to dare to be British in Britain
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