Hi everybody. This is my first post on here. I’m wondering if anyone else is in a similar position to me?
My husband has Crohn’s disease, a hand dexterity and sacroiliitis. I’m his full time carer.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are homeless. We are on the housing list, but maybe up to 2 years to be housed.
To survive we sofa surf at various friends around the south of the country.
My husband works remotely full time. I was made redundant in November.
I applied for JSA in November, using my parents address as a care of address. I was automatically located to the nearest job centre to that postcode for my initial appointment.
I explained our situation to the work coach who robotically told me that I need to come to the same office in Bedford every month to guarantee my money.
I explained to her that we sofa sit and I use parents address as care of and could be up to 200 miles away from Bedford staying with friends, depending on where we are able to stay. I asked due to my exceptional circumstances if I could have my appointments by telephone. Basically got told, you have to come in for the ten minute appointment each month or no money. No other advice or support given. I also explained that if I were to come to Bedford I could be spending most of my benefits on a train ticket with up to a ten hour round trip to get to Bedford and back to where
I’m staying and will also eat in to my time searching for a job and I may not have any money left to pay for the internet on my phone to search for jobs!
I told my work coach I am looking for remote only jobs due to being a full time carer. She bluntly told me that I can only look for remote work for the first month of my claim and then had to take any job within 90 mins of my care of address. I had to remind her that I don’t live there and sofa surf with friends and never know where I will be living from week to week. I sadly don’t particularly get on with my parents to even consider staying there!
There was no empathy or support.
I went home that afternoon completely overwhelmed with anxiety.
I called the manager of the branch and re-explained my situation. She was more understanding and allowed my next appointment in January on the phone.
At this point I had also applied for carers allowance. Of course I could not get this as my JSA was £10 more a week than Carers Allowance!
My phone appointment did not go well. The same work coach asked me had I had any interviews (bearing in mind it had just been Christmas and new year period) and where I was living! She said I had to come to Bedford for my next appointment. I had to explain again my and my husbands living situation.
She said I would have to register with the local job centre for my appointments, to where I am staying every time. I don’t know in advance where that would be and could mean delays in my payment. Just so stressful to contemplate, whilst trying to look for work and care for my husband.
I spent the rest of that week calling DWP to try and resolve this. I kept hitting a brick wall and filed a complaint to the DWP.
My only option was to cancel my JSA claim and re-apply for Carers Allowance again, as this seems to be my only option to not have to travel for a benefit appointment . I feel discriminated against for being homeless with no fixed abode.
I’m now praying I get the Carers Allowance, otherwise I have no income whatsoever.
This has seriously affected my mental health and stressing out my husband too due to finances etc.
I’m hoping this post has made sense. Has anyone had a similar experience?
I’m at my wits end!
Thanks for reading.
Martin
