Being made homeless

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<snip> I pay out about 65% bills each month and I've already cut back on everything... The bills that come out of my account each month are debts.
It sounds like the level of debt that you have is unsustainable. If you have to move out and start paying rent, utilities, food, etc. then the problem is only going to compound. What you don't want to do is bury your head in the sand and hope that everything will be okay, because that's the road to despair. You need to take control of this situation.

The first thing you should do (today!) is to get in touch with your local CAB, explain your situation to them, and that should hopefully get you on the path to getting the debt sorted out. It won't be easy, and may very well result in you having to take an IVA or even declare bankruptcy, but if you want to make something of your future, you need to get those crippling debts gone. I know you're against writing off your debts -- which shows that you're taking responsibility for your actions -- but rest assured that whatever course of action you take to eliminate the debt, it won't be easy. If you have an IVA or bankruptcy on file, you'll find it very hard to get credit from anywhere reputable for a while (so don't plan on getting a mortgage or a loan), and you'll still have to pay back some of what you owe. You won't be able to afford many luxuries, and you'll have someone scrutinising your financial affairs. On the plus side, you won't be able to take credit out for your dad again, even in a moment of weakness. :)

The reason you need to do this now is that the CAB should be able to help you put a short-term plan in place to manage the debt, which will include prioritising your creditors, creating a budget, and arranging a payment schedule with your creditors that allows you to house and feed yourself while still servicing the debt to some level. [Note that this means you'll be underpaying and further interest will accrue, meaning that it isn't a sustainable strategy in the long-term; if you can't afford to service your debt and maintain a standard of living, you'll have to take steps to write off some of the debt].
 
Good for you for helping "Dave" out, it's a tough situation for both of you, I do hope it doesn't put your friendship on the line and that he finds his feet.

Pretty awesome to help a friend out that much
I personally don't think I would for that amount of time
 
Firstly regarding the debts call Stepchange for free on 0800 138 1111 they are brilliant and will work with you to sort out your debts. Also it might be worth booking an appointment at your local CAB as soon as you can to get further advice on that.

With regards to your housing you have a few options,

Find a friends who you can stay at till you are sorted and make more permanent moves,

Rent out a cheap property you can afford, or look to flatshare as soon as possible. Gumtree, spareroom - Just google Flatshare and you will find plenty of sites,

Alternatively declare yourself as homeless to your local neighbourhood office or equivalent in your area. Write a letter stating your mother will be making you homeless in 14 days and get her to sign this as proof she is doing this, else they may see you as making yourself homeless which slows down the process. Be aware that you will more than likely get somewhere but the condition of the property, and the other residents could potentially be good or bad depending on where your housed. They will literally put you in the first available place.

Try not to worry too much about it, plenty of people get in your situation and manage just fine, just remember not to panic :)

PS - I used to be a Housing Officer in Birmingham so feel free to ask anymore questions if you are stuck!
 
Funny isn't it how the single white guy in the UK is completely ignored by the Govt. until there's a War on and then they suddenly want you to go and die for them... ;)

It isn't anything to do with being white either. Im British born Chinese and was kicked out of home when I was 16 (42 now). I got myself a bed sit but I couldn't even get enough housing benefit to pay the rent as I was working even though I was on YTS at the time. If you are a single male, they don't give a **** about you.
 
The scary thing is that when he is able to bid on properties the cheapest ones in our area seem to be costing about £83 per week, as far as weve been told the council will contribute £55 toward his rent....where will he find the other £28 to make up the shortfall?

I know that a job is key to solving this problem and he has been applying for jobs, walking round shops and factories asking for work etc but so far nothing has come up.

So like I said, here we are 6 weeks later...hes still sleeping on my sofa, and it feels like he is no further forward at all.

If he's a single person shouldn't he be looking for flat shares/rooms/bedsits rather than a property of his own? I mean presumably the council have calculated that figure based on the cost of a room in a flat share in that area. Bedsits -> studios -> 1 bedroom flats will obv cost more and he's probably not entitled to funding to rent one (which is fair IMO). He'll also get JSA and should probably look into some emergency loans/grants etc... CAB ought to be a bit more useful.
 
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while its very noble of you to want to pay your debts I think you ought to have a rethink... in general yes people should pay debts and not take the mickey but now you're in a situation where that might not be feasible... whilst I think the 'I'm going to be homeless' thing is a bit dramatic (you're in employment, single, male... go find a room share) the debt thing is going to be a serious burden as a result of your change in circumstances and you really ought to get some advice about managing it - this could well involve restructuring it or even having some of it written off. Banks do account for this when lending and while you might have made a few mistakes I wouldn't beat yourself up about it... its not like banks themselves have ever been recklessly exposed... oh wait.... basically be a bit more pragmatic about the debt and go seek some proper advice... don't be too proud about having to paying it all off if it means you'll be seriously struggling as a result.
Good post, listen to the man.
 
Hi mate, yeah they will probably put you in a hostel. If your looking for to find rooms & flats that accept dss you can use 99properties or gumtree to see whats in your area, 99properties is a good one because the majority of properties are listed by the owners directly. Might be a long shot but worth a try.

Epic necro. OP has been homeless 4 years by now.
 
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