Where to go to now. Homeless!!

kingbhome

A friend was made homless a year ago. Has a drink/drug problem and was in and out of a treatment centre and has now gone clean. When he was drinking and homeless, he was in and out of b&bs and stupidly got thrown out of one while to drunk. Had a run in with the council and they refused to accommodate him in any more b&Bs. This was over a year ago.

He also has a slight disabilty/ adhd and a few other things wrong with him and needs help badly.I have personally seen him bang his head of walls because all this has just gotten to much for him. His family have been subsidising him for the last year in hotels, b&bs whenever he wasnt in a treatment centre however its not got to the point that the family can no longer support him.

The council have told him theres nothing they can do and for him to move away to another county. He went to dublin, tried there but they have told him they cant do anything for him as he should go back to his own county.

Hes now suicidal and i would say, if he doesnt get help withing a few weeks, he will do something very stupid.

Basically im here looking to find out what can be done. He cant go back into a treatment place because hes now clean. The council wont help him and neither can dublin council. Is there nowhere he can go to appeal what the council are doing to him. Surely after one has gotten himself clean for over a year, then the council should see this and start helping him now. Can they just wash their hands of someone forever.

surrender monkey

If your friend meets the social housing criteria for the county then he is entitled to be put on the list for social housing and if he is refused he can appeal this decision. Mercy Law assist people at risk of homelessness with local authorities look that up. Your friends biggest problem will be that he is single (I'm assuming) Hostel accommodation is all that is offered to singles, the hotels are reserved for people with children. It's well known that hostels are full of addicts and alcoholics and a recovering addict would have a really hard time there. Your friend could be entitled to hap but would have a hard time sourcing accommodation. There should be a homeless section in the council you can contact on his behalf

Mrs OBumble

What county is he in?

Tenigate

Sounds like your friend is the author of his own misfortune. There's an attitude the government need to "do more", but health and housing ARE NOT FREE and therefore government supports are rationed. Resources are limited and he really exhausted what was allocated to him.

Moving to Dublin, a city with insufficient housing to support workers, students and offspring of residents.. that was a really dumb move.

Therefore, I'd say he needs to rely on support from his family a bit longer.

In my view he needs to take some personal responsibility. Get himself to a gp, who may prescribe medications, or refer him elsewhere. He needs to seek out counselling too.. either cut-price counselling through student counsellors, or charities that specialise in counselling or suicide prevention.

Lumen

I have a little experience in this area. It's very, very difficult. Mental health, drug addiction, compulsiveness, debt, violence. It corrodes friendships, family relationships, burning bridges one by one until there are no supports left.

Family support only goes so far. When you get a scumbag drug dealer rocking up to your house threatening violence on your young kids if you don't pay off a relative's drug debts then you have to make difficult choices.

On a more positive note, your friend has gotten clean. This represents a triumph of willpower that few people will ever need to muster.

It's best not to consider the council as bunch of people there to help. They might help, or might not. He probably needs advice from a third party organisation to help him navigate the system.

Peter McVerry Trust are outstanding. I don't know how much they operate outside Dublin. I've also read that FLAC are good for legal advice. At the end of the day the Council are bound by the law, and that may help.

Good luck, and try and tune out the unsympathetic idiots.

Immaculata

I'd suggest he goes to the council (with you, if you can make it) and ask to see the homeless outreach officer and/or the social worker. He should explain his situation and should mention the suicidal issue, the banging of his head/self harm, and ask to join the housing list (if he hasn't already,) or to move his application to the council area he's in, and for help in general. They will do their best to find him somewhere, even if it's initially a seat on the night bus (that's Dublin - I don't know where your friend is located).

Another option might be the Salvation Army, a charity that works with the councils to help homeless people. They might be a good choice for your friend as amongst other things they are a teetotal organisation. But your friend would probably need a council referral, so again I suggest he starts with the homeless outreach officer at his nearest council office.

Mrs OBumble

Tenigate wrote: »

In my view he needs to take some personal responsibility. Get himself to a gp, who may prescribe medications, or refer him elsewhere. He needs to seek out counselling too.. either cut-price counselling through student counsellors, or charities that specialise in counselling or suicide prevention.

Getting clean means he has taken considerable personal responsibility already.

It's not at all clear that councils have any mandate to wash their hands of a person totally, no matter how bad their problems / behaviour is: the council is the housing option of last resort. Especially in a situation like this where the person has addressed the problem.

He really needs a local advocate who can convince the council to change their mind. If we knew where he is based, we could possibly suggest local organisations who might help. Eg McVerry trust - but they're in Dublin, and Dublin councils aren't going to take on other counties problems.

kingbhome

Tenigate wrote: »

Sounds like your friend is the author of his own misfortune. There's an attitude the government need to "do more", but health and housing ARE NOT FREE and therefore government supports are rationed. Resources are limited and he really exhausted what was allocated to him.

Moving to Dublin, a city with insufficient housing to support workers, students and offspring of residents.. that was a really dumb move.

Therefore, I'd say he needs to rely on support from his family a bit longer.

In my view he needs to take some personal responsibility. Get himself to a gp, who may prescribe medications, or refer him elsewhere. He needs to seek out counselling too.. either cut-price counselling through student counsellors, or charities that specialise in counselling or suicide prevention.

I agree, hes brought most of it all on himself however now that hes clean from drink or drugs, the help he needs most he isnt getting. There is only so much ones family can help. Hotels, b&bs arent cheap and they have helped with sleeping on seatees for to long. His mental health problems have been an issue also.