Case completed December 2021.
Aanan (not his real name) is a 51 year old male who lives with his wife and two children. He is of south Asian descent, living in Brent for the last 17 years working as a chef in a restaurant. As part of his employment at the restaurant he was provided with accommodation.
He approached our outreach service at Willesden Green library. He stated he was leaving his job because of bullying and harassment from his employer. He was extremely anxious because he was losing his income and his home. He had never claimed benefits before and not been homeless.
Immediately we referred him directly to the Brent Council homelessness team as he was within 56 days of homelessness and we were confident he would be found in priority need because there are children in the household. We assisted him to provide all of the necessary evidence for this application.
Brent Council quickly accepted that they had a duty to assist the family and a private rent property was found for them to move into on the day they had to move out of the restaurant.
Prior to this move, we completed applications for Universal Credit and Council Tax Support. We provided advice on how much the family could expect to receive from these benefits so that they could budget in advance of receiving their first payments. While they were waiting for the first Universal Credit payment, we referred them to Sufra food bank to provide up to 6 food parcels so that the family had enough during this transition.
Initially, when the Universal Credit claim was assessed there were no housing or child elements included in the calculation. We appealed this decision and this was quickly changed so that they are receiving £1,232 per month. Council Tax Support was also successfully awarded.
Aanan and his family are now pleased to be settled in their new home and are very grateful for the support they received.