When does it become irresponsible practice?
Last week for me proved extremely difficult as a direct result of what I consider to be negligence on the part of the housing department of Gedling Borough Council (GBC).
Tuesday 13th May I received a letter from GBC informing me that they were stopping my housing and council tax benefits with immediate effect. Something that you really don’t want to hear first thing in the morning!
The reason given was that I had moved from Employment Support Allowance (ESA) to Universal Credit (UC) and UC would be taking over the payment. However, because I live in supported accommodation GBC will/should continue to pay my housing benefit and council tax.
Several phone calls later I had to drop off a pile of letters, back statements and all sorts of other personal documents at GBC head office in Arnot Hill Civic Centre proving to them my “correct” circumstances.
By this time I had moved from being stressed to being upset and heading rapidly to being extremely upset.
Around 1am Wednesday morning because of the way my mind works these days I had so many thoughts going around my head that my rent wasn’t being paid so I couldn’t continue living in my home and I would end up living on the streets I seriously considered stepping off the top of a car park. The thoughts were so serious that I actually sat on top of said car park for a number of hours fighting the urge to jump.
Many of you won’t understand how that thought process works but trust me, it does and it’s not very nice to experience first hand.
I eventually returned home and at around 10am I called and spoke to someone at the housing department at GBC who informed me that they had made a mistake, that they didn’t realise that I was living in supported accommodation and that they had “just sent out a standard letter”. They also confirmed that my housing benefit had been reinstated and everything was coming up roses so I could relax!
Then to top it all off, Friday 16th May I get another letter from GBC reconfirming that my housing benefit and council tax had been “STOPPED”.
Another frantic phone call to the housing department and conformation from the little pile of shit who answered the phone that everything was alright and it was just another mistake and standard letter from them and there was noting to worry about.
These people, these officials need to understand something, they are playing with peoples lives. When they send “Just a standard letter” it had massive impact and damage on vulnerable people like myself. When I was on top of that car park it could have gone the other way. It could have gone all blue flashing lights, Police and Ambulances and at best sectioning or at worst scraping my remains off the tarmac. It’s that serious.