Housing in Shetland

[paulb]

have you tried the benifits office they maybe willing to loan you the money for the deposit if you explain the problem. its been a long time since i had any dealings with them so i maybe wrong.

 

that shows how wrong the system is. you should be help to stay in work. thats just forcing you out of work onto benifits. have you spoken to the salvation army they may help.

[JustMe]

Had a look at the Department of Work and pensions website this morning and it is possible that you could apply for what is called a "crisis loan". A "budgeting loan" might also be possible but only if you have been on certain benefits for the past 6 months so I guess that does not apply in your case.

 

Otherwise it is back to the earlier advice of trying to find a job that also includes accommodation.....but still pays enough so you can save up enough save up to pay a deposit.

 

Alternatively Shelter http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/ have a free phone service for advice and the Cyrenians http://www.aberdeen-cyrenians.org/street-alternatives.html can offer practical help in Aberdeen.

 

With a long cold Aberdeen winter coming I do urge you to forget all about being too proud to approach these people and do so now.......bound to be a winter rush starting soon.

[sleepychef]

Instead of staying at a BB why not stay at a youth hostel or even get a cheap tent and camp till you have enough money for a deposit. You are on the internet so unless you go to a centre to access the free service you could cut that out, perhaps stop going to the pub.

 

Sound a bit harsh? Any single person that can work as you can just need to get a grip and spend their money on essentials first and once you have your place to call home get the nicer things in life.

 

To end on a better note, what do you do for a living? Minimum wage you say, well if you want to come to shetland there are plenty of jobs at minimum wage that offer accommodation. There is also plenty of jobs on the mainland that offer accommodation as a package. The reason they are not all snapped up is because people are settled and don't want to move to a different area. However if you are a single person with no fixed bode go and get one of these jobs and stop moaning about how unfair the world is.

 

Maybe should of put this in the rant thread lol.

 

PM if you wish a job with accommodation and your single we will pay for your travel to shetland from Aberdeen, if your game.....

[paulb]

nice offer sleepy. however the first bit was way harse. he used an internet cafe. were does he say he either drinks or smokes. the guy is trying which is a lot more than a lot.

[sleepychef]

I used to live on the street when i worked in Falmouth but their was no internet to help me no one I knew but if someone had parted information such as a youth hostel or camp ground perhaps my season down their would not of consisted of me working drinking and sleeping with random women to get a roof over my head. Also the job offer is real.

[MJ]

not been reading into threads for a while but saw the tail end of this one

 

questions for vandivoo/raggy doll

 

What rules you out of the Good Apple Scheme, other than an unwillingness to stay in Logie, Printfield or Ferriers?

 

If for some reason you find you have made yourself unable to use Good Apples, other than ACC which organisations have you approached for advice?

For example YSH in the podium if you're under 26?

VSA?

I realise that many of the groups have closed, but there are a few out there still.

CAB is a good starting point, don't let the queue put you off.

 

I used to bide in Powis, if you're willing to take the hell holes, then it is pretty quick for getting accomadation, have single friends who got places in Ferriers & Printfield within weeks of applying.

It's better going to these addresses with a job than landing in them without one, I'd never have employed someone with those postcodes.

[paulb]

i don't doubt it. but its clear the guy is trying. and your very generous offer may help even more than a coucil house. i would not fancy sleeping rough in the north of scotland. i hope he does pm you.

[MJ]

I'd be quite willing to give any assitance I can, if asked, but been a while since I had the correct speed dials. Would also be interested who at housing you spoke to. The homeless section at St Nicks has been warned about trying to put people off applying, they are also supposed to advise of other places you can get support and advice. Unfortunately the 2 best homeless support projects have been cut, most of the hostels for over 25s closed, Aberdeen really is only geared up for it's Millionaire Liberal Voters.

[mikeyboy]

Why don't you have a look on Gumtree Aberdeen. Plenty people I know have got shared flats or a bedsit through this.

 

By the way I do consider Firth/Mossbank to be a bit of a slum but only due to the councils policy of using it as a dumping ground.

[Ghostrider]

By the way I do consider Firth/Mossbank to be a bit of a slum but only due to the councils policy of using it as a dumping ground.

 

They use pretty much all of the out of town estates for dumping grounds now, so they'll soon all be on the same level.

[Kavi Ugl]

What puzzles me is how you can get a waiting list of almost 900 from a population of just over 21,000 people. Is that possible?.

 

[Spinner72]

One of the things not taken into account is that many people will be on more than one waiting list. Most will be on at least two, with probably half the applicants looking for places in Lerwick. It's also unclear whether a family of 4 count as four people on the list, or one "unit".

 

As a former Lerwick waiting list statistic, and someone who has been a council tenant since leaving home, in various places, my view has changed somewhat. Mostly due to having a family, I dont mind the daily commute to town, indeed its preferable to be able to let the bairns run more or less free with plenty of space.

 

I completely understand the demand for Lerwick accomodation in single younger people, young couples without families and those focussing on their career.

 

In defence of the Firth/Mossbank area, when we moved here it was planned to be transitional, but as my work takes me around all schemes in Shetland, if I had the chance to move now, I wouldn;t consider anywhere else.

 

The council does have a stupid, no, scratch that, insane policy of keeping a few empty houses here to use for emergency accomodation, and these have the occasional oddball turning up. Which is needed of course, and many people are far from oddballs and just down on their luck for whatever reason. But are these houses among the 1 and 2 bedroom blocks? Nope - bang in the middle of 3-4 bedroom scemes full of young families. As I said, an insane policy, but thats not the communities fault.

[Stu]

As a ''sooth moother'' married to a Shetland girl for 26 years now, I have read this thread with great interest, both on and ''off topic'' !! I have just been allocated a council house in Lerwick so I thought I would shove my two penneth worth on this thread. I married in 1984, served 30 years in the forces and am de-mobbed in early October. I promised my wife that we would settle in the Shetlands if she followed me around the UK whilst I was serving. I love Shetland and the people who live there, possibly the friendliest people in the world, so I am looking forward to joining your community after 26 years of ''visiting' my wifes family. We put our names on the SIC housing list in 1984, we got 2 points for each year we where on the list, I have a disabled son who also gained us medical points. We had Lerwick, Scatness and Bigton as our areas of choice but we where lucky enough to get Lerwick. We where on the SIC and Hjatland list but SIC came up with the house for us some two weeks after we activated our housing list request. SIC and Hjatland have been brilliant, (we currently live in Scotland) my wife travelled North in May to visit Anderson High for my son and to pay a visit to both housing associations simply to touch base and find out the facts about how long we would have to wait for an allocation. We have been lucky, I realise that and count my blessings, we did not expect an allocation until xmas time. I as a serviceman gained zero points for the allocation, but full marks to SIC for their help and to the friendly staff in both associations. I just thought one positive accurate thread for housing allocation (you may consider it right or wrong !!!) was well deserved.

[Vicky]

I've been looking for a council house in Whalsay for a while now but with no luck. There did used to be a lot more council houses but many people bought them so now there are only a small number left. Realistically I don't think I will get a house here, but I don't want to move out of the isle. If I can't find a place that seems like my only option. I rent privately at the moment, but it is only short-term, and I face homelessness in the near future. Sure I'll maybe be able to move back to my parents if I'm desperate but this really is a last resort option. And they wonder why the isles are depopulating... there is no where to live on them if you can't afford to build your own house, and who the hell can really do that nowadays? One irk of mine though is that there are people living in council houses that are bigger than they need, and it would be better if say a single pensioner be put into a smaller house and the 3 bedroom house could go to someone with a family, but council houses are for life and the situation will likely remain this way.

[duncanhametoon]

The council should try and get TOTAL's housing block when they are finished with it, and move it nearer lerwick. It would be ideal for single people.