121 replies to this topic

[kjhudson]

I was a benefit officer at Durham County Council Housing Benefit department for 5 years. If you are in hospital or residential care then it is correct you can claim for up to 52 weeks Housing Benefit as long as your intention is to return to the property in which you are claiming. If you are in prison (well on remand) then you can claim Housing Benefit for up to 13 weeks. However, it is right in what has already been stated, if you have the intention to claim Housing Benefit on another property you are living in (i.e. Gordon Moody's to cover the rent there) then you can only claim what is known as a 4 week overlap (4 weeks on both properties) before the property you leave will no longer be eligible for Housing Benefit.

It has been a while since I had anything to do with benefits, however this was the case when I worked within the area. Hope this helps to clear things up, although not the answer required. There maybe some loophole around it, in which case I would go to Citizens Advice who may be able to help.

Hope you get sorted!!

[stanmarsh14]

I was a benefit officer at Durham County Council Housing Benefit department for 5 years. If you are in hospital or residential care then it is correct you can claim for up to 52 weeks Housing Benefit as long as your intention is to return to the property in which you are claiming. If you are in prison (well on remand) then you can claim Housing Benefit for up to 13 weeks. However, it is right in what has already been stated, if you have the intention to claim Housing Benefit on another property you are living in (i.e. Gordon Moody's to cover the rent there) then you can only claim what is known as a 4 week overlap (4 weeks on both properties) before the property you leave will no longer be eligible for Housing Benefit.

It has been a while since I had anything to do with benefits, however this was the case when I worked within the area. Hope this helps to clear things up, although not the answer required. There maybe some loophole around it, in which case I would go to Citizens Advice who may be able to help.

Hope you get sorted!!

Yep, it's the 4 week run over trick I have seen here @ Erewash, however Rob maybe lucky in that his local council may also have a discretionary payments system (I know Erewash does and had cause to use it once myself) where they look at the issue you have with all facts present, and they see if they can and should afford this extra payment from this emergency fund they have for housing.

I am also quite familiar with the 13 and 52 week rules as explained here and used to help myself when Erewash pulled my payments all because I was not spending enough time at my flat as I am a legally reconised full-time carer for mum: http://www.leicester...away-from-home/

Just waiting on a old school friend to get back to me who works as a case worker for this place for young homeless people http://www.canaan-trust.co.uk/

[vectra666]

I can relate to this question. I,m an addict to fruit machines I love them. I,ve probably spent anything between 50-100 grand realistically in the last 22yrs of gambling which if worked out, works out at around £5000 a year or £100 a week which is around £20 a day but this figure is probably a LOT higher. Back to the ? Yes I think about fruit machine almost all the time and if I had money I would gamble all of it that's why I try to pay all bills-food etc when I get paid. But since I,ve found this site over a year ago my real gambling has fallen dramatically only a binge now and again (weston) every 3months. But I still get my Fix by playing the emulations, ok so it won,t cure my addiction but at least it doesn,t cost money or give you stress and the majority of the dxns on here aren,t around anymore,and I still get a buzz out of winning virtual money lol we,re all gamblers one way or another on this site as we wouldn,t be on here otherwise. The only way to completely cure an addiction is to remove yourself away from the addiction is thatr not true!!

[todd1970]

Same as vectra , although it dosent really subsitute the 'real fix' you get from playing real machines , it kinda helps a wee bit.

Real machines dont bother me unless im in temptations way , i can go 3-6 months without going near one , then that one fateful time im in town with a few quid in my pocket...boom !!

5 trips to the bank later i think .. 'what a fkin twat' why did i just do that..

Its always hard (oooerrr) , and id say the temptation never leaves you ... but if you can cut them out your life completley then brilliant.

[vectra666]

To think if I,d of not put a single penny in a slot what I could,ve spent that £100,000 on if I,d of saved it all up car, house ,arcade lol no seriously that's a lot of dough wasted and I,m only a small gambler mostly on £4-£25jps just think how much the big gamblers have lost in their life of gambling

[Starleisure]

Its seems i was a very lucky lad then - I used to play machines until i stumbled into a job moving machines in 1997 with Bell-fruit, after that i could play any machine that arrived after working time so really never had to bother outside of work.

I cant say i really know what any of you guys have been through with gambling but maybe an intensive few weeks in my workshop would solve the problem.

I get quite a few ppl who buy machines now who admit they are buying to stop going out spending there cash in pubs and arcades - least this way they can gamble but keep there money in there pocket.

Would i ever play a fruit machine out in a pub - Yes - But only as i want to see if the product looks any good whilst im standing there as i know i could never win on it.

Trust me you do get sick of the site of awps some days.

[boromag]

Can I just say something on the subject of being an addict? I've been gambling since I was 13 and would class myself as an addict as I like the machines, love horse racing and even play darts and snooker for money. I know I have probably lost over the years on various things but I still enjoy it as I know a certain amount about the things I bet on. For instance, I know people who will pick a fruit machine at random not knowing if it has just paid a fortune or not and put all their cash in it hoping for the jackpot and then chase money. It's the same with horse racing when people just back favourites when they don't have a clue about the others in the race. I know if it was that easy we'd all be millionaires but you have to take some responsibility in "backing blind" and try and find out things or just leave alone. It's a nice feeling going home with a pocket full of coins but think of all the times when you've had to walk home as you've put your bus fare in. I've done it but never again.

[vectra666]

all the best for monday robin hope you combat your addiction hope to see you in 14weeks a wiser richer man take care

[cardie]

Think probably the most ive done is around £70 in a Party Time Bingo £5 took £70 for a board which gave me £2, now im 18 I get nervious sitting in an arcade. I said i'd bar my self from the arcade and I did, and obviously havent been in, ive been in other ones around blackpool, maybe had the odd 5iver in a machine. Thing is its a sort of social thing im my area, as we've grown up in a town center the arcade is were someone always is, were else do we go and what do we do? I hate sitting inside on a nice day (very rare at the moment) so I always want to be out and first thing is 'check if anyones in the arcade' before you know it youve nipped in, seen a Bar X 7's with 2 sevens on the line, drops first £1 and uve put £20 in it, well its droppign I might aswell get my moneyback, then you put another £30 in and run out of money, go home in a massive mood! No money for the rest of the week!

Thing is in this day and age theres no much you can do than say 20 years ago? Anything you do causes you to have an ASBO and be arrested. Even 3 lads walking though a town high street on a busy day get funny looks, not that im blaming my gambling problem on other people, i know I have a problem I admit it, but the week feeling is a funny old sensation, .... il just try a £1 see it if it holds.... a quid turns into a fiver a fiver turns in 10, 20, 50 etc.... I could sit in an arcade with no money and be okay watching my mates play and having a laugh, but that temptations always there, truth is you have to get kicked very hard in the bollocks nuermous times over before it kicks in, its a bastard but its life, we all go through it!

Good luck James, gamblign addiction is a c|_|nt and no one is strong enough, temptations a horrible thing, so take it step by step! Since ive barred myself ive saved a lot of money, I just need to find somthing to replace my time, f*** sitting on the xbox all day though!

[Dougsta]

Wish you all the best with this mate, and I will try to follow your blog as much as I can.

Have you considered that it could be a good idea to also take a good long break from FME? This could well be one of the triggers for you, and it might be a good idea to cut yourself off for a period of time. Not that I'd want to see the back of you but given how terrible of a problem this has become for you I think drastic action is needed.