Nadine Rich, a qualified NHS district nurse, from Greater Manchester, who has a three-year-old daughter Nevaeh to look after has told how the benefits system is working against her
A mum and NHS nurse says she is “being forced into poverty” as she wants to work full time as a nurse but a DWP rule on housing means she can’t while she’s living in a rodent-infested flat miles from work and family.
Nadine Rich, a qualified NHS district nurse, has a three-year-old daughter, Nevaeh, to raise and while juggling a career and bringing up a toddler is a difficult job for any parent, it is even tougher for her as she has no home. After her relationship broke down last April, she was made homeless and she says she can’t rent privately due to past circumstances, so her only option is to find a council house.
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While she’s on the waiting list for a council house, Nadine, from Peel Hall in Wythenshawe, lives in temporary accommodation in Abbey Hey which is 11 miles away from her family, friends, workplace, and Neveah’s school. She says her temporary flat has rodents requiring multiple visits from pest control, which has set her back £600 in all. There’s also mould which has needed treatment, and Manchester council has undertaken repairs.
And Nadine claims that it is a DWP rule that is preventing her from getting her life back on track after 14 months. As a single parent, Nadine is entitled to some universal credit payments to help top-up her income to help with essential costs, like paying rent. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that would be a £378-per-month boost if she got it.
But Nadine doesn’t receive universal credit because a DWP rule says you can’t spend it on temporary homeless accommodation like Nadine finds herself in. Instead, she can only receive housing benefit.
But the problem with housing benefit is that the more you work, the less you’re entitled to — so Nadine has to cut her hours, so housing benefit can cover the £875 per month rent on her temporary accommodation.
When she tried to work full-time, she couldn’t pay for day-to-day essentials, and ended up in rent arrears with Manchester Council, which the mum-of-one says saw her suspended from Manchester’s housing register, further delaying her progress to finding a forever home.
So Nadine has cut her hours to 30 per week, and she’s struggling. “I am getting the rent paid for, but I am being forced into poverty. I can work far more but I cannot afford the rent and petrol,” she said. “It’s £10 per day to get to and from work. If I work five or six days then that’s £60 per week in petrol
“It’s either my child or my job, I know most women have to make that decision but if I was just put in the appropriate property, it would be different.”
The government says it acknowledges there is a challenge between the interaction of universal credit and housing benefit, and is considering reform of the system to prevent a repeat of Nadine’s case.
“Through our Plan for Change, we have raised the national living wage, increased benefits and provided additional support to thousands of the poorest households across the country,” a government spokesperson added.
“The government inherited a serious housing crisis, but we are taking urgent and decisive action to end homelessness, providing £1 billion for crucial services this year so councils can support families faster.” But while the government deliberates, Nadine is ‘at her wits end’.
She went on: “It’s putting my life on hold. I cannot progress from band five to band six, because need to do a course. If I go to uni for the course, I still have to pay rent [and without an income] I will end up in rent arrears again. I’m a nurse. I’m a qualified nurse.”
What Manchester council says
On the quality of Nadine’s apartment, a Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “This property was inspected earlier this year in response to a complaint from the tenant. Some evidence of damp, and a small area of mould, was identified and we instructed the accommodation provider to carry out a number of repairs to address this. These were all completed. There was no evidence of pests at the time.
“However, if Nadine wants to get in touch with us again we would be happy to arrange a further inspection so any necessary steps can be taken.”
And on the flat’s location 11 miles away from Wythenshawe, they added: “Pressure on temporary accommodation caused by demand relative to supply means that it is often not possible to house people facing homelessness in their preferred area.
“We are making progress in reducing such placements, both through increased prevention of homelessness and by increasing our supply of suitable temporary accommodation with the area, as well in the longer term by delivering 10,000 social, council and genuinely affordable homes by 2032 – with more being built now that at any time in the last 15 years.”