A cash-strapped man says he has been waiting for months to receive state benefits he claims he is entitled to. Peter Walker is being taken to court by his landlord because he hasn't paid rent since March but says he has thought he may be "better off in jail" than being made homeless.
The 63-year-old has had various accidents and illnesses during his life and now suffers from significant cognitive problems after three serious injuries to his brain. The ex-teacher says this means he can no longer be responsible for children in a classroom environment.
As a result, Mr Walker says he has applied for benefits and to be re-housed in a home that is appropriate for his medical requirements. But months later, he says he is still waiting for some of the support he says he is entitled to and remains in an unsuitable house.
Mr Walker has lived in his privately rented property in Nottingham for 18 years. He says he has lived there for so long because of his family's attachment to the house.
However, his two children have now left home and Mr Walker separated from his wife earlier this year. He now says he feels "abandoned" by several authorities.
Speaking to NottinghamshireLive, he said: "I had a mountaineering accident when I was 21 which meant that I lost my memory for two weeks and at the age of 57 I then had a stroke which was another insult to my brain. I later had a pulmonary embolism which wrecked my lungs and in 2018 I had a cycling accident which exacerbated my existing injuries.
"Doctors therefore say that I have been left with significant cognitive difficulties because of three insults to the brain. My current property is just not suitable for me anymore.
"I really struggle with the stairs because I could be stood at the top of them and end up flying all the way down. I try to avoid going upstairs as much as possible because it's dangerous but I really do need to be elsewhere."
Mr Walker says that because he has been continuing to live in a private rented property and because of the delays in accessing benefits, he has not paid rent to his landlord since March. As a result, Mr Walker's landlord is taking him to court over non-payment of rent.
The case is due to be heard on Monday (October 31) at Nottingham County Court. Mr Walker's landlord confirmed that he is taking him to court as he says that "I cannot afford to keep the house if I don't get paid. One year's rent is lots of money to me."
Peter Walker insists that he has only been unable to pay rent since March, rather than a full year, and that he has been granted legal aid for his court case. Mr Walker also says that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) needed a signed letter from his landlord containing an address that they could use to contact him directly, but that he has not yet provided this.
Although Mr Walker says that he applied in March, the DWP says that its records show he started his application in April, completing it in May. Peter Walker says the application needed to come from both him and his wife and that, when the couple separated, he had to submit a new application.
Mr Walker says his wife left because she had to care for her mother, who lives with dementia, and that they hadn't had a normal marital relationship for some time because of his conditions. In terms of what he is living on, Mr Walker says that he did have savings but that this has gradually reduced over the years because of the financial support he has given to his children, which he says was simply his "instinct" as a parent. He now receives a small teacher's pension of £400 a month alongside Personal Independence Payments (PIP) of £325 a month.
Mr Walker says this isn't enough to pay his rent and to live on and that he is now six months in debt. As a result, he fears eviction from his current property following his court case.
He said: "I am not angry with any person in particular but my problem is with the system. I have applied to be re-housed and I was originally told that the wait for that could be as long as three years.
"I have also been told that, if I voluntarily left this property, I would not receive any more help from the council in finding another home. I have even thought that I would be better off in jail than risk wandering on the streets wherever I ended up."
The DWP now says that Mr Walker is entitled to housing benefit and that he will receive his first Universal Credit payment on November 2. The department also says that he may be entitled to 'limited capability for work and work related activity', with an assessment due to take place on October 31. A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: "In their joint claim, Mr Walker and his wife did not provide evidence of their rental agreement and as a result were not entitled to housing benefit.
"In addition, as Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit, they received nil awards in the first five months of their claim due to their level of earnings through a private pension and other income. We help millions of people each year through our supportive and compassionate service and our priority is that they get the benefits to which they are entitled as soon as possible."
A spokesperson for Nottingham City Homes, which runs the HomeLink service that Peter Walker has been dealing with for the re-housing application, said: "We had received a housing application from Mr Walker but further information was required to progress this and to establish members of his household. We have spoken to him and have now been able to progress his application to join the housing register.
"Due to demand for social housing, there can be significant waiting times and we would always encourage everyone to explore private rented as this is likely to be a quicker route to resolve housing needs. However there is greater availability of our older persons Independent Living homes and we are talking to him about possible options.
"In terms of Mr Walker's potential homelessness, the council is able to provide support and assistance in a number of ways to help households remain in their homes and so he has been correctly advised not to voluntarily give up his current tenancy. Officers will be in contact with Mr Walker to ensure he is supported to remain in his home while other rehousing options are explored."
Peter Walker says he has now been told that he could be re-housed as soon as next week. But he added that the process had taken far too long, and that he still has to await the verdict from Nottingham County Court on Monday (October 31).
He said: "I have worked hard throughout my life and, when I needed help, it wasn't there. When all this mess is cleared up, I will live with whatever the consequences are.
"All this boils down to is that I have spent all of this time taking advice from every single one of the relevant authorities, including the DWP and council. That advice has now left me with six months [worth] of debt."
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