Hi,
I'm refering to your letter, from 26/4, which I've recieved today.
I appealing because I think the Council is a bit ignorant here.
Because it was James, from Liverpool City Council, in Garston, who sent me to MAS, in January, after the Scandinavian Church threw me out, since they had double-booked, like they told me.
But, I don't know what Mr. James, from the Council in Garston have agreed with MAS.
And I don't know what's normal to do when one lives at MAS.
I haven't asked MAS for any support directly.
But I've gone to MAS forthnightly to pay my service charge, which is £12 a week, and then I've been grabed hold of for meetings in the kitchen there most often, but also in the office in the first floor and second floor.
These meetings have mostly been regarding the housing benefit, since it took some time for me to get this.
When MAS have talked to me about First Aid-courses and Skills for Live and things like that, then I have thought that this was normal to have meetings about, when one lives at MAS.
What did James have in mind about this, in January, when he sent me to MAS?
He said MAS were one of the best places for homeless people, (like I was then, unfortunately).
Did James agree with MAS that I should get support?
I've understood it like MAS was a charity and it was surprice for me when I was informed that the advice they've given me was going to be made into an arrears to my rent with them.
So I felt a bit tricked when I heard this, I must admit.
But, I've also had problems with CAB, in conection with an employement-case, a few years ago, and I was 'messed' with by the CAB and have complained to their head-office in London, etc., about the problems there, without any results.
I therefore don't think I should go to often CAB after this, they freaked me out, by acting very strange there, like I've complained about to their head-office, and they also made me lose control of my employment-case.
So I don't have anyone to ask for advice, so when MAS helped me with getting on the Property Pool then this was a help for me, in my situation, since I'm not used with being on housing benefit when trying to get accomodation.
But it's still not clear to me how I can myself contact landlords and get a place to rent while I'm unemployed and on housing benefit.
Do I need a letter from the Council confirming that I'm eligable for Housing Benefit, if I wanted to try to look in the Echo for flats there, outside of the Property Pool?
Did James from the Council in Garston think that I was going to get only accomodation by MAS or did he talk to MAS about support as well?
This isn't clear to me, and due to this, I a bit think that this is something that MAS and the Council perhaps should find out about.
Since this went a bit above my head from the start.
Other than that I agree with a lot the things you write in your letter.
I'm usually able to sort things myself to do with accomodation and other things, but I've been unfairly thrown out, a number of times, in the last months, and I haven't got any emergency capital any longer, so it's a bit limited what I can achieve on my own, at the moment, unfortunately.
So I hope you can clear it up, because this was really initiated by the Council, (James in Liverpool City Council – Garston), so that I'm going to be stuck with arrears due to something that has been going on above my head, I don't think is right.
(And MAS also tells Property Pool-landlords now, that I'm in arrears, when they call them, due to this problem).
So I wanted to please appeal against this decition from the Council.
I'm also sending a copy e-mail to MAS, like I told Steven there, earlier today, when I was there, to pay my service-charge.
Hope this is alright!
Yours sincerely,
Erik Ribsskog
