so i'm about to become homeless. help?

[SmartIdiot]

Well the advice I was going to give has already been suggested, but here goes anyway. I know a couple of people this happened to and they moved in with friends. I'd strongly suggest you try that route, that way you have some support and someone to talk to when you need it. As long as you make an effort to get the ball rolling with your life while you're there you'll be fine. Also Glasgow to London is a big leap, when you get around to carrying out your plans best of luck on that one, I'm making a similar-distanced move next month.

 

[Dahni]

um...get a job?

Sorry, I'm in the UK. Recession ahoy. My area still has a shitload of unemployment. I'm competing, not only with people who have been made redundant but all the people in my year and the year below at school that are 16/17 and now looking for jobs.

Surely you have qualities other people don't have. Don't give up that easily - I know it can be hard to find a job, I'm in the German film industry for crying out loud, which wouldn't even exist without the governments sponsoring it. So, I know it's not easy, but it's neither impossible.

Oh wow.
I'm not giving up. I've spent the past few hours perfecting my CV/resume and tomorrow after school I'm basically running around my area looking for any shop that looks like it'd be open in the evenings to hand in CVs.

 

[martin's a madman]

In... Central Scotland born and raised,
At festivals is where I spent most of my days,
Chillin' and maxin' and relaxin' all cool,
Listening to rock music and plannin' for school,
When my mum came in, she was up to no good!
Told me to go live out in the neighbourhood!
I tried to reason with her but she just didn't care
She said: "I don't care where you're goin' but you can't stay here"
I whistled for a cab and when it came near,
The license plate said "Escapist"
They were intelligent there,
If anything I thought my approach was weird,
But I thought: "Nah, forget it, Can I get some help here?"

I pulled, out a backpack which colour was great,
And yelled to my house "Peace out! Smell ya later"
Looked at my kingdom I was finally here,
to go find a home
somewhere out there.

Dun duh dun!

I wrote this song so you can sing it and tell your story.
No thanks necessary, just doing my part.

 

[Gladion]

um...get a job?

Sorry, I'm in the UK. Recession ahoy. My area still has a shitload of unemployment. I'm competing, not only with people who have been made redundant but all the people in my year and the year below at school that are 16/17 and now looking for jobs.

Surely you have qualities other people don't have. Don't give up that easily - I know it can be hard to find a job, I'm in the German film industry for crying out loud, which wouldn't even exist without the governments sponsoring it. So, I know it's not easy, but it's neither impossible.

Oh wow.
I'm not giving up. I've spent the past few hours perfecting my CV/resume and tomorrow after school I'm basically running around my area looking for any shop that looks like it'd be open in the evenings to hand in CVs.

Maybe I got the wrong impression from your post, it probably seemed a little more desperate to me than intended (don't mean to be offensive on that one).

...and what do you mean by "Oh wow"?

 

[ZeLunarian]

In... Central Scotland born and raised,
At festivals is where I spent most of my days,
Chillin' and maxin' and relaxin' all cool,
Listening to rock music and plannin' for school,
When my mum came in, she was up to no good!
Told me to go live out in the neighbourhood!
I tried to reason with her but she just didn't care
She said: "I don't care where you're goin' but you can't stay here"
I whistled for a cab and when it came near,
The license plate said "Escapist"
They were intelligent there,
If anything I thought my approach was weird,
But I thought: "Nah, forget it, Can I get some help here?"

I pulled, out a backpack which colour was great,
And yelled to my house "Peace out! Smell ya later"
Looked at my kingdom I was finally here,
to go find a home
somewhere out there.

Dun duh dun!

Be-uti-full <3

 

[martin's a madman]

In... Central Scotland born and raised,
At festivals is where I spent most of my days,
Chillin' and maxin' and relaxin' all cool,
Listening to rock music and plannin' for school,
When my mum came in, she was up to no good!
Told me to go live out in the neighbourhood!
I tried to reason with her but she just didn't care
She said: "I don't care where you're goin' but you can't stay here"
I whistled for a cab and when it came near,
The license plate said "Escapist"
They were intelligent there,
If anything I thought my approach was weird,
But I thought: "Nah, forget it, Can I get some help here?"

I pulled, out a backpack which colour was great,
And yelled to my house "Peace out! Smell ya later"
Looked at my kingdom I was finally here,
to go find a home
somewhere out there.

Dun duh dun!

Be-uti-full <3

Why, thank-you.

 

[feather240]

Well I recommend getting a large sheet of clear plastic wrap, as much water as you can carry, a little bit of food, a Phillips screwdriver, a knife, and a reliable way to start fires.

The plastic wrap can be used to get water if you need it. Just dig a hole out in the ground and set up the plastic wrap so it is taunt around it, you can peg the edges around too if it keeps on slipping or isn't stable enough for other reasons. The condensation and rain water will easily be collected in there for your drinking pleasure. I recommend putting it somewhere moist. Now you have a stable water supply to fill up your canteens with. Even with this source of water try not to bring too much food as it will only make you hungrier.

(Canteen tip: That band you see around a canteen is meant to get wet to prevent evaporation, plus it keeps the water cool like peppermint wind, hmmm.)

A Phillips screwdriver has the practical uses of prying, forcing, screwing, and picking (like an ice-pick). Using it will allow you to deal with any problems that require some brute force. Broken water bottle? Pry it open! The uses for such a simple tool are endless!

A knife is perhaps the most elegant tool in history. It does everything you could want if you know how to use it. I'd recommend a knife with a fixed blade and a serrated edge. It will be sharp enough to saw through ropes, cloth, and raw meat you find on the streets like raccoons or squirrels. (Squirrel just needs a little soy sauce.) It can also be used on humans (Relish) in self defense. It is a beautiful device, love it like a third hand that isn't an abomination.

Fires not only provide warmth but they also have a powerful physiological effect on people. A warm fire makes people feel safe and happy. Matches will run out quickly and aren't guaranteed to work, lights are much better, but still have limits. I've heard of these magnetic blocks that are made to spark when hit against each other, but I'm not sure whether or not they would work well.

It's kill or be killed. Unless you meet me, then it's just give me all your stuff well you kiss my feet, now dance.

P.S. Beware of Zombies.

 

[LiftYourSkinnyFists]

long story cut very short:

my mum is throwing me out the house for various reasons i'd rather not list.
I'm 16.
I don't have a job.
my only source of income is £30 a week from my school & £40 a month from my dad (which will now, likely, stop)

help?

I don't even know what I'm expecting you guys to tell me, but help anyway?

& please don't tell me to try reason with her because she CANNOT BE REASONED WITH.


EDIT:
why i'm getting chucked out:
Because my mum found out what I'm planning to do after my 6th year of high school (I'm in 5th year right now), because I'm planning to go to Download festival, and because my room is messy because I've been clearing out my drawers & stuff. Throwing me out is an over-reaction, I suppose, but she really doesn't give a shit.

I was planning to go to a university near London because it's well known for being good at providing the course I'm after. Moving from Glasgow to London is a pretty big jump for me. This set her off and she told me that I'm "going to need the fucking practice".

Find someone who's looking for a lodger get a job pushing trolleys or burgers at asda or mcdonalds... part-time or late shifts; kiss her ass until your face leaves a imprint.

 

[benoitowns]

How are you in your 5th year of high school if you are sixteen?

 

[Actual]

Go to the Citizen's Advice Bureau, every English town has one, I'm pretty sure Scotland too. Most towns also have cheap housing available for under-18s who are homeless. The one in Essex where I grew up was actually pretty nice, a mate lived there for a year before his mum took him back in. Only way to get in will be to talk to the C.A.B people. Either way they will have dealt with this many times before and should be able to tell you something of use.

 

[Flying Dagger]

At that age i was being told i was going to be kicked out once a week.
Make it clear that it's what you want to do, and she's not going to stop you.

and clear your fucking room up, that just makes you sound like a whiny little kid

my room has been cleared up.

She already stopped me from going to university this year by phoning the school and telling them not to send away my UCAS application.

16 is too young to be going off to uni. Go at 18, because you'll miss out on all the awesome bar crawls.

Go at 18, you'll enjoy it more.

Decide whether download festival is more important then going to the uni you want.
If you back down on one the other may become less of an issue.
Of course if you back down on the uni one BEFORE download, then when the issue is isolated in a year's time, you may find the issue is no longer as big.

 

[Actual]

How are you in your 5th year of high school if you are sixteen?

The British equivalent of high school (senior school) starts at age 11 and ends at 16, at which point you can go to college until you're 18, and then university til you're 21. Assuming you don't take any gap years or do especially long courses.

 

[Siuki]

Tell the cops.

They'll set her straight.

Chances are, the cops'll listen to the parent, not the kids. It pretty much always comes out like this in these types of scenarios. The best you can hope for is a crash at a friends or relatives. Rent an apartment with the remaining money? Basically, your mom is really trying to kill you. When your son's desperately looking for a job to get a decent income, you kick him out and pretty much neglect him. Good luck paying for a retirement home without your son.

 

[Flying Dagger]

Also - what uni is it that you want to go to?
What's your mum's largest problem with you going away to uni?
If you don't feel like answering these here, just message me.

And i'd recomend looking for a supermarket job first, it's not glam or anything, but it's a damn sight better then nothing.

 

[Dahni]

How are you in your 5th year of high school if you are sixteen?

12 by the end of 1st year
13 - 2nd year
14 - 3rd year
15 - 4th year
16 - 5th year
17 - 6th year

 

[DSEZ]

well buddy ive been homeless before its not as bad as people make it out to be the people you meet are really cool

OT:just clean your room and do a little bit of chores around the house she'll come to her senses

 

[Insanum]

At that age i was being told i was going to be kicked out once a week.
Make it clear that it's what you want to do, and she's not going to stop you.

and clear your fucking room up, that just makes you sound like a whiny little kid

my room has been cleared up.

She already stopped me from going to university this year by phoning the school and telling them not to send away my UCAS application.

Can she do that? She has to have a bloody good reason. If it wasnt REALLY good, Go to the education board.

 

[boybokeh]

She already stopped me from going to university this year by phoning the school and telling them not to send away my UCAS application.

Reasonably sure she can't do that if you're no longer her dependent. If she did, you need to speak to your school and correct the situation. But that's what you're planning to do after your sixth year, right? So no worries - it's not like it's on a tight deadline. You have until next January at least for UCAS.

Also, go to your local Connexions officer, at school or elsewhere. Speak to social services. The benefits of living in a nanny state are that if this kind of thing happens to you, they'll put you up. Often they'll try to set you up with a mediator to improve relations with your...err, relations

Downsides: your accommodation will be inspected, so you'll need to keep it pristine. But that's no biggie, right?

You have my real sympathy. I walked out, got kicked out and had epic rows with my mother in my teens over stupid shit like tidying my room and over less-stupid things like education. My first line of advice would be to make a real, focussed effort to mend your bridges with your folks. Be sincere and push the issue, even if they seem like they've made up their mind. Even if they say that have. Try not to take no for an answer, but be gracious. Trust me, it's better than toughing it out on your own for the next couple of years (unless you think you'd actually prefer benefits living for the next couple of years, but you probably won't).

If that doesn't work, Connexions and whatever other youth advisors / social services are local to you should be your first recourse.

A number to call for advice: 0808 800 4444 as pilfered from http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/getadvice/advice_topics/families_and_households/living_with_your_parents

additional reading (sorry if it's been posted already)
http://www.connexions.gov.uk/
http://www.thesite.org/sexandrelationships/familiesandfriends/family/thrownoutbyyourparents
http://www.foyer.net/
http://www.depaulnightstopuk.org/

 

[Therumancer]

-snip-

I don't expect people to start throwing their money or anything. That was never my intention. I was just more after websites/helplines/general advice about it. But people asked for the reasons and so I put them up. Maybe I should have just left the reasons out, because they are irrelevant. I'm not after pity. I wouldn't even know HOW to get people to transfer me money. I know I don't have that many posts in comparison to others but I have a few fairly established friendships with other more "popular" members of the escapist. So yeah, you may not see me posting in every single thread and whatnot, but I do know a fair number of people. Since when did post count REALLY matter? I don't give a shit if some creep on a forum somewhere collected money off people on the internet and spent it on whatever he wanted. If you're assuming I'm trying to harvest money off people, you've got me fucking wrong and all I can say is fuck you, mate.

I posted this on here because I'd like to think that people here are at least a bit more sensible than people on, say, myspace or bebo. Most people on here are older and are more likely to have some kind of experience or understanding of my situation. I'm 16 for christ's sake. I don't know where to look for advice and I've got this site as one of my possible resources for gathering information so I don't go make a completely stupid decision.

As I said, I was also looking for general advice. While americans can't say "oh you can go to this this and this website", they can give me general bits of advice that would prove useful. The british members of the Escapist, particularly the older ones, probably have an understanding of the housing system and getting jobs specifically in the UK. Excuse me for wanting to try find out all my options before I go applying for a council house or living in a box behind a fucking bin.

I feel sorry for your predicament. I really do. But are you really justified in assuming I'm trying to con people out of their cash? no, no you aren't.

I've got a deferred conditional for Brighton University, which is not far outside London and I'm waiting on responses from the other one I applied to. Either way, I never did ask my mum to support me through university. My plan was to finish my Highers, get a job, work full-time through the summer, switch back to part-time for my 6th year then go to university, by this point having saved enough money to get me started & keep myself going til I got a part-time job down in/around London. Essentially, I was planning to totally support myself. Obviously my plan is far more substantial than this but that is the bare bones of it.

Apologies for being jaded then.

I know you didn't ask for any money, but having seen such things before, it struck me as a preamble working up to that, or an effort to fish for people who would offer such.

 

[Eggsnham]

-snip-

Do you have any close friends that could take you in for the time being? That's what I'd do in your situation.