• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Autistic man desperately needs new home after his landlord gets hitched

AGXStarseed

Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)

LEW_0957JPG.jpg

Monica and her husband Harry Hill-King are hoping to find a new home for camera-shy William Brown


An autistic man who is not deemed sufficiently disabled to quality for a council flat could be homeless after his current tenant got married.

Harry Hill-King, 80, got hitched to new wife Monica last month, leaving his unemployed lodger, 54-year-old William Brown, desperately seeking new accommodation.

Mr Hill-King, who lives in Uffculme, took in William after his previous landlord also tied the knot and ended his tenancy.

Mr Hill-King said: “Poor Will went to live with a chap a couple of years ago who promised him he was never going to get married again and that he could stay with him for as long as he liked. He then got married.

“I took Will on and told him the same thing two years ago and that he would be fine. Then what happened was that I got married and with our little bungalow we’re in it’s a bit of a squeeze and he now really needs a room.”

Mr Hill-King has challenged homeowners across Tiverton and Mid Devon to come forward to help.

“Out of all the houses across the town, I would have thought somebody has a room.”

Mr Brown lost his parents when he was young and was brought up by Barnardos and the Salvation Army charities. He has been in and out of hostels because he is autistic but not deemed sufficiently disabled to qualify for a council flat.

The pair met through King Street Chapel in Tiverton, and Mr Brown would like to return to the town from Uffculme.

He has not been able to find a room and cannot stay in Mr Hill-King’s bungalow for the long term.

Mr Brown said there were plenty of rooms on the Spare Room website, but that people were turning him away due to his unemployment.

“Harry spoke to a landlord a few weeks ago, the rent was £75, I always pay my rent on time, but the chap there didn’t want to know,” Mr Brown said.

“It’s catch-22. I haven’t got a job so I can’t get a room.”

Mr Brown is currently volunteering with maintenance at Coldharbour Mill and with litter picking with Tiverton Town Council.

“Ideally I’d like to live with somebody who doesn’t smoke or drink,” he said.

“I’ve also got a few problems meaning I can’t live in a house with loud music as I’m quite a quiet person myself. I like to keep myself to myself, I do my own food, make a cup of tea, then from 6 am each morning I’m in Tiverton picking up rubbish four days and week, and then I’ll go to the Mill in Uffculme, so I’m never really in the bungalow that much.”

“I can live with anyone. I’d be happy to live with somebody who maybe drinks a little, but not a smoker. I’m not a party animal either; Previously, Mr Brown has worked in hotels across the country.

“I’ve worked in Birmingham, Cumbria, Scotland,” he said. “I’ve just worked seasonal work where they have wanted me for the season, doing things like night porter. That job suits me you see. I don’t like a lot of people; I just like to get on with things on my own.”

Mr Brown said the most he could pay in rent would be £80. He is also looking for a new job, ideally in a hotel.

Mr Hill-King says Mr Brown, is a brilliant tenant: “He is quite harmless, doesn’t smoke or drink and is a very safe tenant to have. He gets his housing benefit and is out most of the time – an active chappie. He has to go but cannot find anything. We cannot put him out on the street, or he will end up in an awful hostel somewhere.

“He is number one on the list for housing, but disabled people keep getting first choice. When I told him I was getting married he said ‘oh no not again’ – the poor chap has had a double whammy.

“I can’t believe there isn’t someone in a town of what 17,000 people who can rent him a room.”

Monica Hill-King added: “The alternative is that he goes and lives in his car. That’s not much of an alternative, is it?

"The homeless hostel isn't for him either."

Mr Hill-King says that if anyone can help or would like to know more, they can contact him on 01884 849 347


Source: Autistic man desperately needs new home after landlord gets hitched
 
Sadly there are many autistic and also disabled people who are in an even worse position than him, E.g. they are actually on the street itself which would happen if it wasn't for some kindness not to kick him out until he has an alternative, many have fallen through the support system completely in the UK and it appears to have got worse, I would talk much more about this, but it's not the political forum. For instance I had a neighbour who was autistic and I'd say he was mid functioning as his traits were fairly severe and I know he was getting quite a bit of support back then as he honestly needed it, but a few years later I was shocked to see him sleeping rough and he was getting ZERO support, so what went wrong?

And guess what, if William Brown (in the article) was ever on the streets as homeless it's a criminal offence in the UK to literally go to sleep and the law is often used to arrest the homeless for breaching the Vagrancy Act giving them a criminal record for in my opinion existing as a human being, I mean what are they supposed to do to avoid breaking the law, stay awake permanently? I remember seeing a documentary where the police were waking up a homeless man sleeping rough to arrest him for vagrancy, he'd even tried to find a hidden spot to hopefully avoid being seen and the police were tipped off as to his location, they said he was a repeat offender and because it was strike 3 for the offence he was this time sentenced to prison for it, and it made it look like the police and criminal justice system were doing a great job. Then they're not allowed to even sit down as otherwise they'll be arrested for begging even if they're not. So now they have to stay awake on their feet 24/7 indefinitely to avoid breaking the law and a potential prison sentence for repeat offending. Also you can't even get a hostel these days without ID and ID can be difficult and time consuming to get, plus often all hostels will be full so sleeping rough and therefore breaking the law in the UK is unavoidable. The outdated vagrancy laws needs to be changed as they completely defy human rights, the support system needs to reach out to these unfortunate individuals and a lot more needs to be done to stop so many vulnerable people falling through the support system in the first place.

Edit:
"The homeless hostel isn't for him either."

I'm not surprised and from experience of living in one in the UK for a while myself I can honestly say they could not be less suitable for an autistic person. They're full of hard drugs, violence, bullying the vulnerable, they're noisy and often you have to mix with others at meal times Etc., usually you also have to share toilets and shower facilities and you obviously have to go through communal areas just to access your room. I heard some people say that prison was easy to handle and some people believe it or not prefer the street as it's less stressful. They are simply not compatible for autistic or vulnerable people. For example, if you are assaulted in a homeless hostel (which is common, especially if you're vulnerable) and you dare to call the police, YOU the victim will be the one who is severely criticised by most residents and there will be a massive amount of hatred towards you for it, then you could very easily end up attacked even more severely in retribution. This is the kind of environment people in homeless hostels live in. Also in a hostel in the UK you have no tenancy rights and only the hostel rules apply, if the hostel staff believe you have broken any rules they can and often will simply demand you leave immediately to the street, this could happen if you are trying to defend yourself after being attacked for instance as they may decide just to throw everyone involved out and I've also come across staff that I strongly suspect were less than reputable too.
 
Last edited:

New Threads

Top Bottom