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Student Finance don't believe I am estranged from my parents...

Hi, I am struggling to survive due to student finance only paying me a maintenance loan, when I am entitled to a maintenance grant aswell. This is because, despite me jumping through every hoop they ask me too, my evidence isn't good enough for them.

I moved out when I was 16, I am 21 now. I have sent evidence of Income Support, dated before I was 18, and of course to get IS when under 18, you HAVE to be estranged else anyone would be able to claim it, that is hard factual evidence and yet they do not accept it.

So they have asked for a letter from a professional of good standing in the community... My ex-gf's mum works in a local NHS clinic so she wrote me an NHS headed reference, which they told me on the phone would be more than enough... They mailed me back two weeks later saying that she wasnta suitable professional.

I was finally able to get a letter from one of my old school teachers, and after weeks if back and forth, one person telling me everything I've done is perfect, the next telling me they haven't even got any evidence on the system... But they finally decided, after a couple of advisors told me the content was perfect, that the content was not perfect as it did not confirm a reason for estrangement and that never having lived with my dad is not enough to count as estrangement...

I was told that I didn't need to give a detailed reason for estrangement, just that I moved out due to a difficult relationship with my mum, and that it was reasonable to not suddenly go live with my dad halfway up the country when I am studying down here. When I first moved out, my mum told me I couldn't get benefits (because she wanted to keep claiming child benefits etc on my behalf when I wasn't living there), so my dad payed my rent for me for a while, but when I realised I could, and then did, claim benefits, help from my dad stopped except when I needed help with big expenses but not regular payments... And that was over 3 years ago.

I am sickened by student finance england's lack of caring that I am suffering because they can't read the evidence I send the , I covered the points they asked for as much as I was told to, and I don't know what else I can do to prove my estrangement, or who to do it, as they need to know me for a long time and know my situation and be a professional, and my doctor doesn't even know who I am, and I never went through a social worker because I refused to go to a hostel or similar... So what can I do? I have rent and bills to pay, as well as needing to feed myself and my partner... SFE have royally screwed me over!

I have been in contact with two higher ups at SFE via email, one of them said she would help, then she went off sick for ages, the other just doesn't reply to my emails. This should have been sorted BY October, now the new year is coming up and I have nothing!!

Reply 1

Willium_Bob_Cole

I didn't get anything LOST, though I did have to buy a new birth certificate (apparently a drivers license isn't valid ID, EVERYWHERE else would think differently)

I don't know who my local MP is, what happened with yours? Can they really do anything at all regarding this?

At the moment I feel my best option is to get a train to Scotland and just sh*t on their desk until they sort it out...

Otherwise though, all I can do is waste another month trying to get someone else to write me a letter and just basically get them to exaggerate and say things like my mum was violent and I don't know who my father is. My mum is just mentally insane and I couldn't live with it, and my dad is cool I just can't live with him as I mentioned, but if I have to LIE to prove the TRUTH, so be it I guess... Don't even know who would be willing to do that for me though. Maybe my doctor because I haven't been to the doctors in like 3 years so he wouldn't even KNOW the truth...

Seems ridiculous the lengths I need to go to when it's pretty damn simple, I moved out at 16 and have lived independently since! God damn you student finance England I hope your entire office burns with everyone still inside ><

Reply 2

Tiger Rag

You need to ask SFE what they actually want from you and get it in writing. I was under the impression that a letter from a teacher / social worker stating you're estranged was enough.

Reply 3

Willium_Bob_Cole

Yeah, I've been told all kinds of things down the phone like what to write and who to write it, so I did those things, then whenever I do what they say, I get mail back a week or more later, saying that exactly the things I was told to put and DID put, were not there or satisfactory, basically.

So, I have it in writing what to do, only, I've done it, from TWO people, and with multiple iterations of evidence per person to tweak it so it met their specification, which I am told one minute that it DOES, then a week or more later, that it DOESN'T.

Absolutely ridiculous, the only thing keeping me even on my course is the fact that they refund my bus fare every week, not to mention the fact that most days I go starving...

Reply 4

Tiger Rag

You should at least be entitled to the non-income assessed part of student finance.

I wonder if you could claim independent by self supporting for at least the last 3 years?

Reply 5

Willium_Bob_Cole

that's what i tried first, but because I was on benefits, under 18, and single, I got housing benefit of £70 per week and Income Support of about £50 per week, which fell just under their threshold of £7500 per annum that Student Finance require you to have earned so they can believe you were reasonably able to support yourself... I was single under 18 on the maximum benefit that the government said I needed to survive, still in school, estranged from my parents, yet student finance don't think I survived on it??? I wouldn't BE here if I couldn't survive on that amount!! THAT is why they want me to prove my claim based on estrangement but it is being a pain in the ass, even though Income Support for an under 18 should BE evidence enough!!!

I am getting just the maintenance loan (full amount based on current income), but I am supposed to be on maintenance grant based on self supporting (or now, estrangement), but they just DO - NOT - WANT to give it to me!!! NOTHING has ever made me this ANGRY, and I've had some pretty frustrating times since I moved out at 16 including struggling to claim or make changes on benefits, living in horrible conditions or even on the streets some nights, failing until now to achieve any academic success due to all the stresses in life, and many other things, and now that my life SHOULD be on track, SFE think they can F me in the A! This is really getting me down, luckily my fiancée's family invite me over for Christmas so at least I will get a Christmas dinner this year... But now I have to wait until new year before I can pursue the proper student finance amount, and no doubt that will take at least 2 months and even then still probably fail! HOW HARD CAN IT BE, I LIVED ON MY OWN, SINCE 16, PAID MY OWN RENT AND BILLS, BOUGHT AND COOKED MY OWN FOOD, GOT MYSELF TO SCHOOL AND WORK, I'D LIKE TO SEE THOSE SCOTTISH MORONS GO THROUGH HALF THE CRAP I HAD TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply 6

firez

Go see your uni student services or academic advisor, they might help

Reply 7

Willium_Bob_Cole

Yeah I did, he phoned them once and sent an email, both of which will inevitably amount to nothing, as they have already told me that my evidence 'isn't good enough', and all he has said is 'hurry it up', which they obviously won't do ><

the only good thing is he repays me my bus fare so that saves me £10 a week, but it doesn't really help me live...

Reply 8

kettlechips

maybe try writing to your MP?
also have you looked at possible hardship funds at your university to tide you over?
good luck

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Reply 9

GooglyEyedMonster

I'm in my 4th year and they are only just allowing me to even send the forms off for estrangement, but I don't hold out much hope for it to go through before I graduate with mountains of debt. £3,345 a year is hard to live on when the cheapest accommodation is nearly 4k and you can't work due to a disability. SFE should be ashamed of what they put students through.

Reply 10

Willium_Bob_Cole

I don't remember if I have mentioned this already, I have already got a bursary from my college which did help, but it really isnt enough, it is £3000, but £2000 of that is just a waiver on tuition fees, which actively does nothing for me, and the other grand is in 3 small instalments, and I have rent and bills to pay and food to buy. The best they are doing for my hardship these days is paying my bus fare, so I can at least GET to my course...

Someone else mentioned my MP, what would I say and what could they even do?

Currently my plan is to just wait until school term starts up again and go into my old school, get a different teacher, and specifically tell them what to write, even if I have to exaggerate or enhance the truth, to get the necessary points across to SFE. I agree they really should be ashamed, this is people's lives they are playing with here. For some it isn't so bad, living with parents or in student halls, they can get away with a lot, but I moved out at 16 and I am (finally!) already settled in a nice home with my partner, and they are jeopardizing my ability to live here if I cannot pay my rent after this next month!

Hope people had a nice Christmas and are having a good NYE, I know I'm doing my best to =/

Reply 11

Tiger Rag

Original post by GooglyEyedMonster

If you receive DLA, you can claim housing benefit and ESA if your student loan is low enough.

Reply 12

GooglyEyedMonster

Original post by OU Student

If you receive DLA, you can claim housing benefit and ESA if your student loan is low enough.

Thanks, but I'm not eligible for DLA yet as I am still fairly mobile most of the time providing I avoid triggers. I tried getting a job before Xmas as my overdraft is at its max now but a quiet 4 hour shift left me crutch bound for 3 weeks and left me unsteady on my feet until now so its not worth it. Tis why I am hoping they will finally accept estrangement so I can buy some decent fresh food, fed up of packet pasta! I left home at 14 but that counts for nothing!

Reply 13

kettlechips

Original post by Willium_Bob_Cole

some unis have hardship funds separate to their normal bursary schemes.
Also, if you wrote/ emailed/ called your MP, i believe they can write letters etc which often have more clout. It might be worth a try.

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