"Direct Lets"

Needs and Access tells me there are two uses of 'direct lets'.

The first is "where a household is living in temporary accommodation provided by a private landlord and that lease between the Council and the private landlord is coming to an end. At lease end you can choose to rent the property directly from the landlord as part of our Private rented Scheme."

Now.... Mine is Housing Association and my options are to rent directly from the private owner under this PRS, rent somewhere else under the PRS, or go into further 'temporary accommodation'.

Someone else who is in Council provided private accommodation might get evicted by their landlord. In such cases they cannot choose to rent the property directly from their landlord as they are being kicked out. Where do they go? Another private property and another and another....
This is "direct let" into insecure accommodation.

The second use of the term 'direct let' is into permanent council accommodation:

These are for people with 'exceptional needs'
"Some (my italics) examples of these circumstances" are:

• Child or public protection issues
• Applicant falls under the National Witness Mobility Programme (such as Maxine Carr for conspiring to pervert the course of justice during the Soham murder investigation in 2003)
• For wheel chair users (property I bid on last week had stairs, so did Oseney Crescent, I fully understand that ground floor properties should go to the disabled.)

How do you define a 'child issue'? I'm thinking of Billie with her mental health issues. We mothers walk a fine line. Or rather I feel I am.
She says that families have successfully moved into the private sector and many have gone on to bid successfully.
That has short shrift with me. They are telling me today there is a shortage of flats and I won't get one but then saying under the PRS I have a chance. When I was in private accommodation before I didn't have a chance. In temporary accommodation I should have a chance. You don't end up here in mid life if something hasn't gone wrong.

I'm not alone in this big picture

It fucks you up, the council
It doesn't claim to but it does
It throws you up against a wall
Or squashes you beneath its iron foot (Philip Larkin wrote an excellent poem about parents)