Prof Green and poverty..Anyone watching?

[user1483390742]

How does a homeless mum of 3 have an iphone? I have 3 kids and work full time and i can't afford one! What does poverty really mean?

The first and only time I claimed unemployment benefits (plus income support which at that time paid some of my mortgage interest) I went on a skiing holiday a few weeks after signing on.

It was already paid for and I wouldn't have got the money back if I'd cancelled it. I told DSS during my one and only meeting with them, when I signed on. I was and they looked , but all they said was that I wouldn't get a payment for the relevant period of time.

Well she has an iPhone but you presumably have a house so... don't be too jealous.

I'm only half way through but so far I don't think it is amazing. The prof appears to almost be goading the children at times, it comes across to me as a naice benefits bashing porn programme. He was saying to one of the boys "it must be hard sharing a bedroom, you must prefer to have a separate room for yourself, most boys would" which is not a poverty issue at all, many wealthy families have DC that share. He also seems to have a bit of a distorted view on what poverty is; he was saying that he knows what it is like as they were 6 children in a 3 bed house.

speyejoe2.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/housing-associations-refuse-those-in-low-paid-full-time-work-as-they-cant-afford-rent/

I watched it last night, I didn't even notice her phone.
I did notice how incredibly grown up the little girl seemed. I also thought the poster on the foodbank thread who bemoaned people donating to them should watch the programme.

I haven't seen the show, so I'm speaking generally. Having a phone when you are homeless feels like it's the only link to humanity. It's also a huge safety issue for homeless people - many of the places they have to frequent aren't that secure. I know many who would rather go without food than without a phone.

People forget that homelessness comes in varying kinds: many people assume everyone on the streets must have a huge drink/drug problem. Of course, there are people who sadly do. But there are also loads of people who have just had a run of bad luck: a lost job, the end of a relationship, benefit changes, a landlord who wants to sell up, a husband who is violent - many people live so precariously that very little can push them over the edge.

At the end of the day, it's the same as the old "millennials can't afford houses because they have phones" argument. It's convenient for many people to ignore the real picture and all of the statistics, because then they can congratulate themselves on having "earned" their own lifestyles while exempting themselves from the duty of compassion and care and espousing a politics of selfish individualism.

I think the issues that the poor 10 year old has is more likely a result of having a parent with MH issues rather than poverty. They had lived in their previous house for 5 years, so a fairly stable length of time. She seemed to have a very adult head on her shoulders too. The way she spoke about her emotions and self harm would lead me to believe that she has had psychological intervention for some time.

In terms of living the families shown are in the 'good' end of the poverty spectrum. The temporary accommodation was nice compared to a lot of places I have dealt with, where mould is growing all over walls and families of up to 10 people are sharing two rooms.