To ask why there is such food poverty.

[Helendee]

Please no flaming as I genuinely am seeking answers as to why so many children are going to school hungry these days.
This is not a critical or inflammatory post, I just want to know what’s gone wrong.
Obviously many of us are struggling financially because of Covid but food poverty was a huge problem before that.
Is it that benefit levels are too low to adequately feed our children?
What can we do to ameliorate the situation?

Being poor is more expensive than being well off.

Ability to access bulk purchases/offers
Local shopping in certain areas is mostly more expensive convenience stores
Heating on prepay meters.

Lack of nutrition has a detrimental effect on poor kids possibly lasting their whole life, health and education suffers with the knock on effect on the wider economy.

Uc claimants can request to have two payments a month if they are struggling to budget.

Only in Scotland. There could possibly be exceptions but it's down to DWP discretion and is an extreme rarity.

Do schools still do home economics classes? ( Scotland )

@EyelinerRocks

Do schools still do home economics classes? ( Scotland )

My dc both had half a term of cookery. But that's all.

I grew up in poverty. But in rural Ireland so parents basically grown food they could steal from fields at night. Also Irish welfare benefits that we lived on, at the time included butter vouchers which could be exchanged for any high protein dairy products, cheese etc.

What I dont understand are people who continue to have many children despite being in poverty. And I dont need examples of occasional contraceptive fails. I work with people in the most vulnerable group, and the constant need to keep having children keeps people in poverty.

[quote TheFormerPorpentinaScamander]@WitchesGlove I have lived off value beans and bread in the past so my dc can eat! In fact at one point I was eating so little I almost fainted in the middle of church.

As I have explained to someone else I can only post from my experience. I have never been a single adult on benefits, I'm sure its not an easy life, but if it was only me I could certainly spend a lot less on food/rent/heating.

But the post of mine which you originally quoted was in response to people claiming that Carole ( other names are available) at the school gate gets more in benefits than they do in wages. Therefore what a single adult with no dependents gets is irrelevant because Carole obviously does have children.

Having been a parent who has worked part time, full time and not at all, I was always better off working. The more i worked the better off I was. The only time this isn't true is if you or your child are disabled. Then you might be better off on benefits (having not been in that situation I wouldn't know).[/quote]
Well, that’s strange.

I don’t know how long ago it was, when you were working full time/ part time etc, but under Blair’s govt, single parents only had to work 16 hours and a couple 30 between them, to qualify for £££ in benefits. Many said there was no point working/ working full time. Oh and, no cap on housing benefit, so you could pick an expensive area of London to live in if you wanted!

Maybe you should have had more kids and you’d have had enough money, the 2 child cap didn’t come in until 2017

You don’t need to be massively skilful to cook. My cooking is pretty basic, but if I want to do something different I google. There’s literally dozens of pasta dishes, and all easy to do. There are no ‘rules’ to cooking. Most of the best chefs admit to just experimenting with chucking food together. I was never taught to cook, and literally just teach myself as I go.

I grew up with two parents working. I knew kids from single parent families and there was absolutely no difference in how they lived.
The unemployed single parents could a afford a car, holidays abroad etc. The children never starved, (this was in the 90’s).

@TheFormerPorpentinaScamander

As for what can we do? I dont know. Removing the benefit cap would be a start. I don't know who how we tackle the lack of education re food though. My dc are lucky in the sense that I can cook, they've never had much by way of processed, pre made meals. But i know people who wouldn't have a clue. There's no funding for any kind of community classes, and if there were the people who need them probably won't want to attend.

Discourage people from having children.

Pay people to have the 3 year contraceptive implant put in.

I watched that documentary a few years ago, it really is heart breaking.

Within the last 10 years. Frankly whatever the benefit system used to be is of no interest to me. Its not the case now that single parents are all living the life of riley on benefits. So, much like comparing parents to single adults, its irrelevant.

I would have loved more children. Sadly for me I was too busy looking after my dc and living on beans to meet anyone. Then when I did meet someone it just didn't happen. Other than 1 miscarriage.

Frank McCourt went to school daily. His mother insisted he did, whilst his dad pissed the money away.

Frank was starving, but got an education. They showed incredible resilience in awful circumstances - I do think resilience has waned during the last few decades, and the importance placed on education.

@alexdgr8

yes, that another thing. people in temporary accomm / hostels often do not have access to cooking facilities, or have to share them with dodgy people. so they are limited to a toaster, kettle and microwave wedged down beside the bed; and that;s probably against the rules. with a child leaning on the bed trying to do homework and another one screaming in the corner. i think part of the problem is literally ignorance of govt ministers. so many of them have no understanding of how people not like them have to live. remember when stephen timms mp, asked about a couple in his area, lost jobs due to covid, 2 young children. they had leave to remain and work in uk., but their visa stated ; they had no access to public funds. no way to pay rent, food, bills. they were desperate. the prime minister said they should apply for universal credit. stephen timms repeated they have no access to public funds. pm looked blank. it was obvious he had never heard the term, had no notion of what it meant. so much for constituency work. obviously never done any personally. any mp would recognise the term. i was shocked because although i did know the term, i had not realised that people who were given leave to remain, and the right to work, were also still categorised as no access to public funds. if they get sick for example, though they can get nhs care, they get no money at all, so become homeless, destitute, despite maybe having paid tax and NI for years. we don't realise what a country we are living in. shameful.

Couldn’t they have returned home?

They knew when they applied for that type of visa that they were not entitled to benefits. Should have planned accordingly.

Do you think if you turned up in their country on a similar visa and ran out of money that their government would give you anything?

@TheFormerPorpentinaScamander

Within the last 10 years. Frankly whatever the benefit system used to be is of no interest to me. Its not the case now that single parents are all living the life of riley on benefits. So, much like comparing parents to single adults, its irrelevant.

I would have loved more children. Sadly for me I was too busy looking after my dc and living on beans to meet anyone. Then when I did meet someone it just didn't happen. Other than 1 miscarriage.

Could have tried artificial insemination?

Discourage people from having children.

Pay people to have the 3 year contraceptive implant put in

That isn't exactly helpful to people who have children at a time when they have a steady income but then unexpectedly lose their jobs through no fault of their own - e.g. because their employer has gone bust during lockdown.

Well i grew up with a single (working) parent in the 90s. My quality of life was definitely less than that of my 2 parent household friends. We were lucky if we could afford a week away in the tent. The car broke when I was about 7 and wasn't replaced until I was 17. We didn't eat out. I lived in hand me downs. I actually knew very few people who had regular foreign holidays.

@WitchesGlove are you joking? Whats your fucking obsession with me on this thread? I wanted more children. It didn't fucking happen. Whether I tried IVF or not, or anything else is none of your business! Jesus.

Anyway as he then told me he hates my kids and fucked off its just as well I didn't have a 3rd child isn't it.

@MoonJelly

Discourage people from having children.

Pay people to have the 3 year contraceptive implant put in

That isn't exactly helpful to people who have children at a time when they have a steady income but then unexpectedly lose their jobs through no fault of their own - e.g. because their employer has gone bust during lockdown.

No, but it will stop the cycle repeating itself.

There were plenty of these problems before Covid.

We can also stop the situation getting even worse if we pay people to get the implant.

The country is run by the privileged for the privileged few .
If you think they care about the poor you’re deluded.
And if you voted Tory you basically shat on their fellow human.

I definitely think it would be harder now than say 10 years ago at the peak of benefits. The more you had, the more you got in tax credits back then.

Obviously now you don’t get anymore if you have a 3/4th etc so it will be harder in comparison to a few years back.

I think some great points have been made regarding not having the capacity to bulk buy
, or to bulk make and freeze stuff like stew etc.. not everyone has the room in the freezer.

I also agree phones being a necessity these days more so than 10 years as well.

Having said that, I do think some people make bad choices and are probably living with the consequences years after, example paying off debts so that leaves even less per month for necessities.

Equally though when you don’t have much no one will lend you the money without charging sky high interest. If someone needs a new bed etc then they buy it from somewhere that lets them pay monthly but they end up paying through the nose. It’s a viscous circle.

If wages are low and housing costs are high for some people they do have a choice - they can move somewhere cheaper. I moved 200 miles to get a better job, someone who is reliant on state handouts could examine how to make that money stretch further and move somewhere else with cheaper costs. Lots of people move to improve their lives - its not unreasonable to expect people to look into it

Moving costs?

Established support networks?
Family?
For those with disabilities or other conditions, established relationships with health and support professionals?
Areas that are cheaper to live in in my experience are harder to find work in so unless you are qualified in something universally needed (teacher? nurse?), you end up with a cheaper house but far fewer longer term work prospects. It’s not a great pay off.

And ‘state handouts’? Get a hold of yourself. I am reliant on ‘state handouts’ as a single parent - I teach, tutor and exam mark. I do everything possible to cover our costs but with a disabled child in the mix, it isn’t easy. How dare you belittle me, and people like me, with ‘state handouts’.

people do not apply for a visa and choose one that has no recourse to public funds, stamped on it.
the system is very complicated.
if someone is applying as a refugee say, and they receive leave to remain, that is the condition of the visa.
and they want to work, and were working hard. it's not their fault that their jobs disappeared due to covid.
if they are refugees, they cannot return to home country.
and even if they could, they have no money to do so.
these people have been paying taxes and NI; how is it fair to give them no help from the pot they have been paying into when they need it.
have you ever suffered, anything ?

my comment was directed to WitchesGlove.
or are you just stirring the cauldron, in lieu of halloween.

I’m a bit middle class and single, recently on benefits.
Got covid and lost my job in March, it was quite the month.
I took out a 0% credit card loan just before losing my job to see me through two months before I got a new job.
Then lockdown came, the covid didn’t go and here I am not sure if I will work again.
My benefits cover my bills except for the credit card (I used that money whilst waiting for UC payment, and have some left) so effectively I have enough to cover outgoings but nothing for food/travel/clothes.
I have a variety of corner shops but honestly the fruit and veg is poor quality. I’ve had moldy bread and sour milk from there as well. The Lidl supermarket is too far to walk, due to being ill, I used to pop in there whenever I fancied, same with others in the area a bit further away.
Nearest “decent” shop is a sainsburys local. It’s really expensive.
I have been using my loan money for food £60 per month. One shopping delivery per month so can often get cheap supermarket stuff, need to spend £40 + usually £3 delivery. Leaves me £15 for the rest of the month for top up shops.
I applied for pip two months ago, no response as yet. I expect to get turned down and have to appeal.
I have paid for Xmas with online surveys and by having bought sale Xmas gifts last January.
I will run out of money in March, at which point my family have agreed to loan me money for living costs for as long as it takes for me to repay/get work etc.
I am very lucky to have the support that I do.
I will not be accessing a food bank because my family can afford to help me.

Oh and just to say, I’m too unwell to chop vegetables. I’m too unwell to stand in the kitchen for any length of time. I am eating junk that can be microwaved. Tinned soup yes, noodles no, they need watching.