To not understand the benefit system . What is going on ?

[Westnsouthnabout]

I have got totally out of touch with the benefits system.. used to work in public services so did used to be in direct contact with a variety of social issues.
Am aware that sudden breakages like washing machines to be paid for, delays in initial payment and sanctioning can mean a sudden and catastrophic change in cash flow.
However, I have been reading that food banks are utterly stretched and in crisis.
I do understand that many people end up in emeegency sitiations, however, have also been reading that some are actually reliant on regular food banks . Sort of like a weekly shop..
I totally accept that I am out of touch with current situations and would like to kmow( seperate to current rising cost of living etc which i know about) .. what is going on re why so many people are relying on them as a regular source of food when they are in reciept of a regular and mostly preductable income( apart from sanctions etc as i said) in the form of benefits.
I am aware I am ignorant amd want to understand more and perhaps contribute.

Whiskyinajar
£1070. That’s more than I take home from Job,

Some manage and others struggle because rate doesn’t change on rents. So if you live in cheap council house for £100 week rents all paid for. If you live in one bed flat for £1000 a month and the max your local authority will pay is £700 the magic £300 has to come out of rest of money leaving nothing.

Indeed. Dd rents the cheapest flat she can. 650 a month. If she needed to claim uc, she would only get 450 a month for the housing element. She is "entitled" to claim for a one bed flat, but there is no such thing as a one bed flat for allowance. People are set up to fail before you factor in the 5 week wait. She is back in work now but said if she didn't have parents to lend her the money, top up and make sure the rent was in her account even if uc hadn't turned up, she would have despaired.

Starfishdish get a better job then

@wewereliars

Starfishdish get a better job then

For real? I wish karma was actually a thing.

She is "entitled" to claim for a one bed flat, but there is no such thing as a one bed flat for allowance
Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by this @SpiderinaWingMirror

@user1471447863

There's an element of build it and they will come. If you have foodbanks that will supply to anyone, no referral, no questions asked, then some people will use them as an alternative to Asda. Others may have initially attended in a crisis moment and have now started regularly going as they can get what they need for free and spend on other things. The reduction in stigma surrounding foodbanks and the like will also have helped drive this.

To extend the idea further, if a van came to your door ever week and handed you a big box of food for free, no questions asked, no stigma, how many would turn it down saying o thanks i'll go to Tesco and pay for it thankyou, when the rest of the neighbourhood were taking it?

You would like the community fridge idea then.

In our town as in many others it is what it says on the tin.

Large companies who would otherwise throw their food out, deliver their excess produce to the initiative which is put in the fridge in the shopping centre and people can take it. I don't think they have to register but maybe they do.

With your sort of thinking user we won't make many inroads to reduce carbon emissions. And never mind about all those 1 in 5 kids in poverty, in this country, those who can't work due to Covid, and those survivors of domestic abuse...those parents who go without food...those people who keep their heaitng off in winter because they are worried about the bills...

Those many suicides of people who had their benefits sanctioned...and there are many...

See this website:

www.hubbub.org.uk/the-community-fridge

@SpittinKitten

She is "entitled" to claim for a one bed flat, but there is no such thing as a one bed flat for allowance Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by this *@SpiderinaWingMirror*

Which bit didn't you understand there is a homelessness problem in this country, there isn't enough housing for rent there isn't enough social housing many properties are too expensive and in need of repair re black mould etc. many properties are unsafe. Even one bedroom flats are not easy to come by...

Definitely for us it's been the cost of energy and food rising. Everything is 5 or 10p more expensive and when you're on a tight budget it's impossible to keep up with. The UC uplift covered most of these costs for us but now that it's gone we're having to cut corners further.

We meal plan , have cheap sim only phone contracts and basic wifi. It's very hard to see how we can pay less for things , impossible actually.

I'm aware that there will be those that see benefits as a lifestyle choice , but that isn't us. Up until 18 months ago we were doing okay...husband managing to work despite a longterm medical condition , I was planning to be a sahp until our youngest went off to school etc. Then suddenly my husband's health took a dive and our youngest was diagnosed with a disability. I am now my husband's carer and the impact of our child's disability is that he cannot cope in childcare/nursery for extended periods. We've been able to leave him for 2 hours at most since September. Life is not easy.

We are fortunate in that when we were a working family we saved and also bought ourselves sensible winter coats and shoes that last , we also own our own basic android mobiles that are holding up well. Our savings are now gone though unfortunately. The last year has seen to that.

I am on benefits and have never been to a food bank. The prices of every thing is going up but the money I get stays the same. Energy prices going up means the extra to cover the bill will come out of my food money. Its a struggle now and only going to get worst for people on benefits.
I am sick of worrying about how I will manage but will beg family before I go to a food bank they should be for people what have nothing left after trying to cover there bills.

Sal

@SpittinKitten

She is "entitled" to claim for a one bed flat, but there is no such thing as a one bed flat for allowance Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by this *@SpiderinaWingMirror*

I think it’s referring to the now 30y age limit on one bed flat. If you are 25 and rent your own flat and lose your job you will still only get shared room rate Which is even lower. Back in the day on benefits a 18y old could get while flat but now rare any 18 on own can rent flat expected share HMO until 30

Thanks for the explanation @beigebrownblue
I'm having a slow day and literally couldn't process what that specific sentence meant - I wasn't being snarky

Lack of availability of 1 bed flats explains it well enough - thank you.

@wewereliars

Starfishdish get a better job then

@wewereliars

Also thanks @2020isnotbehaving - that's definitely possibly another edge to it.

Being skint is really expensive. Benifits just about cover everything for a short time, but if you end up relying on them for more then a few months, problems tend to accumulate. So something in your house brakes, but you don't have £50 for a second hand washing machine, so insted you get a £200 one on credit. This then means you have £20 less each month.

Then the kids grow, and you realise you've never had that couple of quid to get new bits gradually, as you normally would. So now you need to come up with a whole wardrobe. You don't have £20 for a bag of second hand cloths off Facebook, so you end up getting new stuff from a catalogue or on store card, and you budget now has to cover repayment, or at least interest.

You give up your car, because you can't afford to run it, but are only slightly better of after payingfor public transport. Then your stuck buying stuff from places that deliver (so nothing second hand), and buying food in corner shop because you can't get to supermarket.

And so on it escalates until your stuck in the situation you describe, where your regularly without food.

I know someone who gets 2k a month because he's deemed as unfit to work yet plays drums in a band and always has massive tv and latest computer games.

I watched the programme Dispatches - Growing up poor last nt and cannot stop thinking about the little lad who was only about 7 or 8 being told he needs glasses and the first question he asked was "Will they cost money?"
No child should have that burden but sadly, many do.
Never had to claim benefits and am very comfortable financially but as we all know, things can change very quickly.
There is no one size fits all policy from what l can make out as every situation is different.

@Myusernameisnotmyusernameno of course you do dear.

@Unphased

Whiskyinajar £1070. That’s more than I take home from Job,

I have an autistic son with learning difficulties , it would be a good £200-300 less without that severely disabled element

Did you see my breakdown of costs?

How do you live if you earn less that that?

What's your other income?

So yeah...if you'd like to swap places that's fine...you have to deal with the severely autistic teenager though and all the challenges that brings!

Nope? Thought not.

[quote ToastCrumbsOnAPlate]@Myusernameisnotmyusernameno of course you do dear.[/quote]
I do yes. He's told me himself.

Why the heck would I make that up?! It really irks me

@user1471447863

There's an element of build it and they will come. If you have foodbanks that will supply to anyone, no referral, no questions asked, then some people will use them as an alternative to Asda. Others may have initially attended in a crisis moment and have now started regularly going as they can get what they need for free and spend on other things. The reduction in stigma surrounding foodbanks and the like will also have helped drive this.

To extend the idea further, if a van came to your door ever week and handed you a big box of food for free, no questions asked, no stigma, how many would turn it down saying o thanks i'll go to Tesco and pay for it thankyou, when the rest of the neighbourhood were taking it?

This is bollocks. People can't just decide to turn up at a food bank and help themselves, you know. Your post stinks of prejudice against the less well-off, and poorly informed prejudice at that.

@Myusernameisnotmyusernameno

I know someone who gets 2k a month because he's deemed as unfit to work yet plays drums in a band and always has massive tv and latest computer games.

He's able to play drums and computer games, you say? He's clearly a workshy bastard.

How dare he choose how to spend his benefits?
(also bearing in mind that the telly etc could well be on credit/2nd hand, or even gifts).

Benefits are barely enough to live on. Disability benefits are extremely difficult to get and don't cover the basics. My suicidal 13 year-old isn't entitled to anything. My 8 year-old who has moderate learning difficulties had his disability benefits cut without warning. My carers allowance went at the same time. We were lucky that we had family to help. Eventually my 8 year old got his benefits back but there was no back payment or even an apology for what they had done to us.

I probably know more families with disabled children than average because of my dc's disabilities. Most of those people have had to do fundraising events to provide their children with basic stuff like an appropriate wheelchair, therapies, respite etc. One family I know had to do this to get their child an assistance dog. I remember at school doing sponsored silences and 24 hour table tennis marathons to raise money for guide dogs. I thought that meant they would be free for people who need them but apparently not.

@Myusernameisnotmyusernameno

I know someone who gets 2k a month because he's deemed as unfit to work yet plays drums in a band and always has massive tv and latest computer games.

yawn