Cutting meds and living on soup: The reality of everyday poverty in the UK

Poverty is a word that often conjures up images of utter destitution and despair, and not one you’d likely attribute to people on your own doorstep.

However, according to findings by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, over one in five of the UK population is in poverty.

7% of the UK population is in persistent poverty (4.6 million people), with the highest rate among single parent families (24%).

Child poverty is on the rise, with 4.1 million children in the UK now living in poverty – 15% more than in 2011 to 2012.

The overall poverty figure includes 14.3 million people whose options are restricted by their circumstances, and four million people who are in work.

You can have a job and a roof over your head, and still be classed as living in poverty.

Not being able to afford essentials such as heating, prescriptions or nutritious food is the harsh reality for millions in the UK – and it could be affecting a neighbour, friend, or colleague without you even realising.

We spoke to three people who have struggled with everyday poverty.

Amanda, 56, Grimsby: ‘I fell into debt when my ex-husband refused to contribute financially for our son.’

‘I’d been married to my husband for eight years when we split. I moved out in 2006 with our son, and we divorced in 2008.

‘I had a full-time job when I moved out and when the divorce went through, but my partner wasn’t contributing, so it was a struggle. While my son was under 18, I was getting benefits, but once he left college, it was just my salary and that wasn’t enough.

”I got paid my wages weekly, and some weeks there wasn’t enough for food shopping. It was the benefits for my son that paid for the groceries, so when that stopped, it was a struggle.

‘At one point, I had just £12 to cover petrol and food for myself and my son for the week.

‘My son was walking around with holes in his shoes because I couldn’t afford to buy him new ones, but he appreciates that I did everything I could.

‘Often, I’d say to people, “Look, I’m on a low income – are there any discounts?” You have to swallow your pride and be humble.

‘I’d had a credit card for years but it got to the point where it was at its limit, so I made arrangements to pay it off – but they let me keep it and take out a second one.

‘At that point I had four credit cards and I was getting divorced and having to look after my son on a low income.

‘I just kept paying the minimum as that was all I could afford. And then it got to the point where I couldn’t afford the minimum, and that’s when alarm bells started ringing.

‘I took out a loan to try and clear the credit cards, but that didn’t work out as planned.

‘Four years ago I left my full-time job to temp, and that’s when I had problems because the work hasn’t been continuous.

‘Although I’ve had long-term placements, there have been periods with no work. Essentially, you’re excluded from benefits if you’re temping, and that became a problem.

‘I was receiving tax credits when I was working, and stopped those when I wasn’t to keep everything above board.

‘By the time I restarted work, they’d rolled out Universal Credit in my area so I applied for the working tax credit part of that. Eventually they decided after nine months that I wasn’t eligible, and closed my case.

‘This is despite the Job Centre telling me a figure that I was eligible for.

‘I approached Christians Against Poverty (CAP) in 2013, after not having much luck with other debt charities, who I felt treated me as a number and not as a person.

‘I was £30,000 in debt when I approached CAP, and £15,000 to £20,000 of that was arrears on my marital home, which I was addressing and my ex-husband wasn’t.

‘They took everything away from me, from the letters to the phone calls. They looked at my income and outgoings, worked out a budget and saw what was left.

‘CAP then negotiated with all the creditors so that they took a reduced payment and stopped all the interest and charges.

‘I’m still paying off my debt and I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to access some funds from a pension scheme that has paid a large lump sum off.

‘I’ve decided to sell the house that I’m living in and buy a smaller property which should allow me enough excess to pay off the rest of the balance.

‘Otherwise, I carry on paying with CAP for another six years and then I’m debt-free.

‘I’ll be so relieved when it’s over.’

If you’re struggling with debt, you can contact Christians Against Poverty. (You don’t have to be Christian to use their services.)

Sue*, 53, Manchester: ‘I save money on food by eating a lot of toast and packet soup.’

‘I’ve been out of work for over three years due to mental illness – I had a breakdown after my partner left me and I lost my job within the space of two days.

‘I was trying to hold it together as my daughter also has mental health issues, and I was looking after my mother who has Alzheimer’s (she’s since died) but it was all too much.

‘I became depressed and suicidal, and unable to work.

‘I’ve been looking for work ever since I felt well enough to but I’ve been unable to find another job as I keep being told my experience is no longer relevant.

‘I used to be a personal assistant but I can’t find anything similar as every employer seems to want someone younger in that role.

‘I was previously receiving ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) but because I live in a shared ownership apartment I only got help with some costs, not all.

‘My buildings charge was not covered, and mortgage help for endowment policy holders was discontinued last year.

‘Earlier this year my sick benefit was stopped after I attended a two and a half hour physical which came out inconclusive that I was really suicidally depressed.

‘I was asked to repeat the physical the following week, but this was cancelled. I then got a letter saying that as I hadn’t attended the (cancelled) second meeting, I was in some sort of breach of agreement, which is ridiculous.

‘I jumped through the usual hoops of writing to them explaining the situation, but then received a half torn letter which had been lost in the post, saying I had a deadline to respond, which I missed because the letter arrived late.

‘They wouldn’t accept the late letter package as proof I received it after the deadline, as they said it could have been for another letter.

‘I save money on food by eating a lot of toast and packet soup. My friends help me by getting me shopping from pound stores.

‘I used to use a food bank, but my daughter said she was ashamed so I stopped going. The food bank distribution place is near her house and she didn’t want people to see me there, as she was embarrassed.

‘To be honest, I was embarrassed asking for food bank vouchers, too.

‘I have one storage heater in my flat and I only had the heating on once last winter. Winter is hard as the flat gets so cold – I wear my coat and a beanie hat indoors.

‘I was given an electric throw but I only use it every now and then for an hour at a time because it costs too much to use, so I sleep in lots of clothes.

‘My home never feels warm, which affects my physical health – I’ve had pneumonia and pleurisy, and I have arthritis.

‘I really do want to work but I’ve been out of employment too long – it seems you’re only as good as what you currently contribute and not what you’ve done previously.

‘Job hunting is tough, and I’ve been so humiliated by the Job Centre in the past. I volunteer at an Alzheimer’s charity for something to do – they refund my travel fare, I get cups of hot tea there and it’s nice to feel like I’m working.

‘It’s also warm in their office, which makes a change from my home.

‘A lot of people don’t understand mental health issues like depression, and many of them say ‘get a job’ as if that’s never been my goal. This makes me feel isolated so I don’t really socialise any more.

‘My phone keeps me occupied – I used to have a joint contract with my daughter, who paid for it, but she’s stopped now so I won’t have it anymore.

‘Sometimes I feel so hopeless as I can’t see a way out of this situation. Some days are pretty bad, but I take every day as it comes.

‘It’s important that people realise that even though I’ve worked for 30 years anyone can end up like me.

‘The system is failing us.’

*Name has been changed

Diane, 54, Wales: ‘I was cutting out medication to make my tablets go a bit further.’

‘I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in October 2012, and suddenly found myself with prescriptions for numerous medications.

‘The doctors kept changing my tablets and doses, and as I lived in England at the time (where I had to pay for prescriptions), at £8.80 a time, all the new prescriptions soon added up.

‘I was paying for each item individually as no-one had told me about NHS pre-payment certificates. You get unlimited prescriptions for three months with a pre-paid certificate at £29.10, and one year with a pre-paid certificate for £104.

‘I didn’t find out for seven or eight months after diagnosis, when I found out by accident at my doctor’s pharmacy. When I asked why I hadn’t been told about it sooner, the pharmacist said it wasn’t their job to.

‘If I’d been told about it, I’d have saved hundreds.

‘Even with the pre-payment certificate, I was struggling. I was on sick pay at the same time, and after so long, your wage goes down to half and then a quarter.

‘When it went to a quarter I thought, “What am I going to do?” I’d make every little thing like food or toiletries last as long as I possibly could.

‘You have to prioritise bills, and it really worried me. My marriage had broken down and I wasn’t living in the marital home but was still contributing to the bills, which I felt an obligation to as my sons were living there with their dad.

‘I had to stop driving because of my condition, but couldn’t sell my car as there were issues with it that needed fixing.

‘I stopped going out as I couldn’t afford to go anywhere, and as I was living with a friend I didn’t feel comfortable inviting people into her home, so my social life suffered.

‘She was very understanding and said my friends were welcome, but I felt bad having people there when she came home from work as I didn’t want to impose.

‘At one point, I was even cutting out my medication to make my tablets go a bit further. When you have Parkinson’s it’s really important to take your medication at exactly the same time as the tablets can wear off.

‘I was once accused of being drunk in the supermarket when I was feeling unsteady, and I was mortified. A customer told me I was a disgrace and I wanted the ground to swallow me up.

‘I got the point where I almost had to ask my dad for money but luckily didn’t have to as I ended up moving to Wales – where luckily you get free prescriptions – with my new husband.

‘Dad would have helped me but I felt ashamed. There’s such a stigma around money and I have a lot of friends in the same position who are too embarrassed to talk about it.

‘People with other long-term conditions like diabetes and cancer get free prescriptions in England, but those with Parkinson’s don’t. It makes me angry as it’s not a nice condition to have.

‘I’m a real fighter but I’ve been struggling recently as I can see deterioration and it scares me. Worrying about finances on top of that isn’t helping my health.

‘I absolutely don’t begrudge any other condition on that list, of course they deserve it – but so do we. There are also other long-term conditions that should be on that list.’

For more information on Parkinson’s, visit Parkinson’s UK.

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