The increase in benefit sanctions runs almost directly in a line with the use of food banks. You have to be referred by the Jobcentre (when they have stopped your only means of support) or a doctor is my understanding. The 6 week wait for the initial payment of Universal Credit, and the sanctioning of welfare payments by the DWP is the main reason for the 1000% increase in their use. In the 6th largest economy in the world the fact that over a million people used them last year is disgusting. I hope that you never have the misfortune of losing your job and finding out how bad it is. 1 in 60 people have.
This describes my 64 year old sisters experience with the DWP, they claimed she wasn't making enough of an effort to find employment. Who the **** takes on 64 year old women. She had no income for more than a month so had no option but to visit her local food bank to feed herself and her son, he suffers from Asperger syndrome. He's the smartest and brightest lad you could meet until you actually try to interact with him and then he just collapses into himself. He can't be left alone, what should she do?
She cried because of the shame she felt taking a food parcel, she cried because she couldn't look after her son. She cried because at the age of 64 she was reduced to taking charity for the first time in her life.
The worst part is she is allowed to do charity work, she worked for the Sally Bash 2 half days a week but she is classed as not looking for work because she can't find a proper paid job. This is the only work she can find.
This is what the Tories do, they push the hopeless, the needy, the none productive to the edges of society and let charities provide for them. I've helped when I can but I have no income, I'm living on my savings and will do until my pensions kick in which is in 3 years time.
If you vote Tory or champion Boris you are complicit in creating this new underclass that has no means to support themselves, these are the people who need the help food banks provide. Of course some will take advantage of the situation as master-simpson says but that doesn't mean they all are overweight scroungers as he describes them.
There are some people on this board that think a big Tory victory is a good thing, in fact they seem to be celebrating it. It ****ing isn't, it's a disaster for those who can't support themselves.I despair for the poor and unwanted when I read some of the posts on here.
Thomas Jefferson once said."the measure of society is how it treats the weakest members"