Too poor to eat properly

Exception rather than rule, I would say.
Being poor doesn't mean being as thick as two short planks.

As DGD pointed out she could do all those things anyway by following a recipe.

The problem is that many people cannot read a recipe and follow the instructions. I do not mean that they cannot read, But even instructions like 'chop and fry an onion' would defeat them. They would need to know what a frying pan is, how to chop an onion, what fat/oil to use and how much, then instructions on how high or low the hob should be for frying an onion, that it needs to be stirred regularly.

If you think the above is a joke, a few years ago I stood in a lift with a couple of young women, who were giggling about the effort of one of them to 'cook' a curry. The curry had actually been bought but this girl had tried to cook the rice herself and it had been a disaster. Their general agreement was that cooking was beyond them and in future they would stick with ready meals. I very much doubt if they could follow a recipe. Packets of rice usually have cooking instructions on the back.

www.bigissue.com/latest/community-fridges-are-helping-tackle-britains-growing-food-waste-crisis/

Seems there are quite a few popping up!

The fridge idea is excellent. I wonder why ideas like this can't be rolled out nationwide?

Nonnie where do you think people who cannot afford to buy or to rent privately now live?

Schools do teach food technology: my DGD has made apple crumble, swiss roll, vegetarian casserole and a pasta sauce during the term she was on the food bit of technology. Other lessons were 'theory' on nutrition, balanced meals etc. But it is not just down to schools! As DGD pointed out she could do all those things anyway by following a recipe..though she liked the support of teacher when rolling her swiss roll! My DDs both cook and bake. I cook and bake, my mother and grandmothers cooked and baked!
However for some low income families, in bedsits or sparsely furnished/ equipped homes and with a poor family history of cooking it is a struggle to make/eat healthy meals. Our town also has a community fridge which local supermarkets give food nearing end of shelf life to For a donation you can take what you need. It is based in the CAB office.
It is aimed at reducing food waste but helps those struggling or people like me who prefer food not to be thrown away!

Nonnie I lived in a council house on a council estate and then bought my own house at full price at the time about £40k. Neighbours bought their houses for £5k. How can this be right. They paid very reasonable rent for years. Why should they get such a huge discount. After a few years they were able to sell their house at full market price and buy one I (and others like me) couldnt afford. I believe its a nonsense idea. Totally unfair and leaves people vulnerable to private landlords.

Someone mentioned fresh food is better than frozen but that is not always the case. I believe frozen veg and fish are fresher than the fresh ones and usually cheaper. Of course not everyone has a freezer.

I'm not against selling off council houses because we recently went back to the large estate DH grew up in and it has improved hugely. Yes, you can see which houses are still council but the whole estate is vastly improved and I like the idea of mixing up the population. I am fortunate to have lived in an area of very mixed housing and found that far preferable to when I lived in a totally middle class area, I like that new housing estates are so mixed.

So I'm not against selling off the houses, just think the money should go back into housing for those who need it.

MissAdventure, for many people it is. But they seemed to forget that for some people, the same reasons they can't get jobs is the same reason they can't handle their financial affairs - for one reason or another they have poor organisational skills. There was nothing put in place to identify and support these people in a timely fashion. Some people will always need to have their rent paid direct.

How is it known benefit fraud is 0.3%? Is this the percentage who have been charged with benefit fraud ?

Yes...sadly, it seems to be a tunnel with no light at the end. We're trying to feel our way and failing miserably.
I was mulling over this thread while washing my empty cup before going to bed, thankful that I have a warm, clean, comfortable bed and food when I wake up.
There were, at the last census in 2011, 34m working adults in England, Wales having about 1.9m
If everyone gave 50p pw into a fund to build affordable homes, flats and houses to rent, that would equate to £840m per year = 6,000 homes @ £200,000 each, depending on the area where they were built.
I'm sure no-one would really mind paying 50ppw if it alleviated the housing problem and the government ordered brownfield sites to be used as far as possible.
They could be fitted out with a basic cooker and an under counter fridge but even a scheme like that would not sit well with some folk.
There is so much done for people nowadays, that it seems to some, not worth working.

Grim, isn't it?

I think 'they' decided it was patronising not to let people manage their own money.
A bit like when 'they' decide that celebrating Christmas offends Muslims, and saying the word 'black' offends black people.

Of course, you now have to prove that you've spent 35 hours a week job hunting.

The reason for payments being changed from direct to landlord, to tenant was because it was seen as unfair by those who would pay on time.
It has since been and, in some cases still is, abused by some who don't fulfil that obligation.
They know that eviction can be a prolonged process and burybtheir heads in the sand.
Evidence of this was shown in The programmes The Sheriffs Are Coming and Can't Pay We'll Take It Away.
Landlords have to lose rent and bear the costs of trying to recover the debt.

That's very true, pensionpat.
People use it as a safety net, as the idea of having to deal with the fallout which comes when your circumstances change is dreadful, particularly if you end up no better off.
It can take months and months to try and get back on your feet after being left with debts owing to all and sundry.

When I first started to work at the “dole office” in 1975 rents were paid direct to the claimant. Is is easy to see how they got into arrears and landlords were unwilling to take a risk. After many years rent was paid direct to landlords. One effect of this was to “disable” people from getting a job. Rent and council tax didn’t have to be thought about previously. By then I was a Claimant Adviser carrying out regular interviews exploring reasons why people were long term unemployed. It was an uphill struggle, even if the person wanted to work. I was dealing with people who had their lives and finances sorted. Although not generous, that giro dropped through their letter box every fortnight. To put it at risk by taking a job, losing the benefits they were relying on and waiting for wages and the Famiky Income Support top-up was expecting a lot. It was a massive upheaval. In addition they would now have to budget and pay rent and council tax. Who could blame them if they chose to play the game and pretend to look for work.

Its a bottomless pit at the moment.
I don't know what the answer is.
Should local authorities do more?
We have an almost derelict old building here, which could make such a brilliant community centre, but the council are after closing it down, having left it in a state for years.

Just what can we do to make a difference, apart from stuff some of us already do, such as giving to food banks, clothes to charity shops, DDs to charities such as Shelter? It will never be enough.

I don't know any tenants who think it is unfair.
Everyone I know was glad it was paid direct to the landlord.

FarNorth
If people were paid rent directly to themselves in the belief that it would be paid to the landlord but the tenant and had no food or their child wanted some small toy or tenant smoked and were out of cigarettes, there is the strong possibility of that rent being dipped into.
They fall behind with their payments, landlord retains the deposit and eventually gives them notice to quit. They have then made themselves homeless.
At one time rent was paid directly to landlords but tenants thought it unfair and took away their responsibility, so it was changed to allow tenants to manage their own money.
The fact that some fail to pay or are late payers, is why many private landlords do not accept DSS or whatever it's now called.
I think it should be a direct payment to the landlord or agency.

youtu.be/jbq0bf2ptbA

A good start would be to build a huge number of social houses. After the building costs are covered its income for the country is it not? And perhaps we could not sell any more off at a ridiculously low price. It's the country's duty to provide social housing for those who can't afford to buy. It's not the country's duty to help people on to the property ladder. Too much emphasis on home ownership in this country. Long term social housing provides security for tenants at an affordable price which can only be beneficial for the country as a whole.

I watched a programme where a council house had been sublet and the three bedrooms each had about 5 lots of bunkbeds in.
There is no doubt that there are people who know exactly how to milk the system.