Food Banks and Poverty- was Nye right?

So who looked after your children when you worked at nights Barmeyoldbat?

I had no-one as DH was away for months and we had no family near. No nurseries in those days either.
It would have been great to have a part-time job

I should have guessed you would be the only one to answer the question Maizie. So, to be fair, we should be spending just under 99% of our time talking about the need and just over 1% talking about greed.

Barmeyoldbat you’ve actually cut to the crux of the matter. This kind of support I’ve described is not generally available, but it is what’s needed, not only to tackle the ‘problem’ of homelessness, but to restore hope, dignity and self-esteem to people who’ve lost it.

Statutory agencies all work in ‘silos’ where they each have responsibility for their little bit of the picture. My job is to look at the big picture and to knit together the provision of individual statutory providers and then support the client in navigating their best possible outcome.

£73.10 is not a lot of money to live off for a week, particularly if the sheltered accommodation cost (circa £12 per week) is deducted. (This has been excluded from housing benefit and tenants now have to pay this cost themselves.) My clients need to be upskilled in order to manage life on such a minimal sum.

My small project is entirely resourced by professionally qualified volunteers. Whilst we work for free it would be cost effective for the government to employ people to replicate what we do and secure long term positive outcomes for people who have struggled to find a place in society.

It's longer ago than that Barmeyoldbat - I remember querying it being called a benefit when I first received it about 14 years ago, John Hutton was the minister I think.

Your State Pension is a contribution paid in while your working. If you don't work you can get a credit paid in due to you looking after children or being unemployed for a short time. But if you never work or paying the system then you don't get a state pension. Many married women only paid the married woman contribution so they got a lesser pay out. This being a benefit has only crept in during the last 8 or 10 years. It was a way of saying look what we are doing for the old, bus passes, winter fuel allowance and a pension benefit. This has been taken up by so many of the young who seem to think us oldies are getting something for nothing.

Jennifer E, what generation are you, I am in my 70 and neither myself no my friends gave up work to bring up our children, we worked at night, in bars, part time in supermarkets, anything to bring in some extra money. Maybe this is why you have such a narrow outlook on life.

Trisher agree with it all.

So if we consider all benefits, the largest of which is the State Pension, as 100% what proportion of that is benefit fraud?

Well, if anyone had read the BBC Fact check I linked to they would have found that, according to that, benefit fraud accounts for some 1.1p in every pound; 1.1%, in other words.

JenniferEccles I think many women of our generation did give up work when they had children if they had a husband or partner who was in work. In the main many of us 'scraped by' on one salary or did part-time jobs to fit around family life for a few years or did child minding.
However, many of us did return to work when children started school, although not all did. As women are seen as primarily the carers, many then found they were caring for elderly, possibly disabled, relatives.

I was grateful for the offer of childcare from a friend who never went back to outside work as it would have been impossible to juggle everything, child care, parent care, a job, otherwise.

There is no shame in not returning to work; having a parent there full-time may be beneficial for young children and caring for elderly relatives can be exhausting and probably saved the State a fortune too.

So how old were they when you returned to work to help pay these mortgages JE? They must have left the childminder or nursery stage at some point.

Don't answer. It's none of my business.

Yes I worked until I had my first child then I gave up to look after him.

I didn’t want my children brought up by a childminder or a nursery. It was a struggle especially as we had two mortgages but we managed.

Barmeyoldbat State Pensions are described as a benefit by the DWP.
It has been so for very many years, annoying but that's how it is.

Pension is not earned. It is an expectation connected to our working life contribution to ‘National Insurance’ scheme. Our payment this week pays next week’ recipients. Other than requiring a minimum contribution for a full pension these no ‘earned’ about it.

GGMK3 - circumstance is what makes any of us. We are formed by our experience. All I’ve done is support the old fashioned notion of self responsibility through hard work. I really do not understand why that fills you with dread. If you bothered to properly read what’s been written rather than flying off half-cocked (look it up to see why I’ve chosen this expression) you’ll see that I expressed gratitude for my fortunate outcome. You’re full of damnation for the opinion of others justified as formed by circumstance/experience but I see very little posted to support your own. Just why is it you’re so uppity with multiple posters?

Right, time to draw a line under this. Nobody is ever going to be interested in my tales of people without shoes or people who have made a mistake and their life has spiralled out of control or people who ran for their lives, pitched up here and were treated like absolute scum.

If you have a certain mindset, that's it , it's formed and it will remain unchallenged.

Trisher I have a feeling some of our "older ladies" are a long way from knowing what jobs have ever been like, let alone understanding how much things have changed.

JenniferEccles are you truly saying you have never gone out to work? How old are you to be part of a whole generation who didn't? I don't believe that has ever existed.

I imagine, if you have never worked, you truly would struggle to "to understand why so many rely on it." Lucky you if you have been kept all your life, I suppose.

Please will people stop saying State Pension is a benefit. IT IS NOT IT IS EARNED. Pension credit is a benefit means tested.

Pension credit is indeed a means-tested benefit but that doesn't stop pensions being a benefit. How is it "earned" BoB? Why can the government decide how much to put it up or not put it up? Why do you so desperately need it not to be a benefit?

When the government quote the cost of benefits, the figures that get half the people on this thread in a 'paddy', they include State Pensions and that is moving towards 50% of the whole benefits bill. Look it up before you make assumptions Barmeyoldbat.

This is a pie chart for 2015/16 (click on it to enlarge it). If you look around for a later one you may find it. If you really don't believe that it is a benefit ring the DWP and ask them.

Please will people stop saying State Pension is a benefit. IT IS NOT IT IS EARNED. Pension credit is a benefit means tested.

I wish some people would understand that what has happened is that the jobs created to cut the unemployment figures are not in fact jobs which pay enough to live on but are low paid ones which rely on UC to top them up. People on benefits are no longer the lazy stay at home image that was once projected (although it probably wan't true), they are the young couple with a child who work as many hours as they can but still can't afford rent, food, power and other costs because they are on minimum wage.

jennifereccles the welfare state is NOT just for those unable to work.

State Pension is a benefit.
Child Benefit is a benefit.
Tax Credits are a benefit.
Universal Credit is a benefit and is claimed by many working people.
PIP/DLA is a benefit which can be claimed by working people.
Carer's Allowance is a benefit.

And so on.

I gave up work along with most women of my generation, when I had children

So presumably it is quite some time since you were seeking employment and you have never needed benefit? Where do you find your detailed information from?

Grannyactivist you give me hope.

ExperiencednotOld you fill me full of dread
However, it would have been easy to have taken a different path by not taking responsibility and doing all we could to improve our lot.
I am sure we are all glad these experiences didn't break you but it is the sheer conceit that says you are superior, or your word in your words, responsible because you are too blind to see that what doesn't break you may break another person and given their burden it may have broken you. Your replies make me want to weep. You must feel very lonely in that ivory tower.

inkycog

In answer to your questions....
No I don’t know anyone who claims UC.

I gave up work along with most women of my generation, when I had children.

My husband was never unemployed. My son was made redundant a few years ago, but found another job within two weeks. The others have been in constant work. None of us have ever been on benefits.

Like I said, the Welfare State is essential for those who really are unable to work, but I do struggle to understand why so many rely on it.

Yes I do realise there are many reasons which contribute to someone being temporarily incapacitated but it’s the sheer number of claimants that I am suspicious of.

Gracegran , a correction, the State pensions are NOT a benefit, they are earned by paying into the system. If you mean pension credit then that IS a benefit and is means tested

Much easier and quicker to despise somebody who has the temerity to own a dog, smoke, have false nails or a big TV.