Million+ people in UK living in destitution

[Still Waters]

More than a million people in the UK are so poor they cannot afford to eat properly, keep clean or stay warm and dry, according to a groundbreaking attempt to measure the scale of destitution in Britain.

A study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found that 184,500 households experienced a level of poverty in a typical week last year that left them reliant on charities for essentials such as food, clothes, shelter and toiletries.

More than three-quarters of destitute people reported going without meals, while more than half were unable to heat their home. Destitution affected their mental health, left them socially isolated and prone to acute feelings of shame and humiliation.

http://www.theguardi...tree-foundation

[+ouija ouija]

Same old same old and nothing will be done about it.

[stevewinn]

why are these households not working? 630,000 immigrants to the UK each and every year shows the are jobs out there, even at minimum wage. - at the minimum wage rate they'd be over the £70 a week figure used in this study. - These food banks, build them and they will come.

[Grey Area]

why are these households not working? 630,000 immigrants to the UK each and every year shows the are jobs out there, even at minimum wage. - at the minimum wage rate they'd be over the £70 a week figure used in this study. - These food banks, build them and they will come.

Not as simple as that I'm afraid. There are jobs, you think they want to employ people who have been on long term benefits, have disabilities, mental health problems, criminal records, because it is very tempting to place everyone in poverty into the 'waster' category.

And food banks are a consequence not a cause. If you ever have the misfortune to have to go to a food bank you will quickly see, no one wants to be there, for most, going to a food bank sees the last shred of any pride and dignity stripped away.

[stevewinn]

Not as simple as that I'm afraid. There are jobs, you think they want to employ people who have been on long term benefits, have disabilities, mental health problems, criminal records, because it is very tempting to place everyone in poverty into the 'waster' category.

And food banks are a consequence not a cause. If you ever have the misfortune to have to go to a food bank you will quickly see, no one wants to be there, for most, going to a food bank sees the last shred of any pride and dignity stripped away.

no-one need go to a food bank. Not when you can walk into any job centre and claim job seeking allowance etc...We keep hearing the people using these food banks have been sanctioned by the Job Centre, - So obviously these people have broken the terms on which they agreed to when they "signed on" People with disabilities & mental health problems should be on disability benefit, and those with criminal records tough titty.

I wish we could do a test, close all food banks and see how many starve to death. None will be the answer. Like i said no-able bodied person needs to go to a food bank. not when there are half a million migrants arriving every single year, having travelled hundreds of miles coming to the UK to work. (that's what the politicians tell us) So in the system we have, over half a million jobs available, we have the minimum wage, we have the benefits system. and if all that fails your local MP.

[bmk1245]

no-one need go to a food bank. Not when you can walk into any job centre and claim job seeking allowance etc...We keep hearing the people using these food banks have been sanctioned by the Job Centre, - So obviously these people have broken the terms on which they agreed to when they "signed on" People with disabilities & mental health problems should be on disability benefit, and those with criminal records tough titty.

I wish we could do a test, close all food banks and see how many starve to death. None will be the answer. Like i said no-able bodied person needs to go to a food bank. not when there are half a million migrants arriving every single year, having travelled hundreds of miles coming to the UK to work. (that's what the politicians tell us) So in the system we have, over half a million jobs available, we have the minimum wage, we have the benefits system. and if all that fails your local MP.

Nope. Leave food banks alone and close monetary payments. Period. When "poor" are spending benefits on cigs and alco, smeg that, no money, only food. Don't like it? Get a freakin' job.

[+ouija ouija]

Nope. Leave food banks alone and close monetary payments. Period. When "poor" are spending benefits on cigs and alco, smeg that, no money, only food. Don't like it? Get a freakin' job.

Don't you think that the 'poor', of all people, are in need of cigs, alcohol and other drugs(pets, a t.v., a car)? Having a tiny home in a rough area and only the minimum amount of money for food, clothes, household stuff etc, plus a rubbish education, is absolutely miserable and soul-destroying especially if the best you can hope for is a monotonous, minimum wage job FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. This is the 21st century for gods' sake!! Why do we feel the need to suppress/oppress a huge chunk of our society?

[Crabby Kitten]

no-one need go to a food bank. Not when you can walk into any job centre and claim job seeking allowance etc...We keep hearing the people using these food banks have been sanctioned by the Job Centre, - So obviously these people have broken the terms on which they agreed to when they "signed on" People with disabilities & mental health problems should be on disability benefit, and those with criminal records tough titty.

I wish we could do a test, close all food banks and see how many starve to death. None will be the answer. Like i said no-able bodied person needs to go to a food bank. not when there are half a million migrants arriving every single year, having travelled hundreds of miles coming to the UK to work. (that's what the politicians tell us) So in the system we have, over half a million jobs available, we have the minimum wage, we have the benefits system. and if all that fails your local MP.

No we shouldn't starve people to death. Most of the people in need of food banks haven't any money left to feed their families. Food banks are a priority and must stay there. I don't understand why those middle classes look down on the poor and poverty stricken and at the same time bumlick the royal family.

[Jarocal]

especially if the best you can hope for is a monotonous, minimum wage job FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Why is this the best they can hope for in their life?

Is their some sort of suppression via municipal policies, laws, and regulations that stifles entrepreneurship in the U.K.?

Are there obstructive measures in place that stops them from quietly earning a few Bob on the side quietly providing goods/services to their neighbors to have a bit extra cash?

I am not being facetious, I am genuinely curious. I am not aware of all the factors that could possibly inhibit such things over there. Simply covering an wall with an inexpensive low maintenance house plant such as ivy cuttings requires very little capital and labor. When grown to a larger size they would provide a few extra quid to someone so in need of money. Would it be a consistent weekly source of income? No, but if the person is feeling that trapped, any legal source of additional income for such a low investment should be considered.

[+ouija ouija]

Why is this the best they can hope for in their life?

Is their some sort of suppression via municipal policies, laws, and regulations that stifles entrepreneurship in the U.K.?

Are there obstructive measures in place that stops them from quietly earning a few Bob on the side quietly providing goods/services to their neighbors to have a bit extra cash?

I am not being facetious, I am genuinely curious. I am not aware of all the factors that could possibly inhibit such things over there. Simply covering an wall with an inexpensive low maintenance house plant such as ivy cuttings requires very little capital and labor. When grown to a larger size they would provide a few extra quid to someone so in need of money. Would it be a consistent weekly source of income? No, but if the person is feeling that trapped, any legal source of additional income for such a low investment should be considered.

Of course there are always some people who will make the best of any situation( possibly with the help of more wealthy relatives). There are also those who will claw their way to the top regardless of how low they started off, but the vast majority of the poor are so beaten down in spirit that they either lash out at everything or totally give up.

I'm afraid your 'make a couple of quid from selling ivy cuttings' is laughable .... no, scratch that, it isn't laughable, it's insulting. You've never been really poor for any length of time, have you?

Part of the reason why some poor people mishandle their money is their attempt to keep their standards up and to at least try to keep their kids in with a chance at life. The gap between rich and poor is enormous in this country. The poor are constantly assailed by images of the lifestyle they are missing out on; perhaps it is easier if in the community you live in everyone is in the same boat ..... I'm sure it is.

Never underestimate how deep and far reaching the effects of being poor are.

[stevewinn]

No we shouldn't starve people to death. Most of the people in need of food banks haven't any money left to feed their families. Food banks are a priority and must stay there. I don't understand why those middle classes look down on the poor and poverty stricken and at the same time bumlick the royal family.

I never said starve people to death, - It was trying to point out that these food banks are not needed. Build them and they will come springs to mind. Funny thing is there was more food banks when Labour was in Government. in the boom years. But why haven't these people got money or support? in a 21st Century Globalist Country like the UK, We have all these safe guards, from State Benefits, for Disabled & the unemployed and even in-work benefits for the low paid workers. So someone please explain to me who these people are, the ones in need of these food banks?

[+ouija ouija]

So someone please explain to me who these people are, the ones in need of these food banks?

Well, it could be that most of the people are only in need of food banks to tide them over for a few weeks or months because benefits can be very hard to get onto. Those in charge of benefits are more than happy to turn people away who don't even have money for food. Benefits can be stopped without notice and it can take weeks to convince them they got it wrong and to get benefits re-started. Don't forget, millions of people are living hand-to-mouth ..... every penny they're given goes straight back out to pay for top-ups on rent, heating, food, clothes,transport, electricity etc. etc.

Some will be tramps who can't even get on the very bottom rung of life. An awful lot will be legal/illegal immigrants.

[Jarocal]

Of course there are always some people who will make the best of any situation( possibly with the help of more wealthy relatives). There are also those who will claw their way to the top regardless of how low they started off, but the vast majority of the poor are so beaten down in spirit that they either lash out at everything or totally give up.

so their lack of will to excel is to be regarded as the fault of those who do?

I'm afraid your 'make a couple of quid from selling ivy cuttings' is laughable .... no, scratch that, it isn't laughable, it's insulting. You've never been really poor for any length of time, have you?

Poor? I don't feel so, but that is because I was raised by people who grew up in the Great Depression who were destitute and pushed not only themselves to rise out of poverty but made sure to instill in their children that relying on that paycheck from Company X or what you needed was always best found in a store was a foolhardy trust.

If you mean by poor did I wear clothes my grandmother made for me to school instead of things bought at the store, did I have to labor in a garden, help preserve fruits/vegetables, collect eggs, feed and water chickens, raise/butcher rabbits, wear a long sleeves or a sweater in the house because the thermostat was always set low, split/stack cords of firewood, keep my school grades up, and put a percentage of any money I got into a savings account I was not allowed to touch until I turned 18 then yeah, I was poor.

Part of the reason why some poor people mishandle their money is their attempt to keep their standards up and to at least try to keep their kids in with a chance at life. The gap between rich and poor is enormous in this country. The poor are constantly assailed by images of the lifestyle they are missing out on; perhaps it is easier if in the community you live in everyone is in the same boat ..... I'm sure it is.

I never had time to be assailed by the images of other lifestyles as I was too busy doing chores...

Never underestimate how deep and far reaching the effects of being poor are.

I don't, which is why I do things to earn money rather than spend time watching television. I may just see all I am missing out on and go waste some of my money on that stuff...

Edit to add-

If the people are so destitute that every little bit counts how is selling a couple hundred ivy cuttings to make a few extra quid from virtually no labor or capital outlay insulting? Is it insulting because it is only a few quid to help out rather than a living wage job? Is it insulting because it asks the poor to actually provide a good or service for money they are receiving?

Edited May 1, 2016 by Jarocal

[bmk1245]

Don't you think that the 'poor', of all people, are in need of cigs, alcohol and other drugs(pets, a t.v., a car)? Having a tiny home in a rough area and only the minimum amount of money for food, clothes, household stuff etc, plus a rubbish education, is absolutely miserable and soul-destroying especially if the best you can hope for is a monotonous, minimum wage job FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. This is the 21st century for gods' sake!! Why do we feel the need to suppress/oppress a huge chunk of our society?

Rrright... So others have to work their arses off to pay for poor's pets, tv, car...

[+ouija ouija]

so their lack of will to excel is to be regarded as the fault of those who do? That doesn't even make sense. We're all different. We all have strengths in different areas. Will power is not something that can be conjured up out of thin air .... some have a greater access to it than others.

Poor? I don't feel so, but that is because I was raised by people who grew up in the Great Depression who were destitute and pushed not only themselves to rise out of poverty but made sure to instill in their children that relying on that paycheck from Company X or what you needed was always best found in a store was a foolhardy trust. And you were all in the same boat.

If you mean by poor did I wear clothes my grandmother made for me to school instead of things bought at the store, did I have to labor in a garden, help preserve fruits/vegetables, collect eggs, feed and water chickens, raise/butcher rabbits, wear a long sleeves or a sweater in the house because the thermostat was always set low, split/stack cords of firewood, keep my school grades up, and put a percentage of any money I got into a savings account I was not allowed to touch until I turned 18 then yeah, I was poor. And you lived in a rural area and everyone was in the same boat.

I never had time to be assailed by the images of other lifestyles as I was too busy doing chores... ....... in a rural area.

I don't, which is why I do things to earn money rather than spend time watching television. I may just see all I am missing out on and go waste some of my money on that stuff...

[+ouija ouija]

Rrright... So others have to work their arses off to pay for poor's pets, tv, car...

Or ............... everyone could job-share, migrants/immigrants could be barred from our country and wealth could be distributed more fairly

[Jarocal]

Yes I am in a rural area, therefore my experiences tend toward plant materials, animal husbandry, construction work and such. You still have not shown where opportunity does not exist for the urban dweller to use something like selected plants (ivys,coleus, various high margin low input mushrooms such as oysters) in an effective manner to gain a little extra. Oyster mushrooms can be grown in paper, sawdust, threadbare denim or cotton textiles, and a host of other waste stream material readily available for free in urban environs. Will they earn a living wage off that few kilograms of mushrooms? No, but again they will have virtually no capital investment and very little labor. Why couldn't a person turn worn out cloths into a unique patchwork quilt that sells for a few pounds on Ebay?

Why is it ok for a society to demonize the companies they work for and yet be allowed to be content continuing to work for those companies, just at a higher wage?

[bmk1245]

Or ............... everyone could job-share, migrants/immigrants could be barred from our country and wealth could be distributed more fairly

Yeah, that kind of stuff was in USSR. What happened to that country, huh?

[Grey Area]

Yes I am in a rural area, therefore my experiences tend toward plant materials, animal husbandry, construction work and such. You still have not shown where opportunity does not exist for the urban dweller to use something like selected plants (ivys,coleus, various high margin low input mushrooms such as oysters) in an effective manner to gain a little extra. Oyster mushrooms can be grown in paper, sawdust, threadbare denim or cotton textiles, and a host of other waste stream material readily available for free in urban environs. Will they earn a living wage off that few kilograms of mushrooms? No, but again they will have virtually no capital investment and very little labor. Why couldn't a person turn worn out cloths into a unique patchwork quilt that sells for a few pounds on Ebay?

Why is it ok for a society to demonize the companies they work for and yet be allowed to be content continuing to work for those companies, just at a higher wage?

That's really great, no sarcasm, genuinely decent idea. I had no idea about any of that and I am an educated man, and there is the rub. what I suggest is that you go to a low wealth area and teach some people your skills

See the people who are in greatest need probably get the least help, and not because it isn't there, but because they don't know how to access it. The people we are talking about haven't had all the opportunities afforded to most of us and the majority of those cases are not to blame, we are talking about people suffering from mental health issues, who's brains don't automatically snap into capitalist mode if they are short of change, care leavers who are expected to look after themselves as soon as they reach 18, as well as all the baggage they have to carry with them, people who may fit into the other categories but also have substance dependencies, people through whatever reason have no friends or family they can turn to, something most of us can probably never even fathom.

I think most of us have felt the pinch at some time or another, spent a bit too much on a shiny new phone, had to fork out for a car repair, most of can go to the bank of mum or dad, or pop over to friends or family for dinner, maybe get an advance on our wages, but not all of us.

I'm sorry to burst bubbles but these circumstances are very real. In not denying there aren't p*** takers, of course there are, but most people don't want to live in destitution, and most of those need a hand out of it. But don't worry, that's someone else's problem.

[Ashotep]

Some people really do need help through no fault of their own. Those people need to be helped. Then there are those that could work but would rather live off the work of others. Those types need to be gotten off of public assistance. There will be a point that taxpayers can't pay for it anymore, doing so will be overwhelming and put them in the poor house which is why I wonder why our countries keep taking in people and putting them on public assistance when we have so many homeless and vets that could use the help.

[+and-then]

Of course there are always some people who will make the best of any situation( possibly with the help of more wealthy relatives). There are also those who will claw their way to the top regardless of how low they started off, but the vast majority of the poor are so beaten down in spirit that they either lash out at everything or totally give up.

I'm afraid your 'make a couple of quid from selling ivy cuttings' is laughable .... no, scratch that, it isn't laughable, it's insulting. You've never been really poor for any length of time, have you?

Part of the reason why some poor people mishandle their money is their attempt to keep their standards up and to at least try to keep their kids in with a chance at life. The gap between rich and poor is enormous in this country. The poor are constantly assailed by images of the lifestyle they are missing out on; perhaps it is easier if in the community you live in everyone is in the same boat ..... I'm sure it is.

Never underestimate how deep and far reaching the effects of being poor are.

I believe that the strongest and often the most noble human beings among us reside in such circumstances. They are those who continue to be honest and try to do the right thing in spite of such circumstances. Poverty crushes the spirit of man, not because we cannot live without the toys and baubles... but because we cannot long exist without being able to hold up our heads.

[hetrodoxly]

Many people do manage on their benefit payments some parents with clever planing produce good wholesome food, 'starving' i thought obesity to be the main health problem among the poor, if you're disabled and struggling you're getting the wrong advice, i personally know of a woman (who claims to be disabled) pick up her free of charge £20.000 car just 2 weeks ago.