The Frightening Reality of Poverty

There are an estimated 14.3 million people in the UK living in poverty^[1], and poverty rates have been rising the last few years. Nearly half of the households living in poverty contain someone with a disability^[2], indicating that being disabled makes you much more likely to be subject to poverty.

I recently saw something shared that said “you are always three very bad months away from being homeless, but never three very good months away from being a millionaire”. I have experienced first hand how true this can be. Of course, you could become a millionaire in three months, but only under very exceptional circumstances, such as winning the lottery. What is much more likely is that you could suddenly become unemployed and/or unable to work, and unable to access the support you need to prevent you ending up on the streets. 

I fell sick suddenly and had to give up work, as I was too unwell to continue. Without the support of my parents and my partner, I could easily have ended up homeless. My partner wasn’t working at the time, and for a few months I had to support us with an income of £500 a month, while rent and bills alone cost about £1200 a month. Fortunately I had some savings and my partner found work before reached the point where we couldn’t afford to continue living in our apartment, but it was a tense time for us.

Applying for benefits is a long and difficult process, especially for those who are unwell. A large percentage of cases do not receive the right result first time round and so have to go to appeal, which can take more than a year, during which time claimants have to survive on whatever money they are receiving, sometimes nothing, without the money they are entitled to. Personally, I had to wait 14 months to resolve my claim, and then had to repeat the whole process a couple of years later.

When looking for somewhere to live following my separation from my partner, I discovered how incredibly difficult it is to find somewhere that would rent to someone on benefits. In fact, I was unsuccessful and had to pursue other routes that I was fortunate enough to have available to me. If you can’t find a rental property, then you generally have to resort to council housing, but this can often take over a year, and you normally have to be already homeless to become a priority (which doesn’t include sleeping on a friend’s sofa).

The state doesn’t want people like me to exist. I’m not viewed as a valuable member of society because I don’t pay income tax. But because of my disability I require help with things such as cleaning, so I provide employment for others who are able to work. I also believe that everyone can be valuable, regardless of their financial contributions. Do people believe that babies are worthless, because they can’t earn money or take care of themselves? 

There is a general view in our society that those who live in poverty have somehow chosen or deserve to be there. Perhaps it is our unwillingness to believe it could happen to us, or a way of absolving ourselves of responsibility? This viewpoint can make people ashamed to admit they live in poverty. I know for me personally, I feel embarrassed to tell people I claim benefits for fear of being judged. With food bank use on the rise, and more and more households struggling to make ends meet, we need to develop a kinder approach to those in financial difficulty, and ultimately, a state that is more supportive of those in difficult circumstances. 

[1] https://fullfact.org/economy/poverty-uk-guide-facts-and-figures/

[2] https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2018/september/disabled-peoples-poverty-worse-govt-estimates