FOOD / Energy / Clothing BANKS : MORE A HUMANITARIAN THREAD ? 100,000+ Carers Reported As Needing Them In 2018

[Chris From The Gulag]

Any reader still not convinced that a " Social War " has been raging for the past 12 / 13 years ?

When I first used that term , most were in disbelief ... " What war ? " ... fast forward to 2017 ?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 06826.html

Bed-ridden stroke victim told to use food banks after DWP admin error leaves him without benefits

Worth spending a few minutes to read , and digest , in full.

Interlocking thread ... that word again ! ... Food Banks ... how many readers are just one step away from being the 1,123,567 th. customer .... increase that by , say , 2 every minute ... through no fault of their , or their caree's , own ?

Not scaremongering , it is actual reality !!!

[Chris From The Gulag]

A related article from today's Guardian on the sheer scale of food waste :

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... food-waste

Trussells and others in the field are doing their best to link up with the major players.

One million+ now needing food banks ... and yet , just look at the other side as said article reveals.

Literally , money spent disappearing into the ether with no concern for society as a whole !

[Chris From The Gulag]

Some guidance from Trussells on visiting a food bank :

https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/ ... -foodbank/

Even if YOU have no need to even think of such a journey , there will be times when YOU and / or your caree may not have any other option.

Worth a couple of minutes of ANY reader's time.

PIP Assessment coming up ?

Switching to Universal Credit ?

Rent going up ?

Problems with that legacy ?

New baby on the way ?

Just how sure are YOU ?????????

There is NO shame in today's Sad New World ... just increasing poverty.

[Chris From The Gulag]

" There are complex reasons why people use food banks. "

Really ?

Paul Mason can answer that one !

Any reader want to challenge that answer ?

Why do politicians make a habit of making simple answers complex ?

Aaaah ! Lord Kitch ! Now doing his bit on another Issue ?

]

Will our supporting organisations join him in pointing the way towards food banks in the event of a carer needing urgent guidance ???

Even the DWP made mention of those words ... FOOD BANKS ... time to follow suit ?

A minimum of 100,000 already know the way ....

While you're deliberating , don't forget to tack on health checks for malnutrition amongst carers.

After all , if many are using food banks , does night not follow day ... ?

Survey doing the rounds won't show the problem ?

I wonder why ?

I rest my case ... for now.

[Chris From The Gulag]

Today's Independent ... NUS to offer free female sanitary products :

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 12771.html

First Trussells and other food bank operators , now the NUS.

Before long , how many firms / businesses will offer such essentials as perks for becoming an employee ... as their zero hour positions won't guarantee a future employee anything beyound faint hope.

Faint hope ?

You can't eat , or heat with , that .... as our supporting organisations know only too well ... ???

[Chris From The Gulag]

Independent again ... the first " Run " on a food bank :

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 11891.html

Food bank runs out of food due to growing numbers in need of support

The bank relies on 90% of donations from the public and is looking for basic items such as tinned potatoes, fruit and vegetables

Needless to say , several more food banks across the country will be experiencing the same before long.

Hands up !

How many readers voted for this ?

General election ?

WHO out there can reverse this ... social holocaust ?????

[Chris From The Gulag]

North Wales this time :

http://www.deeside.com/people-using-foo ... rth-wales/

More people are using foodbanks in Flintshire than anywhere else in north Wales

The move to simplify an often complex welfare system is a welcome one but any large reform can have unforeseen consequences. Foodbanks see first-hand how changes to the welfare system affect people on the ground, and so can offer an early warning to decision-makers.

We are sharing our early observations with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure any adverse side effects Universal Credit can have on people are addressed before full rollout is completed.

We have been heartened by Secretary of State Damian Green’s willingness to engage, his department’s work to pilot improvements, and the recent changes to the Universal Credit taper rate which mean people moving into work will keep more of their earnings.

We hope our insights can inform efforts to make sure the values on which Universal Credit is built are delivered in practice. To stop UK hunger we must make sure the welfare system really does work for everyone.

Universal credit is ONLY one cause ....

[Chris From The Gulag]

Shropshire ...

http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/poli ... o-survive/

More than 3,000 in Shropshire use food banks to survive

Bets on a food bank section inside ASDA / Tesco / Sainsburys / Morrisons before long ?

[Chris From The Gulag]

For the real information gluttons amongst our readers , an 120 page report produced by The Child Poverty Action Group, Church of England, Oxfam GB and The Trussell Trust ... in .PDF format :

https://www.trusselltrust.org/wp-conten ... report.pdf

Probably the most detailed report I have read for a long while.

On par wth Steven Kennedy's report on Carers Allowance and Sheffield University's study of present day conditions in former mining communities.

Just a snippet to wet your appetite ... page 31 :

Caring responsibilities
– for several in-depth interview participants, care for ill or disabled children or relatives forme a significant part of their life story, again often related to movements away from full-time work.

Others felt their responsibilities to care for young children prevented them from working (or working as much as they would like).

Crucially, not all these decisions were made by the individual: several participants’ stories involved being instructed or encouraged by family courts or social services not to work in order to be able to provide adequate care for children.

Caring responsibilities represent a considerable social contribution, albeit one that is not measured in terms of economic productivity.

However, for our participants they were also a source of personal vulnerability, sometimes with long-term consequences for the individual’s future work prospects as well as having an impact on their immediate finances.

Several participants mentioned either not applying for or not receiving carers’ benefits which could have made a considerable difference to their financial circumstances.

For those who did receive Carers Allowance, or who were planning to apply for it, this additional support was seen as an essential element in helping to make their livelihood sustainable.

[Chris From The Gulag]

Today's Guardian ... posted under this Thread as it looks likely that Trussells and others are going to be overloaded before long :

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... ap-poverty

Poverty risk for 50,000 low-income households at lower benefit cap

More than half of the families hit by the cap will face a shortfall of over £50 a week, official figures show

An extract :

Matthew Reed, chief executive of the Children’s Society, said: “It is deeply worrying to see that hundreds of thousands of children have been hit by the new benefit cap, cutting the money needed to keep a roof over their heads. Our concern is that this will only worsen child poverty, which is already set to balloon to 5 million by the end of the decade. While we think it’s right that work pays, it is children who are bearing the brunt of the cap.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “Since the benefit cap was introduced, around 29,000 households who previously had their benefits capped have moved into work – an increase of 3,000 in the last quarter. Anyone eligible for working tax credits, carer’s allowance, and most disability benefits are exempt from the cap.”

Although the cap is presented by ministers as an “incentive” to persuade those on benefits to either take a job or work more hours – because this would exempt them from the cap – the statistics show the vast majority of those affected by the cap are either not required to work or unable to work.

A war being raged by our own Government ... a Social War ... no bullets or bombs ... but just as effective.