Find out what happened when an @RebeccaEvansAM tried living on #benefits for a week @AssemblyWales @welshlabour. Welsh Assembly Government member Rebecca Evans recently spent a week living on the equivalent of #Jobseeker’s Allowance to look at the impact of #WelfareReform. Here, as a result of her experience, she says support is crucial if we want #benefit #claimants to adjust to change Although people are understandably cynical when #politicians attempt to live life on the #breadline, I wanted to raise awareness of the challenges facing welfare claimants and gain a better understanding of how well understood the changes are. Living off £72.40 for one week, I did not expect to truly experience the day-to-day life of people who rely on welfare support. I was aware that when Monday came around I would step back into my normal routine. But I wanted to experience at least some of the challenges and difficult decisions facing many thousands of people every day. The Your Benefits are Changing money advice team calculated that the average weekly expenditure for someone living off Jobseeker’s Allowance in my home area of Carmarthenshire leaves just £13.58 for food and essentials once transport costs, utilities, the TV licence, phone bills and the bedroom tax charge have been paid – which equates to less than £2 a day. On this income, any trip to the supermarket becomes a #stressful task as every single penny matters. When speaking with job seekers, #foodbank volunteers, YBAC money advisors and housing association staff and tenants during the week, the message was the same: people are struggling and many have had their lives irrevocably damaged by welfare policies. My experiences taught me that welfare reform is already blighting the lives of our most #vulnerable. With hundreds of thousands of people affected, it is essential we have a robust system that will help those affected adjust to change.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 19:12:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015