Liam's story

"I am writing this because when the Social stop or serspend you money they Don't realise of what they are Doing to families. I never new about the Food Bank it is such a Great thing they do. When I Got mine I was surprized about what I got I could not get half the thing I received when I get my money so thank to you all, you Do a very Good thing you Do. You helped me when I was at rock bottom. Many thanks."

Thank you to Liam for sharing his Foodbank experiences with us.

Paul's Story

"The Jobcentre have Sanctioned me because I didnt turn up for an appointment. The Sanction last's a month, and for that month without food, I am claiming Severe Hardship, but that doesn't start for two week so really me and other people are stuck if it weren't for the food bank and the lovely people that help I'd proply starve so please think of these lovely people cause they have helped me."

Thank you to Paul for sharing his experience with us.

Will's Story

"Has been unemployed for 5 months on JSA. Paid £500 of his own money to go on a chain saw licence course in Preston for two days. Getting up at 4am. Wasn't able to look for work so lost money for two weeks. Jobcentre Plus put him on a mandatory work programme - couldn't get money out of the Post Office until 9am so couldn't get to work for 7am. So was sanctioned for 2 months."

Thank you to Will for sharing his experience with us.

James has been sanctioned for three months...

"James recently got sanctioned due to a double booked appointment that was made by DWP. James was told to go to [name removed] to look for work and also given an appointment to sign on at the Jobcentre, both at 9.30 on the [date removed] August 2015. James has now been sanctioned for 3 months due to no fault of his own and has had no choice but to come to Wesley Church Centre for help with food. His sanction should be over on November [date removed]. James suffers as a result of numerous medical conditions."

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us James. And thank you to the volunteer who listened.

Adrian's Story

"Has been unemployed for 5 months. On JSA. Paid £500 of his own money to go on a chainsaw licence course in Preston. - 2 days. Getting up at 4am. Wasn't eligible to look for work on these days so lost money for two weeks. JCP put him on a mandatory work placement - couldn't get money out of post office until 9am and so couldn't get to work for 7am leading to a sanction for 2 months. Payment will start again in August."

Thanks to Adrian for sharing this with us.

Bill's Story

"I need help because I've had my benefit stopped. I didn't know about the Foodbank until a few days ago. When this had happened in the past I've turned towards crime. This time I didn't have to do that because of the help of the Foodbank.

Without this help today, I don't know how I'd get through the week. I can't thank you enough for the help and kindness that you have shown me."

Cheshire West Foodbank thank Bill for his story.

Racquel's Story

"My story started a month ago when I did some part time work, of which I notified the Department of Work and Pensions. The DWP got back to me via a letter saying I hadn't informed them and are therefore suspending my allowances.

That is why I needed emergency food today. The issue is still going on a month later."

Thank you Racquel for sharing your story with West Cheshire Foodbank

Restoring Faith in The Safety Net

Church Action on Poverty has launched its latest report on "Restoring Faith in the Safety Net" (.pdf file).  As it points out in its introduction:

A truly compassionate society is one which expresses concern for the welfare and dignity of all its citizens. In a world of growing insecurity, a compassionate society is one which provides a bedrock of social security: the security of knowing that becoming sick, disabled or unemployed, or suffering a financial shock or crisis (be it a bereavement or a broken cooker), will not leave anyone penniless, hungry or at risk of destitution.

[...]

This report restates the case for a social security safety net. It also documents an increasing number of holes in that safety net – undue delays, errors, or excessive sanctions, many of which are leaving large numbers of people without income for days, weeks or even months at a time. Too many people, including children, are being left at risk of hunger or destitution as a result.

You can download and read the report by clicking here (.pdf file).

For more information, and to take action to restore faith in the safety net visit the Church Action on Poverty Website: http://www.church-poverty.org.uk/safetynet

Anthony's Story

"I live with my wife and 17 year old step son.  We have an older step son in work who technically lives with us, but who spends most of his time with his girlfriend.  I have been on incapacity benefit with depression for 7 years.  I missed a medical appointment in January. I had written it in my diary incorrectly and went in on the wrong day.  Because of this my benefits have been stopped.  I have to appeal against this.  I missed an appointment last year so now they have deemed me fit to work. My son is still dependent as he is currently at college studying.  My wife also has depression."

Thank you for sharing your story with West Cheshire Foodbank.

We Urgently Need to Rethink Benefit Sanctions

We should welcome the recent call from the Work and Pensions Committee for a full and independent review of the benefit sanctions regime.

Image: Jonny, Colin, Tony, Patricia, Ann, Mark, Geof, Cath and Pete; volunteers at West Cheshire Foodbank sort public donations of food to distribute to local people in crisis – one in ten people are referred to the foodbank as the direct result of a sanction.

At West Cheshire Foodbank, more than one in ten households are referred as the direct result of a sanction. This is when a person has their social security payments deliberately removed because they are deemed not to have fully met the detailed requirements of Jobcentre Plus. In 2014, over one million people in the UK had their social security payments stopped in this way, usually for four weeks, but in some cases for up to three years.

There is clear evidence that sanctions place significant numbers of individuals and families in a position where they cannot afford foodⁱ. Furthermore, new research by a national coalition of churches shows that the sanctions regime disproportionately affects people who are young, leaving care, homeless, single or who have a long term illness or mental health problem”ⁱⁱ.

The DWP recognises that, with no resources to fall back on, even healthy adults will inevitably “suffer some deterioration in their health”ⁱⁱⁱ. When Phil^iv missed an appointment made by Jobcentre Plus, he had his benefits sanctioned for four weeks throwing him and his family in to a crisis situation. He told us “I have three children to feed and it is very hard to manage”. Research by the Methodist Church shows that the situation Phil and his family were in is common: in 2013/14, around 100,000 children were affected by sanctions^v.

Sean^iv explained that he was also referred to the Foodbank because of a sanction: "I was at CAB sorting out my housing benefit and could not make an appointment for the IT suite. I phoned up as soon as I realised I could not make the IT suite and told them I was at CAB sorting my housing benefit but I was still put on a sanction."

Lily^iv was referred to the foodbank after she was sanctioned. She told us "I have been sanctioned because I had an appointment for a job search. I went to the appointment, I signed in and signed back out because I was told there were no computers free. I was told to go back which I did but there were still no computers free. Then I was told to make another date to come back. I am still waiting for the appointment to go back."

May^iv was sanctioned for four weeks because she did not attend an interview. She had recently moved into a hostel and said “when I didn’t receive an interview letter I was sanctioned”. May continued “The hostel I've recently moved into told me to go to Foodbank.  I am good with money and usually do myself a food shop".

Although the Department for Work and Pensions says there is a system of hardship payments in place, very few of the people who have had to turn to foodbank are aware that these exist, and have been unable to access them in the first 15 days of a sanction period. Chris Mould, Chairman of the Trussell Trust quite rightly points out that: “it is very difficult to feed yourself and your family with no money over that two week period” ^vi.

Removing the means by which a family or individual can eat is not just a violation of the right to food and social security (UDHR 25i), it is also a disproportionate reaction to relatively trivial acts like missing an appointment.

As Dr David Webster of The University of Glasgow identifies in his written submission to the Work and Pensions Committee, a “combination of ‘silo’ thinking by officials in the DWP and its predecessors, and ideological gestures by politicians, has led to the growth of what is a huge secret penal system, rivalling in its severity the mainstream judicial system but without the latter’s safeguards” ^vii.

The final reason we need to rethink sanctions is simple. Despite their punitive nature, there is no evidence that they work. The purpose of sanctions should be to increase employment, but despite the DWP being adamant that ‘active policies work’, research from Oxford University shows there is “no association between the use of sanctions and employment rates” ^viii. If anything, as Major Gill Stacey at our local Salvation Army commented recently, the sanctions regime is counter-productive, creating a climate of fear that can be “all consuming, damaging people’s mental health and driving people further from employment”.

The Work and Pension’s Committee is right to call for a full and independent review of benefit sanctions again – let’s hope the Government listens this time.

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i] 11%. See Section 5.2.2. Spencer, A., Ogden, C. & Battarbee, L. (2015). Cheshire Hunger: Understanding Emergency Food Provision in West Cheshire. Available from: http://westcheshire.foodbank.org.uk/cheshirehunger

ii & iii] See Time To Rethink Benefit Sanctions. Report by Church Action on Poverty, the Baptists Union of Great Britain, the United Reformed Church, the Methodist Church, the Church of Scotland and the Church of Wales available from http://www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/rethink-sanctions-report-0315.pdf

iv] Name changed.

v] Press Release http://www.methodist.org.uk/news-and-events/news-releases/new-report-nearly-100000-children-affected-by-benefit-sanctions-in-201314

vi] Page 51, Benefit Sanctions Policy Beyond The Oakley Review. 

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmworpen/814/814.pdf

vii] http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/work-and-pensions-committee/benefit-sanctions-policy-beyond-the-oakley-review/written/16442.html

viii] Loopstra, Reeves, McKee & Stuckler, 2015 in Spencer, A., Ogden, C. & Battarbee, L. (2015). Cheshire Hunger: Understanding Emergency Food Provision in West Cheshire. Available from: http://westcheshire.foodbank.org.uk/cheshirehunger

Phil's Story

"I had missed an appointment and my benefits had been sanctioned for four weeks. 
I have three children to feed and it is very hard to manage with the cutbacks and there will be more cutbacks. I now will have to do 30 hours of voluntary work before I can apply for Job Seekers Allowance again.  Meanwhile the Foodbank have given me food."

Thanks to Phil for sharing his story with us.

Sean's Story

"I have had to use the Foodbank today as I have been put on a sanction for JSA, because I was at CAB sorting out my housing benefit and could not make an appointmnent for the IT suite. I phoned up as soon as I realised I could not make the IT suite and told them I was at CAB sorting my housing benefit but I was still put on a sanction."

Our thanks to Sean for sharing his story with us.

Harry's Story

"Been sanctioned for 2 weeks due to a misunderstanding regarding some pay slips for doing a paper round that have been sent off to Job Centre and seem to have got mislaid. Am without finance for food for at least two weeks."

Thank you so much to Harry for sharing his story with us.

Lily's Story

"I have been sanctioned because I had an appointment for a job search. I went to the appointment, I signed in and signed back out because I was told there were no computers free. I was told to go back which I did but there were still no computers free. Then I was told to make another date to come back. I am still waiting for the appointment to go back."

Thank you to Lily for sharing her story with us.

Will's Story

"I first used the Foodbank when the jobcentre sanctioned my benefits with complication in applying for hardship payment. I came to the Foodbank as I had no money or food. They helped me with emergency food on several occasions as my sanction went on."

[Volunteer Notes: Will's last benefit was paid into a friends account (at Will's request). The friend spent the money and that is why Will visited today. Possibility of job as barman upcoming.]

Our thanks to Will for sharing his story with us.

Victoria's Story

"I missed an appointment with the Work Programme and was sanctioned by the DWP. I had contacted the Work Programme provider informing them of my illness however they still reported to the DWP my non attendance and I have to appeal to DWP with evidence from my G.P."

Our thanks to Victoria for sharing her story with us.

Allan's Story

"I have been sanctioned for four weeks by JCP because I was unable to attend a course because I was ill. I had a stomach upset and I went to the pharmacist for advice and medication not the doctor (I have not needed a doctor for 35 years). This meant I did not have a doctors note and although I wrote to explain this was not good enough. Unfortunately the pharmacist does not know me either. The sanction has now ended but I still have to pay off the debts that accumulated during that period which included not only the four weeks but the two weeks of 'hardship payment'. Last week I was back on the full amount less deductions but because of the extra payments I cannot make ends meet this week. I was a cleaner on contract on zero hours and now there are no hours."

Thank you to Allan for sharing this with us.  

Let's Keep Volunteering Voluntary @keepvolvol

West Cheshire Foodbank is supporting the Keep Volunteering Voluntary Campaign. 

We are proud of every person who volunteers with us and we know the value of volunteering. Volunteering means people independently choosing to give their time freely to help others and make the world a better place. Workfare schemes force unemployed people to carry out unpaid work or face benefit sanctions that can cause hardship and destitution.   We believe in keeping volunteering voluntary and will not participate in government workfare schemes.

Click here to find out more about the campaign.

Ainsley's Story

"I didn't get JSA last Tuesday because I was moving into a hostel, therefore I did not get paid and I have no money for food".

Thanks to Ainsley for sharing this while visiting one of our centres.

Mathew's Story

"I attended my jobsearch program during the week (as usual). As my dates are sometimes changed (i.e. to different days of the week) on this 'one' occasion I actually attended on the Wednesday, a day earlier than I was scheduled to!! - No one pointed this out to me, and let me continue as I would normally. Because I did not attend on the 'Thursday' (the day after) I was sanctioned and denied my benefits from the 4th Feb. I have no second income as I now live alone since the death of my partner. I am without gas and almost without electricity as I am on meters. I am currently awaiting a decision on an application for hardship payments."

Thank you so much to Mathew for sharing his story with us. We really appreciate it.