Sue's story

Update of Sue's story:
"Since last sharing my story, I am now accessing food bank through the Extended Voucher Scheme. I am now awaiting appointment for operation & unable to work at all. I have been issued with a further sick note for 2 months & will need a further 2 months to recover after the operation. I am not receiving benefits, just statutory sick pay until 15th November- benefits due to start on 18th November - still won't be amount I was receiving whilst in work. Getting food from food bank makes a big difference. I would not be able to eat properly without food bank as I would want my Mum and daughter to eat before me."

Thank you to Sue for sharing her experiences with us.

Harry's story

"I have been ill for over 10 years and on benefits, but apparently have not been receiving the correct benefits. My social worker and someone from the Benefits Agency are looking into my situation, but, at the moment, I'm having to pay out more than I'm receiving. It's going to take 12 weeks to sort things out. There is a court case due in 56 days."

Thank you to Harry for sharing his experience with us.

Tanya's Story

"I am claiming Employment Support Allowance and put sick notes in and am waiting for payment. I didn't receive any money for 3 weeks, so rang them. They told me that the sick note was lost, so had to get another one. I put another sick note in. Again after 2 weeks I had still received no money so I rang them and was told my new sick note had been lost. I went into the Job Centre to make a statement, this also got misplaced.

Now finally after 5 weeks I hopefully should get paid, but it has been a struggle. I am lucky to have my family and to know about the Foodbank."

Thank you Tanya for sharing your story with West Cheshire Foodbank.   

Kel's Story

"My family and I fully appreciate all the help and support the Wesley Methodist Church has given us. 

We are in a bad position financially through our benefits changing.  My partner is not ready to work, due to ill health.  I am also unwell and awaiting an operation.

Hopefully our benefits will be changed once our appeals have been looked at again".

West Cheshire Foodbank would like to thank Kel for sharing her story.

James' Story

“After being refused Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and being declared fit for work I was told to go on to Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). I was refused JSA as I would not be readily be available for work due to an upcoming spinal operation. Subsequently I have been left in a political blackhole of being declared fit for work (although I’m due for spinal surgery). This has left myself and my family in hardship. I have 2 sons (4yrs and 11yrs) and it’s quite ridiculous the situation I have found myself in through no fault of my own. Foodbank has been brilliant and without the help I would have had no means of buying food since 21^st January 2015 (date of writing 19^th Feb 2015).”

Our thanks to James for sharing this with us.

Celia's Story

"Currently homeless or staying in B&B. On ESA but all money goes on B&B (£500/wk). Partner claimed PIP (Personal Independence Payment) 4 weeks ago but was told it would take 26 weeks for a decision to be made. Partner has type 2 diabetes and mental health issues. Have to leave B&B at 10am and not allowed back until evening. Have 15 year old son. Housing Solutions team will contact client regarding accomodation."

Thank you to Celia for sharing her story with us and to the volunteer who wrote this down on her behalf.

Brian's Story

"I find myself homeless and without money at 50 years of age. Life was going so well. A BSc, MSc and Phd in Medical Science led to jobs with the MoD, Unilever and then to Research Director near Chester where I lived with my wife of 30 years and 2 daughters. Further directorships in Surrey then London followed. Then crash, I lost my job due to lack of funding. The government has destroyed R&D [research and development] in the UK. Family death, hit and run reduced legs to shrapnel and almost blind. Can't do job anymore. 11 months NHS waiting list for 30 minute operation. Wife affair, British judicial system forced me to leave and be homeless, bank accounts emptied. Housing solutions got me a safe seat, sitting in a chair with winos and junkies. Then a flat in a nice hostel, weeks to get benefits. Endless forms to fill in but I can't read them. At least safe secure and warm. No food in flat and no money. [Local Agency] said to come here. V. grateful. Need ops to get a job or 30 years experience thrown on the scrap heap. Very few R&D jobs left. Thank God for lovely people and charity. Will fight way back up. But time time time crushes the soul. We are not scroungers. God bless."

Our thanks to Brian for sharing his story with us.

Patrick's Story

"I have type two diabetes, eczema ... [illegible word]... and asthma. [The] jobcentre wanted me to work in a recycling plant for 30 hours a week in a recycling plant for no pay for four weeks. I told the jobcentre that my doctor says I should not work in that environment. [Name removed] and [Name removed] at the jobcentre did not care. They are a disgrace."

Thanks to Patrick for sharing his story with us.

Kyle's Story

"Me and my family are ever so grateful and touched with the help and support of the church and the Foodbank. We found ourselves in this position due to medical problems me and my partner are unable to do anything about i.e. sick notes etc. not being issued at time of need."

Our thanks to Kyle for sharing his story with us.

Alice's Story

"Husband (51) was on ESA (previosly had stroke and epileptic fit). Few weeks ago he was told he was fit for work and he should sign on for JSA. Sent on work programme to college in Ellesmere Port - went and had another stroke and epileptic fit at college. Taken to hospital. Doctors said he wasn't fit. JCP agreed he should be on ESA. No money for over a month. Have said it will be another two weeks before she gets any money. She is legally responsible for grand-daughter."

Thank you so much to Alice for sharing the circumstances that she is facing. Thanks also to the volunteer who listened and took notes for Alice.

Trevor's Story

"On the sick for 30 years and I am unable to walk. I have a vertiba pushing in my spine. It is going to get worse. I have medical certificates but in February I failed my medical because for some reason my medical certificates were not available. I have been sending in sick notes ever since and they are taking no notice. I have been told to wait for a "decision maker" to consider my case but no one has done so. I have had £80 hardship payment only and I am having to rely on my family for help."

Our thanks to Trevor for sharing his story with us.

Joshua's Story

"I'm here today because I have no food or money. For the last two years I have been on a reduced rate of ESA. I had an accident in work. I have damaged my spine. I have had an MRI scan that shows bulging in my neck and lower back. So from my accident I lost my health, home, job and so found myself homeless. But I am not homeless anymore I just have a low income and lots of debt."

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

Samuel's Story

"Samuel is suffering from long-standing physical and emotional health problems. His doctor is signing medical forms regularly. He has not had any payment since April 2014. Living with his brother who has himself had his benefits recently sorted out and has been doing his best to help out his brother."

Our thanks to Samuels for sharing his story with us and to the volunteer who took these notes on his behalf.

George's Story

"I have had no money since April, which was a hardship payment. They say I am waiting for a decision maker to decide if I am entitled to any money. They told me to sign on for JSA, but wouldn't let me sign on for JSA as they could see I was not able to work. Plus I had a sick note from my doctor saying I am not well enough for any type of work."

Our thanks to George for sharing his story with us.

Paul and Angela's Story

"Paul attended appointment with D.H.S doctor and was told he no longer qualifies for ESA. Paul suffers from epilepsy, is currently on medication and still has fits. There has been no change in his condition. Due to a change over of benefits from ESA to JSA they are currently receiving no benefits (since 21st April). Paul and Angela sought support from [agency name] who issued a Foodbank voucher."

Our sincere thanks go to Paul and Angela for sharing this and to the volunteer who took the notes for them. Our thoughts are with you.

Elizabeth's Story

"I had a diagnosis of cancer at the end of January. Due to a change in benefits plus payments being taken directly from what little benefits we have left, we were left living on £20 a fortnight. I was told that the PIP (Personal Independence Payment) I applied for at the start of February could take up to 6 months to be processed. Most weeks it had been a choice of heat or eat, we're thankful it's getting warmer. Even my partner can't be classed as a carer until the PIP payment is sorted out."

Thank you so much to Liz for sharing her story.

Carol and Trevor's Story

"We have worked all our lives and now, when support is needed it does not seem to be there. When people are married they seem to be penalised. When my husband had a stroke which stopped him working we were really worrying about how we could manage and we're finding it all too much. Thanks to this Foodbank. It is a help. Thankyou."

Thanks to Carol and Trevor for sharing this with us.

 

Regarding Jenny's Story

Over the last couple of days, Jenny's story has received considerable attention from the public as well as from local and national media. People have been shocked by the idea that someone might be given the wrong advice and have also asked whose role it was to advocate for Jenny in this situation.

 

Our purpose as a Foodbank is to provide people in crisis with emergency food and to signpost our visitors to agencies that can best deal with the underlying causes of that crisis. Jenny visited our Foodbank to bring her neighbour. A volunteer spoke with her and we referred her to Macmillan Cancer Support. Sadly, Macmillan are seeing Jenny's situation repeated across the country. Click here to see a BBC report regarding delays to benefit payments for terminally ill patients. At the Foodbank, we do not have the expertise to advocate for individual visitors and rely on specialist organisations to fulfil this role.

 

Whilst scandalous, the scale, pace and nature of current welfare reforms make Jenny's story neither uncommon nor surprising. Approximately half of all people turning up to Foodbanks are doing so as a direct result of having benefit payments delayed, reduced or withdrawn altogether. Figures gathered by the Trussell Trust and by Chester and Ellesmere Port Foodbank show that both locally and nationally, changes to the benefit system are the most common reasons for people using Foodbanks. These include changes to crisis loans eligibility rules, delays in payments, Jobseekers allowance sanctions and sickness benefits reassessments. These changes are well documented. An excellent report published by Oxfam and Church Action on Poverty can be found here.

 

The growth in the numbers of people we provide with emergency food is a demonstration of the extent to which the 'normal' safety net provided by the state in the form of the welfare state is failing in it's basic duty to ensure that people like Jenny and her neighbour have sufficient income to feed themselves adequately.

 

We are disappointed that there has been no policy response to increasing food poverty in the UK and we strongly support the Trussell Trusts' call for an official and in depth inquiry into the causes of increasing food poverty and the consequent rise in the usage of Foodbanks. 

 

Jenny

Jenny came to the Chester and Ellesmere Port Foodbank last month, having been diagnosed with terminal Cancer. Her prognosis was three to six months. She already suffered with several chronic illnesses preventing her from working over the last two years and was in receipt of Disability Living Allowance. Having no family she was trying to "put her house in order", ensuring all her bills were paid and saving up for her funeral. Her DLA was stopped; the reason given was that as she was not expected to survive the required time, she did not qualify for this benefit! She came to the Foodbank not for herself but to bring a neighbour who had mental health issues and short term memory problems. He had been 30 minutes late for his appointment at the Benefit office (he had forgotten the time!) and had therefore been sanctioned. He had not eaten for three days. They were both given a meal and the time to talk of their problems and referred to the appropriate agencies for food vouchers and further support and help. Several weeks later Jenny came to the Foodbank to thank everyone for the help and food that was given and the kindness and support that was shown in their time of need. Jenny died three weeks later.

 

Jenny shared her story with one of our volunteers, and requested that we share it with you. We are privileged to do so.