'Help us': emotional appeals made by people directly affected by the cost of living crisis
Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 17 October, 2022
Thousands of people face destitution this winter unless immediate action is taken by politicians to avert a cost of living catastrophe.
And in Northern Ireland, policy experts and people with lived experience of poverty have united in their call for emergency intervention.
At a recent conference ‘Crushed by the Cost of Living Crisis: The Time to Act is Now’ an audience exceeding 500 - including MLAs from the NI Assembly - heard powerful testimonies from the frontline of poverty.
Their voices speak for the hundreds of thousands of people across the UK facing extreme hardship in the coming months.
Sean O’Kane - homelessness campaigner and outreach worker
“We have a foodbank in Belfast and the numbers are rising and rising.
“I see people, families, going to food banks to seek help, going to drop-in centres to warm themselves or to eat so they have enough food in the house for their kids to eat.
“I see pensioners going to shopping centres to keep warm, a rise in people who are homeless, families living in hotels. There have been 41 homeless deaths recently, 14 of those in a three-week period.
“I see mates taking their own lives, families struggling to pay for school uniforms, schools starting up breakfast clubs, families stressing over Christmas, mums and dads choosing not to eat just to buy new things for their kids to keep up with the kids next door.
“I see pensioners deciding whether to heat or eat, working class families struggling to buy gas, electric, food, petrol.
“While the rich get richer, the working class get poorer, and the poor die.
“Our politicians get paid a good wage for doing nothing. When the people need them the most, where are they?
“It’s time for them to get back to work for the people and do something about the cost of living crisis. People and families can’t go on like this.”
Caroline Wheeler, mother of a disabled man
“I am the mother of Lee who is 37 years old. Lee has a really rare chromosomal disorder called diploid triploid mosaicism. He is one of 67 in the world, and essentially, he is a six foot four statue squashed into a five foot four body and all his organs are compressed.
“He lives in his own two-bedroom bungalow in Enniskillen, and he's on PIP and ESA. That's all the benefits he gets.
“He has to pay through his care package £103 pound a week so that's £412 a month gone before he even puts a loaf on the table or puts a pound on the electric meter.
“He's on an oxygen machine from 11 o'clock to eight o'clock in the morning. Life is tough at the best of times, we're trying to manage Lee's health but with the added stress of this winter coming in, and energy prices through the roof, I don't want to even look that far ahead.
“Can I afford to keep Lee's home run for him? I really do think our government could be doing a lot more especially for disabled people who are on energy costing items to stay alive. I've even considered buying a generator but it would have to run on petrol or diesel, which would just be more cost.
“I'm just at a complete loss as to how this is going to pan out and how Lee is going to survive this winter because his health is declining at a fast rate. You're living on death row, waiting on the call. It’s not a nice place to be.”
Rev Brian Anderson, East Belfast Mission
“The cost of living is crippling people and undoubtedly the mental health impact is huge. We have a counselling service, and the waiting list is getting longer and longer because people are needing help with their mental health.
“We noticed as soon as the £20 Universal Credit uplift was removed, people started knocking on our door. So, this morning we have had people looking for top-ups for gas, a long line of people waiting for food.
“That is the reality people are living with daily in East Belfast and it's impacting us in East Belfast mission, too. Most of our work is publicly funded, but for this part of our work we rely on donations, and we can't afford to stand in the gap for much longer.
“We will because of our Christian faith and who we are. But you need to realize that we cannot stand here much longer.
“This is not living life as it should be. Life should be much better than this.
“Do not just put sticking plasters on this. We need an Anti-Poverty Strategy as well. So please understand we will stand there. But we need government to stand alongside us, particularly for those most in need.
Diane Campbell, living with a disability
“We have gone without an oven since Christmas. My fridge is full of water, and I've got biological drugs in there. Those are very, very expensive drugs. I'm sure the NHS would not be too pleased with me if my fridge packs up.
“Inflation has risen I think about 9.9 per cent, the benefits about three per cent. That tells anybody that people will not be able to cope, and to allow that to continue on is wilful neglect.
“I've listened to a lot of advice from people who don't have the problems that I have, like putting jumpers on and putting tin foil behind your radiators.
“A cold home is dangerous for someone like me. Asthma is driven by airway triggers, cold air being one of them. Cold air can also encourage viruses, flu, so it's not a good idea for me to turn off radiators.
“I really don't have the income to deal with all of this, and I don't know what we're going to do. I'm not really content with going into a warm space because I feel we should be able to live a more dignified life. I’ve already been advised to go to a food bank. I'm a sick person. If I went into prison today, I would be fed and kept warm. I want you to listen to me. Please help me.”
Carol Gallagher, single parent and teacher
“The cost of living is absolutely rocketing. Food, books, internet, clothing, uniform, school meals transport… and I pay more in rent now than I ever did on a mortgage. And none of these things are luxuries. The heating oil is up by 121 per cent since last year, and electricity by over 36 per cent since May.
“I'm also repaying a social security debt because of an admin error on tax credits from a few years ago, not a mistake of my own making. Savings are gone. I've cut back on branded foods. Lights and switches are checked obsessively, the heating and the tumble dryer severely rationed. There's only so much managing and budgeting that anyone can do.
“It is exhausting, physically and mentally. And I have told friends that the most exhausting part is trying to appear as if I am not exhausted at all, and everything is fine.
“My mind often physically hurts. I feel like a failure as a parent, as a person.
“Teaching colleagues struggle like so many public sector workers. The value of pay has been severely depleted in real terms against inflation and industrial action is being considered.
“But the strike action is, believe me, a very last resort. And the decision to do so is not taken lightly. Quite simply, many workers like me are at breaking point and cannot afford to work, cannot afford to live.”
Alexis Ekwueme, mother of five
“I am a mother who has a duty of care towards her children. It is my duty and obligation as a parent to provide the basic essentials for my children and that includes food, clothing and shelter.
“As the days go by, it is becoming more and more difficult. Initially, when I went to Lidl or Asda, I would go with £60 or £70 and was able to buy substantial quantities of food for my family. But these days, I have to spend between £110 to £120 for the same quantity of food.
“School started recently and school uniform and shoes are all very expensive. I just told my children we have to recycle. And that was what we did. We recycled their old uniforms for them to go back.
“As for heating, what do we do? Every day for one hour we heat our house and then we turn it off. And what's the result? The result is a cold environment, a cold house, and we now have colds, we have flu.
“I am so worried. And I'm faced with the question, will there ever come a situation where I have to make the choice between putting food on the table for my children or heating the house?
“I don't know what to do. It is scary for me. And it is scary for most families out there.”