No, it's not perfect. But in my experience, it's a fairly robust system, even with its flaws.
There are women's refuges in the UK, but I honestly can't say whether there are sufficient or insufficient numbers to meet demand. What I do know, is in recent years the funding for refuges has been cut back, so many refuges have closed.
JSA (job seeker's allowance) is enough to cover food, utility bills and light travel. I was on JSA a couple of years ago, whilst also receiving housing benefits to cover my rent and council tax temporarily until my situation improved. It was a struggle, but I found life easier on benefits than for the first few months after I started working.
Thatcher was a bit before my time, so I'm not entirely sure about the impact she had upon the welfare system. But the welfare system was at least good enough to enable my mother to raise me and my brother well (it helped in no small part that mum was sensible and creative with her money).
I don't know how the UK welfare system compares to Australia's - I expect you have a better idea. And I don't mean to paint the picture of the UK as some utopia; the benefit system has been under a lot of scrutiny in recent times, mainly from people suggesting it is too generous and too open to fraud. There are also people correlating the increasing use of charity food banks by people in the UK with the cuts to benefits by the government, suggesting the poorest have been made poorer, and perhaps affording food has been made more difficult.
All I know is, based on my first-hand experience, I can't imagine ever finding myself homeless in the UK without seriously messing up somehow.
Thanks for your thoughtful and informed (and literate!) replies to my questions: I appreciate it.
Regarding women's refuges, if funding has been cut back resulting in closures I'll bet that as a result there will be countless women and their children in the category of "hidden homeless" as there are in Australia: either staying in violent relationships, living in their cars, couch surfing, moving into unsatisfactory relationships as an alternative to their kids going into care because they have nowhere safe to live.
In Australia there are periodic melodramatic "exposures" by tabloid TV, radio shock jocks and/or self-righteous politicians of all persuasions about welfare "bludgers" rorting the system, but in my experience that's far less common than the bureaucratic process making it unnecessarily difficult or impossible for claimants to get what they're entitled to. And of course, any money rorted in the welfare system pales into insignificance when compared to the tax rorts of the filthy rich and the perks of poliicians.
I gave money + food to a homeless guy. Is that normal?
↑ View this comment's parent
← View full post
No, it's not perfect. But in my experience, it's a fairly robust system, even with its flaws.
There are women's refuges in the UK, but I honestly can't say whether there are sufficient or insufficient numbers to meet demand. What I do know, is in recent years the funding for refuges has been cut back, so many refuges have closed.
JSA (job seeker's allowance) is enough to cover food, utility bills and light travel. I was on JSA a couple of years ago, whilst also receiving housing benefits to cover my rent and council tax temporarily until my situation improved. It was a struggle, but I found life easier on benefits than for the first few months after I started working.
Thatcher was a bit before my time, so I'm not entirely sure about the impact she had upon the welfare system. But the welfare system was at least good enough to enable my mother to raise me and my brother well (it helped in no small part that mum was sensible and creative with her money).
I don't know how the UK welfare system compares to Australia's - I expect you have a better idea. And I don't mean to paint the picture of the UK as some utopia; the benefit system has been under a lot of scrutiny in recent times, mainly from people suggesting it is too generous and too open to fraud. There are also people correlating the increasing use of charity food banks by people in the UK with the cuts to benefits by the government, suggesting the poorest have been made poorer, and perhaps affording food has been made more difficult.
All I know is, based on my first-hand experience, I can't imagine ever finding myself homeless in the UK without seriously messing up somehow.
--
Ellenna
8 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
0
0
Thanks for your thoughtful and informed (and literate!) replies to my questions: I appreciate it.
Regarding women's refuges, if funding has been cut back resulting in closures I'll bet that as a result there will be countless women and their children in the category of "hidden homeless" as there are in Australia: either staying in violent relationships, living in their cars, couch surfing, moving into unsatisfactory relationships as an alternative to their kids going into care because they have nowhere safe to live.
In Australia there are periodic melodramatic "exposures" by tabloid TV, radio shock jocks and/or self-righteous politicians of all persuasions about welfare "bludgers" rorting the system, but in my experience that's far less common than the bureaucratic process making it unnecessarily difficult or impossible for claimants to get what they're entitled to. And of course, any money rorted in the welfare system pales into insignificance when compared to the tax rorts of the filthy rich and the perks of poliicians.