No Men Of Honour

At The Broken of Britain we regularly receive emails from sick and disabled people in utter despair at the damage the cuts to benefits are causing to their lives. It's both the most difficult and most rewarding part of what we do. Although we are used to the fear and distress people are being put through, it's impossible for us to remain emotionally detached, and some cases are particularly hard to comprehend. Today is just one such example. A young woman with a life limiting, painful and severely disabling genetic condition is facing the prospect of losing her home due to the changes in the way local housing allowance is calculated. In her own words, she writes to the Prime Minister and Chancellor to remind them of their many, many promises to always protect the most vulnerable.

"And I want to say to British people clearly and frankly this; if you are elderly, if you are frail, if you are poor, if you are needy, a Conservative government will always look after you"
David Cameron 4.5.2010

"I have never felt lower. Because of changes to housing benefit, I've been reduced to a worrying mess. I face the possibility of being moved out of my flat that has an extra room for when I need a carer because the local housing allowance is dropping so much.

I'm entitled to a two-bedroom rate of housing benefit, but it's dropping so much, it will be lower than the one-bedroom rate I'm currently on. 

I'm too severely disabled to work. I cannot walk far, my condition is extremely painful, and I face unpredictable fluctuations in my disability where one day I may be unable to swallow properly, be able to get onto my feet, or even see properly. It is difficult enough to look after myself on a day to day basis, yet you are making it harder.
I receive DLA, Income Support and even Severe Disablement Allowance. Yet despite being acknowledged as one of the most deserving recipients of housing benefit, the office who deal with my benefit do not understand why I am to be one of the worst off, with no exception.

This morning I listed ten items to sell on eBay. These were presents I received last Christmas and on my last birthday. The items I am selling are two well made winter jumpers, some DVDs of films I enjoy, and three handbags (from high-street stores). I don't have anything of big value I can sell, and although I love the clothes and watching the DVDs I am selling, I have nothing else nice that anyone else would want. I am looking around for other things to sell, as times are hard enough without the impending drop in housing benefit. 

You and George Osborne said you would not leave the infirm without help. Well, you've let me down, and many others too. You have gone back on your word, and you are no man of honour."
 

Unconsidered consequences

Cross posted with permission from Misplaced Marbles

Why are people on Housing Benefit? Because they're on low incomes. Why are people on low incomes? Generally speaking because they are unemployed, working part time, or working minimum wage jobs. Often this is because of restrictions placed upon people like health problems. Like back problems. On any given day, 1% of the population are off sick because of back pain, and it's the second most common cause for long-term sickness leave. (http://www.backcare.org.uk/335/facts-and-figures.html#two).

Back pain covers a multitiude of experiences - an acute muscle spasm caused by gardening too much at the weekend, or a general nagging ache in your lower back, to conditions like Cauda Equina - the spinal cord at the very base of your spine being constricted, causing excrutiating pain, numbness in the legs, and incontinence.

I am one of the many people with low-grade, nagging, no clear cause back pain, with referred pain in my hips, thighs, and calves. There's no clear reason for this, I just know that, at 29 years old I swear with pain when I'm getting on and off the toilet, and feel like my partner has bruised me if he gives my bum a playful squeeze.

I've seen a physio and been given exercises to do to maintain, and hopefully improve my flexibility, as my muscles are very tight and I don't have great mobility in my spine. I need floor space to do these exercises. I'm not large - 5' 6", with an armspan roughly to match. So I need less than 6 foot squared of clean, clear floor to lie on, plus something to balance myself with (such as a chair) for some of the standing exercises.

I'm lucky, I live in a one bedroom flat, meaning my living room fulfils this function nicely. When I stay at my partner's, I can only do about half of the stretches recommended, because he lives in a room in a shared house. That room would be the living room, but it's been converted to a bedroom so three people can share the house, making the rent affordable.

This room houses a bed, wardrobe, desk, long stool, and bookshelves. There's room for me to lie on the floor, but not really move once I'm down there.

My partner is 34, and isn't on Housing Benefit. Were he reliant on Housing Benefit to pay his rent, would be ineligible for anything more than one room for another two years. As it is this is what he can afford. And I know lots of other people in a similar situation. They live in one room, paying £90 - £120 a week for that one room, and the living room is, more often than not, converted to a bedroom. This is what the government deems people aged 35 and under to require.

Now, lets imagine my partner is the one with the back problem, having to do physio twice a day to try to stay mobile. Where does he do this? He's 6' 4" inches tall - he needs space to exercise. Going to the gym sounds sensible. That costs £40 a month, give or take a few quid. Council subsidised gym memberships are hard to come by because of cuts to council budgets, and is it reasonable to expect someone to go to the gym twice a day, every day, weekday or weekend?

You need moderate warmth as you exercise, lying on a cold floor ends up sending the muscles into spasm as you try to stretch them gently, make them compliant and forgiving. You need to be able to afford to heat your home in winter to not end up locked up in pain.

When my back's in spasm I can't move. I can't get off the sofa without help. I can't get on the bus to go to a gym to lie on the floor there and cry whilst I try to unknot my muscles. That's something I'd rather do in private, thanks.

So when the government restricts the amount of space people can live in, they need to think of the unintended consequences of limiting people living on benefits to existing in one room.

I think there are people in the government not joining the dots. Not seeing the big picture. The media, aided and abetted by the government labels people with health conditions - like back problems - as, basically, workshy, but at the same time restricts the wherewithal for people to manage these conditions, and this is fundamentally wrong.

URGENT - e-mail MP with casting vote on housing benefit changes

URGENT - e-mail MP with casting vote on housing benefit changes

Disabled People Against Cuts are calling for urgent action today to prevent changes to Housing Benefit that will push disabled people further into poverty. The group, which organised last week's protest, is calling for us to e-mail MP Stephen Lloyd. He has the casting vote today on changes to housing benefits that could disproporiately affect disabled people. The government is trying to sneak these changes through with as little debate as possible.

Details and advice on what to say in your e-mail are at DPAC's page here - the address for his office is office@eastbournelibdems.org.uk. They suggest that we just write a short e-mail reminding Mr Lloyd that this could lead to more and more disabled people living in extreme poverty, having to be housed in temporary/unsuitable accommodation, or in care homes. It might be worth mentioning to him that we appreciate his vote against the tuition fee rise, and that we hope he'll show us the same bold support.

They'd also like us to e-mail Steve Webb, a Lib Dem DWP minister who has said that disabled people have too much money and therefore we do not need winter fuel allowance. This is not only an attack based on misinformation, but it also goes against the Lib Dem's pre-election policies. They promised us Winter Fuel Allowance. Given that they now can't keep that promise, they've U-turned with a cruel, damaging statement that chimes in nicely with the coalition's wider attack on disabled people. We can't stand for it. I'll be e-mailing Steve Webb today to tell him what I think - steve@stevewebb.org.uk.

The more of us that do this, the better. Protesting can happen from home, too.