Image: JobCentrePlus office. Wikimedia/Creative Commons
This is a story about the preposterous demands for money
made on people who rely on what we used to call the welfare state on
councils, housing providers, and the Department for Work and Pensions. Organisations which are supposed to support, not fleece, people in the greatest need.
Lets start with Sams story. A 22-year-old Newham woman and
mother to a young child, when I spent several days interviewing here she was in debt to every single one of the organisations
that she relied on for housing, income and support.
Sam owed money for unpaid council tax and court fines. She
had serious rent arrears – more than £1600 and rising. Sams flat was managed by t…
Read the full article at: https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/kate-belgrave/why-are-we-talking-about-student-debt-but-not-benefit-debt