Treated as pariah for being poor

Due to being diagnosed with various mental health problems I’ve had to apply for sick benefit (Employment Support Allowance). However, I have been months without any money at all and am currently being threatened with eviction from my council property due to a complete cut of my housing benefit.

When I enquired to my local job centre about my claim, I was told I’d been ‘penalized’ due to missing an appointment back in early May 2013 from a previous claim.

This was where I was supposed to have attended a ‘medical’ over on the other side of Birmingham. However didn’t receive the letter of information until days after this appointment. My claim came to a sudden halt and my benefits stopped.

I wasn’t informed of this. It took me four weeks to find out for myself at my local job centre where I was patronized for not knowing where I stood financially. I was refused an appeal and was forced to start a new claim. When I asked of other options such as a loan etc.... I was told ‘to go to the local soup van’. This has now taken over two months and I am still completely in the dark as to what is going on with my claim or if I will be losing my home any time soon.

This does not help with my mental state as I’ve only worsened by being messed around by the incompetence and heartless disregard of these so-called civil servants who are supposed to be there to supply help, advise and support towards their clients.

I understand that I surely cannot be the only one. This is a national scandal and needs to be redressed. The original purpose for the welfare state was to look after the poor, not treat them as the scum of the earth so why is it the working class are being scrutinized and treated as pariahs for being poor??

April Hodgkinson, address supplied