Being unemployed for any length of time is a demoralising experience for anyone, for those that don’t have much to start with it is another thing altogether.
I am not talking about those whose experience of unemployment is the relatively short period they spent between graduation and getting a foot on the career ladder. Neither am I talking about those that have had a pretty decent career and have support structures in place to help them manage such as a partner in full time work, savings, a house, and transport. I’m referring to those that don’t have those sort of benefits.
Let’s say you’ve ended up in a bedsit at 18/19 years old. You have a couple of drawers full of clothing and what you stand up in. There’s no heating other than a 2 bar electric fire. The bedsit is damp, there won’t be any double glazing. There’s an electricity coin meter that is set at the highest legal rate the landlord is allowed to recharge electricity at, unless of course it has been accidentally set at a higher rate. There is no hot water other than that which you boil yourself. There may be hot water in the communal bathrooms but that’s only on for an hour in the morning and as there are at least 6 other occupants of the bedsits the chances of getting any hot water are slim. There are two bathrooms.
The benefits you receive will be “the amount of money the law says you need to live on”, a phrase you will become familiar with. The calculation used to determine the benefit rate of how much the generic human needs to live on is unknown, at least it certainly isn’t public. This amount will include, as long as you claim for it, housing benefit.
Housing benefit will pay a proportion of your rent and you will have to provide the rest from your other benefit. It was once possible to get an additional pound or so a week towards washing of clothing/bedding. This is typical of other allowances, they are hidden and it is up to you to discover them. Eligibility for ‘washing allowance’ depended on there not being a washing machine available and that you share a bathroom with others therefore preventing you from using the bath for cleaning clothing. If not sharing a bathroom you are expected to use the bath for all clothes/bedding washing. A visit to the laundrette will only happen under extreme circumstances.
As clothing, footwear, and bedding all wear out you will struggle to replace them unless you can find things in charity shops and bargain outlets. You will have to spend as little as possible on clothing as the cost of electricity and food will be the priorities. You’ll wear multiple layers to keep out the cold to save money on fuel. You won’t be catching the bus into town unless the distance is huge and you are under time constraint. Holes in your shoes won’t bother you after a while, socks will wear out faster.
If you have any items of value you will sell them, unless they are nicked first.
It’s your choice what you spend your benefit on, you might be able to get an endless and extortionate credit agreement for a massive TV, or booze and drugs to relieve the monotony. It’s up to you, but you’ll have to give up something else. The money will all be gone in a matter of days, and then there’s the long wait for the next payment.
Those with limited world and life experience will inevitably look downward and blame those in this position for their predicament, whereas looking up at those in positions of power, where the actual responsibility lies, happens very little.
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