Residents in an area with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country have spoken of feeling “humiliated” and “fighting a losing battle” as they seek to find work.
Gorton has the ninth highest rate of out of work citizens in Britain and the worst in Greater Manchester.
Among the stories residents told were those who have been left homeless by a long-term inability to find employment and some who criticised a lack of support for people who are out of work.
However, some were content to be unemployed and felt that finding a job would actually leave them worse off financially.
The Manchester Evening News visited the area in south-east Manchester and spoke to some of those affected by an unemployment rate of 8.3 per cent.
John McDonald, 58, says he lost his job as a joiner when the company shut down in 1979.
In a tragic twist of fate, he broke his neck shortly after, leaving him in pain and out of work ever since. Homeless and alone, he now spends his days sleeping in parks around Gorton.
“I haven’t eaten in three days,” he says. “I’ve been on the streets since my mum and dad died four years ago.”
Many work hard in the bustling, diverse neighbourhood, holding down multiple jobs to make ends meet. But John is among thousands out of work.
Darren Fitzgerald, 57, has struggled with an alcohol addiction for 20 years and drinks from as early as 4am every morning.
He now struggles with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, meaning he has breathing difficulties and needs specialist equipment at home.
Despite his illness, the dad-of-seven says he would still never work – believing you’re better off on benefits than having a job.
He currently receives £159 a month as part of his Universal Credit allowance, as well as £259 a fortnight from other benefits.
“I’ve never worked,” he said. “People don’t want to work anymore. You get more money on benefits.
“You get rent, get your taxes paid and you get more money than working. I wouldn’t work because it’s no good for me. If you work, you’re worse off.”
Linda Cleary, 65, believes the unemployment rate is higher in Gorton because some simply don't want to work.
“I hate to say it because I don't mean this for all the younger ones, but a lot of them don't want to go out because they find unhealthy ways of making money,” she said.
"A lot are lazy and some of these young parents have probably never worked anyway so they don't really have a work ethic.”
Bernard Valentine struggles with alcohol dependency. The dad-of-six lost his job as a labourer on a building site seven years ago and has not found work since.
“I'm on Universal Credit now,” the 57-year-old said. "I get £150 a fortnight. I used to get £300. I have to pay bills, it's very hard.
“I'd rather work than be on benefits. It gives you something to do all day.”
One woman told the Manchester Evening News she thinks there aren’t enough services to help people get employed.
The 36-year-old worked for the NHS for 10 years, first as a cadet before going on to study a degree in operating department practice.
But a brutal attack by an ex-partner in January led to her severely damaging her spine, meaning she can no longer work on medical grounds.
“He was around the back of my house and attacked me with a small baseball bat,” she said. “I now have a bulging disc in my spine.
“There are things I can’t do at work because of my reliability. I could collapse and I’m in constant pain.
“A lot of people don’t want to work because the services aren’t there to help. I’ve been told by the job centre to dumb down my CV because I got refused a job because I’m overqualified.
“I wouldn’t expect to lie just to get a minimum wage job. It’s offensive. It just upsets me because I really want to work and I’m not able to.
“It’s actually humiliating that I can’t work. They don’t help the right people; it’s not okay for me and I’m really struggling.
“I feel a bit scruffy. I feel like I should be working; I’m not making excuses not to work. I just feel like I’m fighting a losing battle. It’s just horrible.”
