A Tyneside charity has warned that the cost of living nightmare will kill people this winter as the North East’s most vulnerable are dragged further into poverty every day.
In a damning new report, Changing Lives has demanded urgent action from the Government to combat a “perfect storm” caused by rocketing food and utility bills that will hit the region’s deprived communities hardest. The looming threat of the energy price cap rising in October has left the charity, which now supports thousands of people across the country facing issues such as homelessness, addiction, and long-term unemployment, “terrified” for the lives of those it helps.
One struggling Northumberland business owner told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the crisis has already forced her to go without food for five days and that she is contemplating switching her gas off this winter. Mary Hall, from Lynemouth, turned to Changing Lives for help as her pet training business was rendered unviable after struggling through the Covid pandemic and now finds that her Universal Credit payments are not enough to cover her rent, food, and energy bills.
The 47-year-old, who has multiple physical and mental health issues including autism and PTSD, said being left unable to feed herself because of escalating prices was “scary” and she fears there is worse to come. She said: “I am going to have to shut the business now and try to get some financial support in place. I have made claims for various benefits, but if they get rejected I don’t know what will happen.
“It is a long time to sit and wait. There is this energy bill rise coming and there is nothing I can do – and that is not through lack of hard work, I have worked hard all my life. I have considered just switching the gas off this winter, that is what it is going to come to if I can’t pay.”
Changing Lives financial inclusion worker Lynn Crawford says she is “terrified” for the wellbeing of people like Mary, worrying that some of those she helps on a daily basis will soon be dead unless there is a “massive intervention” from ministers to freeze energy bills and significantly increase benefit payments. She warned: “Since March I have been saying that people are going to die – food poverty, fuel poverty, all the issues with the benefits system, people with mental health issues are going to deteriorate, the NHS will be bombarded.
“If you have nothing now and can’t pay your bills and then the energy cap goes up, then you literally won’t be able to feed yourself. People will be asking themselves what the point is in living anymore. People have talked to me about putting their children into care because they can’t afford to feed them. This is not going to stop by itself, the Government has to do something.”
In a report published this week, Changing Lives reveals that 80% of its services have seen an increase in the number of people who are no longer able to make ends meet – with food poverty now “commonplace” and growing numbers at risk of eviction. The ‘Priced Out’ investigation reports that under-25s are at greatest risk, two thirds of the charity’s services are seeing more people at increased risk of abuse and exploitation, and that helping people transition out of homeless hostels has become ever more difficult because of the crippling cost of private rented accommodation – with monthly deficits of almost £200 making it simply unaffordable for people to live independently.
The charity, which began life as the Tyneside Cyrenians in 1970, has called for “wide-ranging changes” including increasing Universal Credit in line with inflation, the building of 3.1 million new council houses, and significantly increased funding for vital support services.
Its report found that there was a “perfect storm for people living with multiple disadvantage, who do not have the safety net of friends, family or community to support them when times are tough”. It concludes: “The people we support are priced out by the rising cost of living, unable to live their lives with the dignity we all deserve.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We recognise people are struggling with rising prices which is why we are protecting millions of the most vulnerable families with at least £1,200 of direct payments, starting with the £326 cost of living payment, which has already been issued to more than seven million low income households.
"Through our £37bn support package we are saving the typical employee over £330 a year through a tax cut, allowing people on Universal Credit to keep £1,000 more of what they earn, while all households will receive £400 energy payments. Vulnerable families in England are also being supported by the Government’s Household Support Fund - which was boosted by £500m - to help pay for essentials.”
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