How the UK treats it's poor, especially, those with chronic health issues is an absolute disgrace!

I'm 60 years old, still working and in a well paid job. I take nothing for granted, I could be like any of these people tomorrow. Please everyone when you go shopping, buy something to put into the food bank in your local supermarket if you can. You never know when it might be your turn.

This administration is putting many families in difficult situations. A lot of people are financially struggling to live, put a roof over their head and put food on the table. Things are getting worse these days, if you don't find means of multiplying your money you might wake up a day to realise you didn't plan well for yourself and family.

"Nobody from the government was available to speak to" Says it all, really.

There’s so many men out there, mid-50s, physically knackered or disabled after a lifetime in a trade, living desperately lonely lives (often childless and single), trying to cling on to an existence in tiny bedsits on Universal Credit. My heart really goes out to them.

It amazes me how ANY country can call themselves great when the citizens are living and dying is destitution... just wow.

Particularly sickening for people who have worked in supermarkets and know how much food goes to waste.

How can the UK afford a monarchy and allow its citizens to starve?

I saw so much pain in this man's eyes when he said only $30 pounds were left over to spend on food etc... i hope his life improves

If someone had told me thirty years ago that the UK would sink so low I would never have believed them. Gone are the days when having a job would at least keep your head above water. I seen an ex-council house going for £950 a month near where I live, how is someone working in a supermarket or any other basic job supposed to afford that? Millions are struggling just for the basics, including people in work, it really isn't something to be proud of. I'm in my fifties and remember my gran telling me about the squalid conditions people lived in when she was young, I hope we aren't heading back to that standard. There will always be an argument about scroungers and lazy people, but to have people going hungry in the fifth (or sixth) largest economy is shameful.

And the prime minister has recently laughed in Parliament when the home secretary was asked by about millions of UK tax payers money going to Rwanda in a failed attempt to deport migrants . The UK government has failed Britain.

Old age is scary without finances

I have been working all my life paying all my taxes and then I got a neurological disease and it has impacted my life for the worst. I see many nasty comments, don’t judge other people without knowing their life circumstances.

That guy held his tears back bless him.

It’s happening all over the world. I live in Toronto, where over 10% of the entire population (there are 7 million people in the greater Toronto area) relies on food banks to survive. The cost of rent, food, clothing, everything, is astronomical. People are literally forced to choose between paying the rent, or paying for food, but not both. Breaks my heart, and terrifies me, because I have myself live on permanent, long-term disability due to a lifetime of debilitating illness. Why is this happening everywhere, why are the rich getting richer and the middle-class disappearing completely? Both the Canadian government and the UK government are some of the richest in the world, so why are so many of us living in poverty? It infuriates me!

I grew up on a council estate. I went back to school to study GCSE maths at age 33. I am now studying cellular and molecular medicine at university. The only way out of poverty for me was learning a new skill. I live on very little, and most of my meals are snacks, but I was a flight attendant before, and the sad fact is that there is a ceiling for unskilled labour. We will never get ahead. Where do we go from here? In my city, a property listed at 9am is gone by 9:05am because people are so desperate for a place to stay that they will pay the deposit before seeing the place, and the rent is extortionate. I am skipping meds I need or spacing them out so I don't run out, and I shop for food at night for the closing deals. Look after each other y'all. It's hard out here for everyone.

It's a sick country that allows its own people to live like this

Absolutely heartbreaking. And what does the Government do? Remove the cap on bankers bonuses. Utterly, utterly sickening

That could easily of been me. I was in the Army for many years. I left the army in my 30s. And I decided, what to do next with my life. A trade, or university to study computers. I went to university. At 55, all my old injuries ganged up on me, my back, my knees, my shoulders. If I had a trade, I would of ended up on the sick, and into poverty like him. With many on here sneering at me, and blaming me, for the fact, that my body had given up on me. As a software dev, I sit down, and work, so I can work till retirement or even longer if i so wish. Funny enough when i picked software over a trade, it never even occurred to me, that 20 years down the line, my body would give up.

No wonder so many working people are terrified of losing their jobs. It's also no wonder that so many folks merely subsisting on benefits end up taking their own lives because of grinding poverty (since they have no quality of life.) There are a lot of people who are now employed but were formally subsisting on benefits, and this has left them with PTSD. They live in constant fear of finding themselves back in that stressful situation once again, and rightly so. Believe me, welfare poverty is one of the most depressing experiences known to mankind. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

What a disgrace this country has become. Broken beyond repair!

My sister took legal custody of me when she was twenty one years old and worked in a fast food place. Sometimes I would have to stay with friends family for months at a time because she couldn’t afford me. Those families were friends of ours because I went to school with their kids . Those people we’re heroes. Bought all my gear for sports and everything. They were not well off either. Anyway, what I meant to say is poverty sucks for kids and families.

I've been retired 3 years. About 10 ago I saw impending poverty so I saved and built a tiny trailer house. I live on a farm where I work a couple of hours a day to cover my rent and utilities. I live very comfortably and keep virtually all my pension.Thank goodness I had the foresight.

20 years ago I used to work in a little well know delicatessen shop in Edinburgh. Every weekend I would be asked to close the shop and throw away dozens of delicious baguettes and croissants, all perfect to eat but not sold fast enough. I was shocked. I took the bundle and walked around Edinburgh to give them away to homeless people sitting in minus 5 degrees on the pavement. Colleagues and boss not interested in the problem. What are supermarkets and cafes doing to help hungry people ??

I think this touches on the root cause of most of the problems in the UK and US today - the hollowing out of the working/middle class over the last 30 years. You've got people living nearly destitute, young people who can't get on the housing ladder, families struggling to pay bills - and they wonder why our Country's are so chaotic and divided..

The most aggravating aspect is that food banks are treated as a normal part of life. It's not normal to be a working person and not be able to afford food. It's just not normal.

I lost my job (through no fault of my own) 3 months before the tories slashed housing benefits to £65 a week when they first came into power. I was privately renting a studio flat for 425 a month, receiving 260 a month housing benefit after the cut, and £204 a month jobseekers allowance. So to make up the 165 shortfall on my rent i used my jobseekers allowance, leaving me with £39 a month remaining to live off. I couldnt pay any bills and food banks werent a thing back then. I survived off 18p aldi noodles, stealing bread from the petrol station up the road and did a few runners in restaurants embarassingly, just to try and have 1 meal a day. Lost 2 stone in weight, mental health was down the toilet and racked up thousands of debts for bills. Used to have to ring for crisis loans to be on hold for ages then to be told i can have £11 when i asked for £20 to get some food. Disgraceful. Surpised i made it through that period of my life. And was meant to be searching for work in the mean time! All this in a top 5 wealthiest nation. Nothing has changed since and my situation was 12 or 13 years ago

Even people with degrees are struggling to find jobs or make enough. The government boasts about all the jobs available and yet so many are still jobless/homeless/near poverty. When everyone from your business owner to your graduate student is struggling, the issue isn’t the citizens or a generation that “doesn’t want to work”. Scariest part is that when the population tries to start organizing and making efforts to help each other, those on power also make it hard, creating 1000 and 1 hoops that you have to jump through. They can’t be arsed to help and then they try and prevent others from helping properly.

I live in Italy and I find this report so heartbreaking. I simply cannot imagine how these people get up in the morning knowing what awaits them. The government should be ashamed that a man who has worked all his life has to live on 30 quid a month!

I’m 70 and I’m experiencing the exact same situation here in the USA. Life’s horribly difficult

The world is upside down. I live in the US & it's the save situation. All the sudden, the wealth gap is the size of a galaxy. You either have a $500MM yacht, or you live in a rent or car. Devastating & no solutions in sight. Where is the electwd leadership?😡

I skip meals on some days and don't have a young one to care for so I can imagine how difficult it must be for others.

I am in the US, working as a Substitute Teacher. This year, we received a raise that helped, but in the past few years, I could barely make my rent, unless the school schedule allowed 22 work days in the month. I was constantly sick with chronic upper respiratory issue, rashes, and kidney infections when I started subbing, and used summer to get almost well before everything started again with the next school year. Covid helped tremendously as I qualified for unemployment and actually received more than when I was working. It's ridiculous that the US and the UK make it so hard to get help when you're actually working hard to keep from drowning. I didn't use food banks before Covid, the thought never crossed my mind. Now I'm so grateful for them.

We’re all a couple of pay days away from poverty. I’ve worked all my life, lost both parents last year & was out of work while probate was going on (and still going on) I went 6 days without food in February of this year. Used a food bank & cried walking home with the bags of food they gave me.

Im 52 . Doctor signed me off sick when i reached 33 with a slupped disc and osteoporosis in my spine that he could not explain. I had to go on income support and dismantle my landscaping business . At 44 i slipped another disc when i slipped on a path waliking to the shops . After investigation i discovered at 44 that i was born with a syndrome that was causing my brittle bones. In April this year i failed a pip assessment and whilst in the 3 month appeal had to live off 360 pound a month . Having now won my appeal in October , my other benifit ESA began missing payments that ive contantly had to recover with very lengthy phone calls .. ( all the stress causes more suffering ) I knew they would miss my payment over xmas and they have because thats what they do ! Heartless !! I am living one meal a day since april Wash with cold water

Horrendous lack of compassion and caring by society and in paticular the government. He and thousands of others deserve help and support.

I reside in Australia and this news segment made me weep. I grow fruit and vegetables to donate to my local food bank to assist people who struggle with providing their children and themselves with food. Today I purchased two four kilo bags of apples to add to hampers. God bless all the most unfortunate people in their daily struggles.

This could happen to any one of us - lose a job, get sick or have a baby as a single Mum and the country turns it's back on you. So sad. Should not happen in the UK.

I work and struggle 30 quid a month to live on is crushing you aren’t even existing.

This is madness everything is falling apart and it keeps getting worse. How are people supposed to live a meaningful life with the cost of living out of reach

And yet supermarkets throw away millions of tons of food because they rather do that than lower the price because they rather people buy it at full price than reduce it

It's expensive to be poor. Poor people don't have access to low interest loans, they can't afford washer machine so they'll have to pay for launderette like this gentleman here. They can't buy in bulk (which is generally cheaper) because they don't have a car, plus supermarkets are often located in middle and upper class areas. It's a sad state of affair really.

I’m now worried about care leavers, kids who have no one. How will we cope with this, I can relate to this and I’m barely 20. Dear.

This is heartbreaking. Watching this from Manhattan NY USA. The UK Goverment is a disgrace. Where is their compassion? There will always be people who take advantage of the welfare system. These people are not those people. For the love of god help them!!

For a "developed" country, this is shocking. Through illness, I live off what the DWP thinks I should get to live off. However, those who do the calculating, have no idea what's happening in the real world. Prices are going up: food, energy, gas, electric etc but the government forgets that benefits do not rise at the same rate! But then again the calculations are done by those who have had a privileged upbringing and have never had to live under the same syress as us!!

I worked hard from 16 to my mid 30's until a health issue I was born with got steadily worse. It's a huge struggle to survive, I eat one meal a day & it's normally a baked potato & beans. My dog eats better than me, before anyone says I shouldn't have a dog if I'm struggling so much I'd like to mention that I suffered with prolonged grief syndrome for 2 yrs. For 2 years I would burst into tears multiple times every day. The NHS wouldn't give me therapy, instead they just filled me with pills which didn't help. I rescued my dog because his past owner who was seriously abusing him was going to put him down (he's only 18 months old & perfectly healthy). He's the one thing in my life that was able to snap me out of my crippling depression. I gave him a home to save him & in return he's been saving me. I'm constantly worried that our government is going to make my life harder as they demonize those of us with long term health issues. I have physical health issues & mental health issues, I'm almost 50 so no amount of benefit cuts will make employers decide to employ me before they employ a healthy person

Without a doubt, the housing crisis is driving poverty and depression. Living in a run down bedsit with sky high rent will rob anyone of their dignity and self esteem so it's no wonder so many people fall further into extreme poverty and illness. There are also a lack of jobs for employable people in their 50's and 60's, especially manual or semi skilled, who prefer to employ younger people. Minimum wage jobs offer zero incentive or offer any opportunity to escape poverty, and yet people are encouraged to take such jobs just to improve the figures. I have worked all my life and will have to work into my late 60's to survive, possibly longer, if I am able, but I still feel sympathy for those who cannot work because of illness or injury. A good 'standard' of living should mean that a person can live well within their means, not struggle, starve and be thrown into eternal shame because their rent is out of control and they cannot afford food or heating. The government is entirely to blame.

And yet the government wasted 100s of millions on a funeral for that queen. What a joke.

I work full time (40 hours a week), and earn an “average” salary… And things are really starting to bite. My energy bills have doubled, my food costs have doubled. My rent and council tax have increased, petrol prices to get to and from work have increased, but my salary has not. It just seems to be getting harder and harder.

Really felt for that bus driver guy... After redundancy from the shipyard I used to survive on £6 a week after rent was paid in the early 1990s.. still recall going to Netto and grabbing all the cheap cans of food they had. Used to just lie in bed just so I didn't have to turn the heater on... all this and I was working as a volunteer computer technician/donation collector at the homeless society (where I could get free out of date sandwiches)... simply no jobs in my hometown at that time... and minimum wage wasn't a thing then so you could be drastically worse off not being on benefits... a vicious circle. I left UK 15 years ago after going to uni and, while I would love to move back, videos like this remind me of the brutal reality of living in the UK.

it kills me to see how our country has fallen...

Not brittish , but I live in England , and I observed similarities from my country , when it comes to people on benefits ( welfare , you name it ) . Seen lots of people being capable of work , healthy and sturdy , laying on benefits , meanwhile the real people that would need them are finding themselves in struggle .

This goes on in America also I am 60 years old and live on a fixed income from being disabled The food banks can't handle all of us that are in need of food It's heartbreaking

My wife invites our neighbour's kid around to play with ours, we know for a fact she goes hungry so her kid can have meals but shes always turned down "food help" from us, so we invite her kid to play with ours as an excuse to cook a meal for the both of them (we'll cook something the kid wants but cook too much of it so the mother finishes off what the kid doesnt want), this country is fucked up when a single working mother can't afford to feed themselves.

I pray someone there helps you. PRAYERS FROM USA

There is something about Paul's story that really touched me... The way he tries to keep up smiling... But his eyes tell the truth... I wished society did more for the needy. I used to be one of those who believed that hand-outs were bad and that there were only lazy people who took advantage of it. But I changed my mind over the past few years when I came to realize that it doesn't matter if some people take advantage of the system, because what matters in the end is that there is a "safety net" for the people who truly need it.

Benefit bashers need to watch this. This is average life of a disabled person these days. I know what its like to dive in the dumpster for scraps, wear clothing that is falling apart and beg for food at the local food bank. Its hard and I feel immese shame for being disabled. I wish I could do more with my life.

Life with chronic illness is hard n without job. I am finding my life hard with insomnia n don't know how future is going to be. The crux is one need to take care of health well to survive well in later years.

Crazy. I feel sorry about this poor people. I am from Czechia, and I could say people here are actually rich. Almost everyone has his own house or flat (and usually one summer apartment - cottage). So it makes the cost of living more affordable. I am in shock whats going on in the UK 😢.

I grew up in the UK during the 1940's and 50's, the son of a not very well off working class family together with my older sister. Although we had little money we never went without a meal, yet I don't ever recall hearing of food banks in those days. Society is supposed to progress, not go backwards, there's something sadly wrong when people can't afford to put food on the table.

Excellent reporting, highlighting the needs of the many people rather than the wants of the few people. Bless all that struggle. ❤ To the People.

What a mess we’re in. What’s gone wrong with the system? I grew up in a South Yorkshire mining village in the 60’s and 70’s I can’t remember anything remotely as bad as this.

Rishi Sunak lives such a privileged life he has no idea how hard life can really be for a lot of people. I see him speaking on tv and all I can think is how far removed from reality he is.

When I complain about my lot in life, I want to remember Paul and ask for blessings for him and others.

Rent is absolutely ridiculous these days, landlords squeezing every last penny out of the poor!!

How is this even possible in Britain?

I remember living in Canada during the pandemic I had to rent a room for $600.00. literally I had $15.00 a month to live off of but the restaurants offered free food everyday in my neighborhood because they wouldn't allow us to work. I did that for 3 months then moved to a shared house. I ended up paying less and there was plenty of food because everyone put in the pot to buy groceries every week. There was Soo much food that food was never an issue. When life gets hard you just can't do it by yourself.

I feel so sorry for this guy , if I live next door to him I would give him free home cooked food everyday , since I always cooked too much for 2 person's .

So unacceptable, yet the general public doesn't seem to care. People need to wake up because this could very well be their future.

This is heartbreaking 😢

My greatest concern is how to recover from all these economic and global troubles and stay afloat especially with the political power tussle going on in UK.

I’ve lived poverty in the 70’s (but not destitution) and unless you’ve experienced it, seen it through the eyes of a hungry, cold, tired child, you couldn’t possibly understand how it can happen and so quickly to anyone. Both working parents one laid off for months resulted in no electricity, no heating, very little food, underwear washed in a sink with hand soap taken from public toilets and toast for most meals. But then, some of those doubting the innocent positions of those claiming destitution will hopefully one day be in a position to understand just that, it’s called karma. We are all here to learn valuable lessons, sometimes those lessons have to be lived.

as a polisch migrant i must say i never think uk will be like this ...

I have lived in the uk for 10 years and I was meant to go back this year but I have decided against it… even with a full time job I think I would have ended up in poverty too, and it’s sad to see what has happened to a country that I loved so much. Brexit, Covid, didn’t help, I hope these people and everyone else effected will manage to turn their lives around 🙏🏼

My grandad was a veteran of WW2, worked his entire life and was extremely proud of what came following the war ie the NHS and the welfare state. In years past I have felt so proud to work in the NHS and live in a country that looks after the sick, disabled and those in poverty. The Conservatives ideologically hate these pillars of our society and have purposefully dismantled them. This country has now got exactly what it voted for. The Conservatives convincing the working class that they represent them will hopefully be remembered as the biggest swindle a UK government has ever played on its people.

What an absolute shambles the UK has become. The amount of older people the aged pension will no longer be around in 20 years, let that sink in

Sorry, it isnt hardship. It is ABUSE.

ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE

I'm in Canada but have friends from around the world in online mental health forums. One man i knew for years was 59 and living in his car in northern England and working full-time. He had worked his whole life despite psychiatric illness. He was trying to stay hopeful but when his car engine seized he couldn't afford the repairs, lost his job and wound up in the psychiatric ward at hospital. For some reason they didn't get him into housing and he chose to end his life. His sister (who lived hundreds of miles away) let his friends online know about his passing. I don't know how an employed 59 year old homeless man was not able to get help, but here in Canada it's very difficult for working people to get emergency help although the system supports many "lifers" on welfare for decades. Perhaps some funds should be allocated to helping employed people stay employed? I find it very sad that this good man died. Rest in peace, Paul

Having left the UK 30 years ago, it breaks my heart to see how we are treating people often disabled through their work. It's no better than the Victorian era to be honest and embarrassing to the nation.

This is absolutely heartbreaking. Unacceptable in the world's 6th largest economy.

Im senior already I thank GOD that being so blessed to what HE provides to me everyday...I've worked abroad during my late 30's for 4years....which i known for a fact that we had helped our gov't econkmy thru those remittances but now sadly we were ignored by our provincial government who gets the funds to the Natinal but as i may say what's intended for us older people they pocketed those corrupt officials who got no conscience....well Karma applies to abusive politicians...GOD bless and we should hold on to the Great ALMIGHTY 🤗😌

I met an ex soldier who became homeless after being sanctioned for being late for a DWP appointment ,and then died on the streets.

Thatcher wanted to take us back to Victorian values. Her party obviously knew what she meant: many now experience Victorian poverty.

I felt sad listening to this. May God bless🙏

It's not just universal credit is poor, being in work can be the same low payment too. Unrealistically low.

Working class men treated so badly in the UK. It breaks my heart.

This is so heartbreaking, it really hurts to see this man living in this way.

I can relate. I have a good job and am single - one salary. I battle to pay all the bills and cannot possibly afford a holiday.

The price of shelter is too high due to lack of supply. Goverments not building for years and second home owners.

As a Mexican national growing up always in poverty I'm familiar with all this. Me and my siblings are grown ups now but we always thought of the UK and USA as rich countries were everybody had a nice life. It seems poverty and inequality are everywhere not just in underdeveloped countries. It's just amazing to learn that some people in UK has worse living conditions than people in Mexico

This is genuinely heartbreaking. As someone who has experienced living on the edge of homelessness, despite always being employed and, thankfully able to work, I know the daily / nightly stress of counting the (literal) pennies and trying to get from day to day. The toll it takes on the body and mind cannot be understated. IF you survive it, it scars you for life. My heart goes out to the increasing numbers of people who find themselves in this terrible position, there is NO REASON within a civilised society that people cannot and should not be supported, there are enough resources, providing they are not being horded and squandered by the privileged few.

I know that my opinion can be misunderstood,but i talk by my own personal experience as a Working Immigrant in the UK for 13 years,and believe it or not never asked for a single Benefit( not even Tax Credits),because ive always worked,first doing those Shitty jobs that no one wants to do it ( Garbage,Recycling,Sewers,etc)but must have be done,12 hours shifts with 1 day of a week,earning the minimum wage. Ive done it for almost 2 years without complaining,until i found a job that was perfect for my professional skills.I stayed there for 11 years,it was no walk in the park,but the wages were according with my qualifications,with some Company benefits,etc. All of this to say that during those 13 years,ive seen loads but loads of people with perfect health,no problems with the "law" whatsoever,with families but they Didin't want to Work. In the town were i was working and living,there was lots of jobs in offer,most where factory jobs but when you have a familie ( or not), you want a decent place to live with electrics,central heating,the essencial to have Dignity and self esteem,you have to Work like the majorety of "US" do. But no,those people choose to be on benefits,with many children as possible,living in a Council flat or estate in "terrible" conditions, specialy for the children,but even them all the money they could "suck" from the System was for Beer, Cigarrets,the Latest Samsung model and PlayStation games for the kids. Spending much of the day in the Pub, Complaining abaut the "Foreigners" taking their jobs... Always the same BS argument to do Nothing,because they are too Lazy to have a job. That's the Reality, do you like it or not. There are always jobs available,like the ones i mention, the same ones i have exepienced in person just to get by but with my Dignity Intact. There is no shame having to Work in Garbage Disposal or in Garbage Recycling,its a job,ok not a good one but at least your income is much better than living like Leeches of Society. The thing is,those people are Lazy,dont have Dignity and Self Esteem whatsoever. And as always the Guilty ones for Their shitty lifes,are the "Foreigners"... Get Real you Lazy people.

Managing money is different from accumulating wealth, and the lack of investment education in schools may explain why people struggle to maintain their financial gains. I personally benefited from the market crisis as I embrace challenging times while others tend to avoid them. Well, at least my advisor does too, jokingly...

Politicians living and working in London are completely sheltered from what's happening around the UK. Particularly in the depressed north or in many of these dying coastal towns. Most politicians would prefer to give billions in subsidies to rich oil companies than help people like Paul.

I left the UK in 2019 for good after nearly 30 years of work! I realised everything I tried to do to benefit my family was futile! I have lived in a flat in my youth where the only heat I had over winter was a candle. So, I found job in Spain, sold our mortgaged house paid off the loan and bought a run down rural house here in Asturias. I do not have a mortgage or rent because I saw into my old age and was frightened, I swore to be as self reliant as possible. The society here seems more gentle, quiet and respectful. I cut wood for our log fire and am always warm here. In the UK you need a lot of things to survive, good warm clothing, proper meals to keep you well, heating, especially in winter, electric lights for long dark winter periods and most of all you need a government that cares about you. The latter will never materialise. I say this, I used to love the UK but now it's really shocking. My sibling miss me, but understand totally why we moved.

Rent , supermarket, electricity, inflation needs to all come down but no one is acting upon it, what is this government doing.

Life of these people gives us hope and motivation. As I live in India every month I give double of his amount left in charity approx 67pounds. And I am highly grateful for all I have got and I should never take things for granted in life. It's highly important that one must have financial knowledge and discipline because one can end to this life if we aren't careful with money when one has got it. My prayers are for him God gives him strength and he should have faith to have good life in future.

Yes it’s heart breaking that many people are suffering, yet we as a people are ok with all their cuts to benefits while those making these legislation and rules are living in comfort, giving themselves pay rises when they are on a lot of money as it is and using tax payers money to pay for their utilities.

Recession is often the result of external factors, and it appears that the United Kingdom is losing its grip as a federal reserve currency. With a decreasing ability to control inflation and a reduction in stocks and oil trading, it seems that a new multilateral world order is on the horizon.