Who are the real benefit claimants?

Tweet

According to someone who knows, these are:

largest groups of benefit claimants I have met in my work:
I'm old/ We're old /I'm old and widowed.

My husband left me and the kids after the business collapsed/he had an affair/he left me for another woman/he left me for another woman and then i found he'd remortgaged the house 3 times over. I wasn't working 'cause I have two toddlers/he preferred a non-working wife/I care for my elderly mum.

My husband/wife died.

I'm 53 and got made redundant, started drinking, and the wife kicked me out when I got too much to handle/ I'm 18 and my parents kicked me out because they can't afford me/we had a row/ mum's new partner hates me/beats me. Now I live in a hostel.

I had an accident/got sick/developed something debilitating/had a breakdown

I got made redundant

I work but can't pay my rent anymore as it's now higher than my total income from working 48 hours in Primark.

I have a disabled child who needs 24 hour care and don't want to put him/her into care

I live an hour's bus journey (and £5 return) away from any work, and my child is at primary school and I can't find anything to fit in. (That one tende to be temporary and often allied to one of the above reasons)

Smallest groups:
drug addicts/alcoholics (and many of these would have started using to medicate against mental health problesm)

genuinely feckless single mothers - there are actually very few

benefit claimants who work in the legal or illegal economy

people who could work but don't AND who claim benefits - most adults get fed up with £60 a week to live on. I've met plenty of much better-off people happy not to work - they have (or have partners/parents) who support them.

non-existent groups:
people who do well on benefits alone. I lost count of the numbers who got by only because friends and family helped out in emergencies, or who were carrying thousands in debts run up to pay for what are commonly called 'essentials'.

people who can afford to move house when their left-over income after food and rent and bills is about £3 a week.