Gaia's reality
My name is Gaia. I’m a mum of two. I’ve been on Universal credit for 7 years.
The process to get Universal Credit was hard. My support worker did it all with me. In the past my rent was paid directly. Now I get my money fortnightly so I can be better with budgeting.
I got sanctioned for missing an appointment that had been cancelled. The appointment was cancelled in my journal and then I got a message saying I had been sanctioned because I missed it. I was sanctioned for 6 months. I had to use food banks. I had to phone electric and gas asking for extensions. I had to borrow a lot. I got the money I was owed in the end, so the money was sorted but the impact on my life wasn’t. The impact on my mental health wasn’t. It affects you sitting at home trying to work out how to make a tiny bit of money last two weeks.
I feel like the DWP just causes problems. Unnecessary problems. Like, how can you miss something that has been cancelled!? They don’t use the resources they have for what people need. They prey on people, like single mothers, saying you need to do this and that - be here early with all your children. If there was more communication on a human level, there wouldn’t be so many sanctions. I just think they’re ridiculous. Even trying to call them, people don’t have enough credit to be sat on the phone for three hours waiting for them to answer.
The amount I get doesn't cover basic needs. I borrow off my friend, Kayleigh and she off me. We sometimes look at what food can cook together.
The quality of food I can afford is an issue for me. I want to cook fresh healthy food for my kids but can't afford it. I try to buy fresh fruit and veg but the processed frozen stuff and takeaways often work out cheaper. I don’t always know what is in the cheap food, but I can afford it, and it will feed us for two weeks.
I hope that talking about my life can change people's perspective – they can stand in my shoes. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life on benefits – it is not security it is a struggle.