A generation of children are being forced to rely on food banks, according to new statistics.
Food banks in Caerphilly County Borough are busier than ever as the number of people needing emergency food grew by 120% across Wales.
Statistics released by the Trussell Trust show that over 79,000 people in Wales needed three day emergency food between April 2013 and March 2014, nearly 28,000 of them children.
The Trussell Trust is the UK’s largest food bank provider and runs food banks in Risca, Blackwood and New Tredegar.
These three food banks fed 3,200 people in the last year including over 1,200 children.
Debbie Orrell, Volunteer Co-ordinator of Rhymney Valley Food Bank in New Tredegar, said they were short of the food needed to feed the “working poor” and people affected by benefit changes.
She said: “We have definitely noticed a rise in people in need. People come to us who are employed but can’t afford to live. They work minimum wage jobs and do all the hours they can but may be earning a matter of pennies over the benefit threshold.
“You can’t increase your demand two-fold and not be short of food.”
One independent food bank in Caerphilly town alone fed more than 900 children.
Bridging the Gap at Elim Church saw a 300% rise in the number of children it fed in January 2014 compared with 2013 and fed an average 23 people a day last year.
Team Manager Andy Watkins said: “The number of people we are feeding is increasing due to the ‘Bedroom Tax’ and welfare sanctions, Even if people appeal, it takes three weeks to clear up before they get money to buy food.”
Volunteer Steve Sims added: “I’m concerned about the homeless situation as well as food banks. It’s definitely got busier here over the last year, I’ve noticed an increase in demand due to economic sanctions and the ‘Bedroom Tax’ does have an impact even though the government deny it.”
Food bank users are referred by community agencies who give vouchers that are swapped for three days worth of emergency food.
More than 50% of referrals to Trussell Trust food banks in 2013/14 were due to benefit changes or delays and 20% were due to low income.
Chris Mould, Chairman of the trust, said: “In the last year we’ve seen things get worse, rather than better, for many people on low-incomes.
“It’s been extremely tough for a lot of people, with parents not eating properly in order to feed their children and more people than ever experiencing seemingly unfair and harsh benefits sanctions.
“Unless there is determined policy, action to ensure that the benefits of national economic recovery reach people on low-incomes we won’t see life get better for the poorest anytime soon.
“A more thoughtful approach to the administration of the benefits regime and sanctions in particular, increasing the minimum wage, introducing the living wage and looking at other measures such as social tariffs for essentials like energy would help to address the problem of UK hunger.”
In Caerphilly County Borough the Citizens Advice Bureau and United Welsh Housing Association are two of many organisations that refer people to food banks.
Ann Matthews of Caerphilly Citizens Advice Bureau said: “We set up outreach programmes across Caerphilly County Borough to help people with the underlying causes that force them to use food banks.
“Our outreaches are really busy. The reasons are generally due to low income not necessarily benefit loss but clients are finding themselves in trouble because of that as well.”
A United Welsh spokesman said: “Food bank use amongst United Welsh tenants in Caerphilly has risen by 30% in the past twelve months and what’s more, there’s been a 20% increase in our tenants who work but need to use food banks.”
Revd Simon Walkling, Moderator for the United Reformed Church National Synod of Wales signed a letter to David Cameron in February along with other faith leaders claiming benefit changes are driving people into poverty.
He said: “There are questions to ask about whether welfare reforms and benefit sanctions have made life harder for some people, and about how the gap between a family having a crisis and receiving state help can be bridged.”
The UK Government continue to deny there is a link between welfare reform and a rise in the use of food banks claiming that publicity of food banks is responsible for their increased importance despite a report they commissioned by DEFRA denying this.
A DWP spokesperson said: “The benefits system supports millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed, and there is no robust evidence that welfare reforms are linked to increased use of food banks.”
There will, without a doubt, be those regular contributors to these articles, with the inclination to `rubbish` the need for these food banks.
Those who are still in denial about the `need` for families to make use these charitable facilities are living in cocoons, and, whatever negative remarks are made in rubbishing these volunteers and businesses without who`s aid these places would not exist must remember that they are `charities` not state aided, and in order to access them families have to comply with strict qualifying criteria.
And please remember the following statement “Food bank use amongst United Welsh tenants in Caerphilly has risen by
30% in the past twelve months and what’s more, there’s been a 20%
increase in our tenants who work but need to use food banks.” FACT.
There is a food diary on Youtube of a man who lived off £17.50 a week hitting his GDA’s. He bought fresh ingredients and allowed nothing to go to waste. He also did a series where he spent the same amount and lived off Iceland food which, needless to say, wasn’t healthy, wasn’t tasty and didn’t provide GDA (the salt was more than 50% over and everything else way under)
The benefit system allows people to live a life without the need for food banks. They just need to budget properly and be prepared to cut out ALL non-necessity luxury items.
An easy way to sort the whole problem would be to move away from cash in hand benefits to a ration book. The ration contains a voucher for rent, energy, food and limited fuel. There will also be emphasis on re-training to help people back into the work place. The system works wonders in Denmark and Sweden where there is less unemployment and fewer people as a percentage relying on social security.
What a wonderful world Dean aspires for us all, children with rickets, starving pensioners, and disabled people forced to be `normal`, or else. Ration books and vouchers, work camps to force people to re-train, ( I thought we already had that anyway in Graduates sweeping roads and filling supermarket shelves, that`s a form of re-distributing their skills?) The problem is Dean the welfare system is not just supporting the individual which receives the benefit, it is also the benefit for a spouse and for children, but, if most people in such a situation found a suitable job, the Benefits system would still need to support those families due to low wages, zero hour contracts of employment. rip off private landlords, high utility charges, etc etc. unless of course you also think that if individuals `failed` in your system, and for instance, a private landlord would not accept the level of the `rent voucher` issued to that claimant, that you are prepared to see entire families made homeless and on the streets, or children taken into care at whatever cost to the taxpayer that entails these days, people sleeping rough and adding to the already 11 strong rough sleeper community in Caerphilly town etc etc.
As much as the current welfare system appears to be being abused by some, ( depending who you listen to) your ideas for cleansing us of them will never become a reality.
No, Trefor. You are proposing an extreme situation.
Look at Denmark. Their voucher system ensure everyone is fed and no one goes hungry. – We both want that, don’t we?
The rent vouchers are spent on high quality state owned housing or on housing with a maximum rent limit set. – We both would like to see higher quality, more-affordable housing, yes?
In Denmark, those with no skills are encouraged to do an apprentice or vocational training course. Free of course. We would both like to see the skills gap in this country filled in by Britons with the skills instead of skilled immigrants, yes?
In Denmark there is less emphasis on university Instead of pushing everyone to go to university they have recognised there is no shame is the less able doing a vocational course to learn a skill or trade. With less people attending, fees are far lower. We both want lower fees, yes?
In Denmark, poorly paid people still receive certain vouchers to maintain a certain quality of living. This has lead to less poverty. We both want to see less poverty, do we not?
In Denmark pensioners too receive free fuel vouchers that cover energy. Energy pricing is capped too. Fuel poverty is almost non-existent. We both want to see fuel poverty wiped out, do we not?
Come on, Trefor. Wake up and smell the coffee. The UK would be a better place if we adopted a more efficient, less wasteful system from our Nordic friends.
Part of the problem is that some people who are on benefits can’t manage their finances, put £20 in their hand they will waste it put £100 in their hand they will waste that also – give them a food voucher and they will have no choice but to buy food with it. On a recent trip into Caerphilly I over heard a quite distressed young mother arguing with somebody on her phone because she had no money to feed her baby “I have no money” she screamed down the phone..”I’ve even had to cancel sky tv “.. No I’ve not made it up, that is the truth. Go and stand in Brighthouse for a day and see how many people are bringing in their child benefit money to make their weekly payement on that new tv or ipad , they couldn’t do that with a food voucher.