Acts 435 requests can be filtered by 12 different categories so we thought it might be good to take a look at one each month. So from the top ... our first category is benefit delays and sanctions. Let me simply highlight a few of our past requests to illustrate the problem:

• A lady in Bradford was sanctioned while she was homeless. She had just been supported off the streets but was suddenly left with no money for food and bills for 2 more weeks.
• A lady in Liverpool came to the local church Foodbank after having her benefits sanctioned. She had two young children living with her in her house with no electricity. She was unable to take certain food items as they required her to use electricity to heat up, she has tried to get help from the council but they are taking a long time to sort the situation.
• A couple in East Yorkshire had been through debt relief but a visit to the hospital meant a missed appointment with the benefits office resulting in a delay to his money.
• A young adult in Hull has finished college and is seeking employment, but receiving no benefits at the moment and it could take up to 6 weeks or more before it comes through.
• A lady's benefits in Greater Manchester keep getting sanctioned because they feel her husband is not looking for work as much as he should. They have a loan that they need to pay off, which they took out to help them feed their children.

I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of these issues, but I can see from these stories (and there were many more I could have chosen) that there are people left for a period of time with absolutely nothing to live on. Delays in benefits can often come about because of a change in circumstances, like a marriage break-up or bereavement. The individuals in question are going through that emotional pain whilst experiencing deep anxiety about their financial situation as savings get eaten up whilst they wait ... or if there are no savings, real desperation sets in.

See here for live requests in this category.