Poverty

[mirrorshard]

I'm interested in what you think poverty means. Because of who I am (and, frankly, who you are) this is mostly about poverty in the context of rich countries. Warning: may be triggering for some.


[Poll #1355903]

Comments

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of it depends on whether you're struggling or not, and what your needs are. Some people can thrive quite happily on a surprisingly low income. If you're living on disability benefits, the chances are high that the money won't be enough to meet your needs. How many people you may need to support, especially including children, will also make a difference. I think there's a strong poor = unhappy assumption, so if you're on a relatively low income but completely content and not having any trouble with your finances, you are less likely to think of yourself as poor.

[sunlightdances.livejournal.com]

If you're living on disability benefits, the chances are high that the money won't be enough to meet your needs.
Goodness, really? I find my needs totally met by my disability benefits.

if you're on a relatively low income but completely content and not having any trouble with your finances, you are less likely to think of yourself as poor.
Absolutely. I can live contentedly and fully with no financial problems, so I don't consider myself poor.

[mirrorshard.livejournal.com]

It involves even more hoop-jumping, and even more of a lottery, than normal benefits, and it depends a lot on what you're suffering from and where you live. I know people with really severe chronic illnesses who haven't been able to get any at all.

[sunlightdances.livejournal.com]

Goodness, how naive of me. Mine took six months to get on, which was hell at the time, but since then there have been no problems. I have supportive doctors, and conditions that are recognised, and I forget how essential that is.

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

It's always said that a very high proportion of people with disabilities are living in poverty, some say the majority.

The site may be a bit out of date, but Benefits Now (http://www.benefitsnow.co.uk/decisions/dladecision.asp) cites Higher Rate Care of Disability Living Allowance as £67 per week. There are three rates for the care component (and two for the mobility component), and in theory you qualify for higher rate care by needing frequent care throughout the day and night. In practice, you can be lucky to get lower rate care (£17/week) if your care needs are at that level, and I suspect that Higher Rate Care is only given out to people who need 24-hour care or near as damnit. Round here, it costs £13 per hour to get a carer from an agency.

Social Services are meant to provide necessary care, and provide it free of charge for people on a very low income, but in practice they rarely do anything of the sort. Their budget is extremely limited and their standards of living horrifyingly low. Being able to eat daily, or wash more than once a fortnight, is not something they consider necessary.