Stuck in a benefit hole :-(

ney001 said:

- seek professional advice from MABS.

Click to expand...

If I may just quickly clarify, MABS (Money Advice and Budgeting Service) help people with debt and money management problems - they don't generally offer advice to people about how to return to the workforce and come off social welfare benefits.

On the basis of your posts above, it would seem that money matters are a significant worry for you and your family. Perhaps therefore a trip to your local MABS office to see how you can better maximise your family income might be worthwhile. .

As someone else pointed out, you can obtain free advice and information from your nearest Citizen Information Centre. This is a free, confidential service - but do yourself a favour. If you call into a Citizen Information Centre be honest about your situation, including let them know you if you are claiming payments you shouldn't be. It isn't possible for anyone here on AAM or anywhere else to advise you on your options unless you tell the truth about your circumstances. In addition, it will help staff there to identify if there are other payments you could be claiming, but aren't.

As I mention above, all advice and information in a Citizen Information Centre is in absolute confidence - you will not even be asked for your name and no personal details about your query are recorded.

On a final note, it is possible to lessen/end your family dependency on social welfare payments - thousands of people do it every year. You will find for example that you may be able to return to education/training/emloyment and still retain some of your current benefits - a really useful thing to know and hopefully something to encourage you to look at your options.

There are many back to education and training courses available through FAS and other organisations, some of which even include a childcare option. Call into your nearest FAS office and see what advice and information they can provide you with.

The practical steps you need to take now, are set out above. Remember however that when you go to seek advice or information, you must be honest about your situation and remember to give as much information about your circumstances as you can.

CMCR.

HELP said:

What do I have to do to spell it out. Im asking for help to get away for benifits.

Ive already said in my first post that I claim lone parents allowance, although i have a partner. What more do you want me to say about that.

Im not asking to carry this on, as Ive said a few times I want to stop claiming benifits, but dont think we will survive without benifits. And thats what Im asking for help and advice about.

Click to expand...

The problem that people are seeing here - and quite justifyingly so since its their money that is being given to you - is that you appear to be fraudulently claiming benefits. Lone parent payments, as the name suggests is intended for people who cannot extract money from their ex partners. If youre getting about 1250 in rent and then your allowance, which I presume is about 190 a week, and he (or she) is getting the minimum wage, then your income combined is 288 (rent supplement) plus your 190 a week plus his 280 a wek which is 758 a week.

Add this up and it amounts to nearly 40k a year (after tax!) between you - over 60% of which is coming from your state benefits. If he is earning more than this between you, you have a cash income that is more than a lot of working couples have.

Now think this over carefully - because you probably just see your immediate situation rather than the long term.

If you stay on social welfare, you are basically at the whim of the voting public (who by the sounds of it are pretty pissed off at having to pay for anybody who isn't chronically ill to stay at home), the politicans, and whatever some civil servants committees come up with in future.

The reality is that it is recognised that the state just cannot afford to effectively pay the equivalent of a full time wage to lone parent families so I wouldn't assume that you can simply go on as you are, regardless.

What happens when your child/children hit 18 and you've been out of the workforce for years?

More significantly, the current government are talking about cutting off the lone parent payments once the youngest child reaches a certain age (7 or so has been suggested). What do you do then?

Or what happens if they do go ahead to start reducing the payments gradually over a certain number of years?

Either way you have no guarantee of a financial future - even if social welfare don't suddenly start enforcing a targetted campaign against people who are not just getting social welfare.

Now consider this - if you get a job in the short term it might seem tough - but you'll get pay rises, experience, training, and hoepfully, better jobs, better pay and conditions. Which can only benefit you and your family in the long term.

HELP said:

Oh God so sorry I misread that as country.
Yeah a different county might be an option, but it would mean everyone would have to be uprooted ie from work and school, so it would be like starting all over again.

Click to expand...

Well a lot of working people have to do this, so I don't see why it shouldn't be an option in your case.

Talk it over with FAS, and look into FIS and back to work allowances, if you've been off work long enough you get a good bit that will help.

One thing I can't stress enough is that while starting wages might seem crap, they do go up over time. My own take-home salary has gone up by about 2/3 in 4 years, if yuo work hard and get every bit of training you can, you should be able to progress and dig yourself out of the poverty trap. A lot of people do it all the time.

There are areas in Dublin where you will get a decent 3 bedroom house for less than €1300 per month as other posters have pointed out. I am working full time and could not afford to pay a mortgage of €1,300 per month, much as I would love to be able to do so.

I do understand however, that the current system is not geared towards getting people back into the workforce and off benefits. If you are taking home the equivalent of €40K per year take home dishonestly, there is absolutely no incentive to come off benefits. It is the the landlord that is getting rich on your €1300 per month rent.

Bear in mind there are a lot of working couples out there trying to get a start and paying a crippling mortgage taking home less. Many people are working full time to pay a mortgage and cant afford to have children at all. Why have children if you cant afford them? The system needs a complete overhaul.

I do think MABS is probably your best port of call to begin with. You will however have to take a step back firstly, to allow yorself take a step forward. The interim is going to be the really hard part. Best of luck, if you are willing to do that.

Can you give us few figures?

- What's your net monthly income (incl partner's)?
- Beside rent of €1300pm , do you have a break down of how the rest is spent ?

Back to Work allowance may be available, according to the Oasis website.

I think the problem is with the system, it really does seem structured so that people are better off declaring that they are single parents.

If the op went to work at minimum wage, without any family income supplement or back to work allowance, they would perhaps just about cover the current rent. Then try to figure out where the cost of child care would come from. And that's before food and bills.

It would be possible to look for cheaper accomodation but even down the country, a 1000 euro is not unexpected for 3-bed accommodation in towns or cities.