A Full House Could Mean No House in the UK

A housing association in the UK recently sent out a newsletter to residents asking  "Can you really afford Sky, cigarettes, bingo, drinks and other non–essentials? If your benefit is being cut and you want to keep your home you have to make up the difference."

The question has residents upset and feeling patronized. Could playing for a full house really lead to no house for these folks? Say they go to bingo twice per week at £10, I don't think £20 will make or break them. What if they don't indulge of any of these "luxuries" and still can't afford to pay the difference?

Do you think the housing association was right to approach residents in this way or did they make a housing ass out of themselves?

Absolutely not! I think it is a travesty that they should dictate or make residents feel guilty or wrong what they spend money on!  Isn't part of living and functioning in this world include a little bit of fun. I'm not talking about someone that spends their entire pay on bingo or gambling and blowing it all away.

Everyone is entitled to some form of entertainment isn't that just as important to your well being? And to even throw in and question Sky Cable?? C'mon that is going a bit too far. Pretty soon they are going to tell you how many pieces of toilet paper you can use to wipe your bottom!

I think it's downright oppressive what they are suggesting.

It is patronizing indeed, and that might be an understatement. Liked the toilet paper example ;)

It's also a bit stereotypical isn't it? They didn't mention getting their hair done or going to a movie. They assumed that the people receiving housing benefits smoke, drink, watch cable and play bingo.

It is shocking that they would send this letter.

Luckily i wont receive this letter as i am with a private landlady. (and because i also have already had a cut- and if it wasn't for a very nice landlady i will probably have lost this flat i live in too)

I will say this though, it is obvious as to why they are speaking like this and sending letters like this, because conservatives have totally cut benefits for the poor, and because of this and because of the views of the conservative party it basically tells people that they can do and say what they like because the government who is in power at present would agree with it and so on, if you see what i am saying, and to be honest nothing condones hardship and poverty and when government is forcing all these cuts and changing the benefits system in the worst possible way and forcing more children into poverty and forcing a lot more people into homelessness i find disgusting, and they contradict themselfs all the time, the damage they have done already and the damage yet to be fully obvious until april next month when most of the new cuts and benefit changes take affect, we will see the full force of how bad the conservatives bad choices and decisions on cutting benefits for the most vulnerable in society will soon see the news headlines, about homeless figures and so on and so on,

so i totally condone this letter that was sent, out of order

LuckyRJ

I have seen the cuts affect people I've come to know in the UK. One day they received a letter saying this is your last week and cut them off. It's very sad and with no warning. At the same time, I can only think of one of them that didn't deserve it because the rest were fully capable of working and chose not to because it was easier. I feel sorry for the one that deserved every penny of assistance she got.

I feel that gambling is a luxury, but regardless, no one should dictate to anyone how to spend their money in any way. Someone may choose for example not to eat today and gamble that money instead and that should be his decision (not that I find it wise but still, everyone should have the right to freely make such decision)

It's appalling that they have written to their residents in this way.

With all the benefit cuts going on right now, lots of people will suffer and they will know what they can cut out to save money - they don't need some housing association telling them how to live their life.

The UK Govt are always cutting the poor benefits and increasing the rich benefits.  Typical conservative style.

blue

People should be allowed to spend money the way they want it instead of someone telling them what to do or not to do. When it comes from any government, things like this start with an advice, then recommendation, and at the end you get rules.

When they're making these cuts they should make difference between people capable of working and those who are not.

This sort of bullying because you have some limited power over someone is becoming more and more prevalent and disturbing.  Obviously the door to the issue has been opened, and from a distance, seems reasonable though probably harsh.  A similar issue is what people use their food stamp benefits to purchase.  Maybe soon you can't have birthday cake at your child's party if you are on food benefits as everything cake related is banned from purchase with benefits.  No, you can't buy a coca-cola, or all the coca-cola in the store.

Personally I think governments that have benefits for citizens should be blind like Lady Justice.  Decide what benefits they can give, and who can get them, then let those people alone to receive and do with their benefits as they see fit.

Whatever a person is going to do, there will be other people who think that is horrible, and other people who have been doing it already, and other people who will want to do it also.  The needy are often judged and bullied about because they have little recourse to fight back.  It's awful that the newsletter's publishers felt they were probably doing the residents a favor to point out to them how to spend their own resources.

At one time or another someone has seen someone do something and it runs through their minds, oh I thought you were broke. It's no one's business what you do with your cash. Sometimes you just need a release from the realities of life even if it is bingo or whatever. To that housing authority, mind ya bidness! Seriously are we supposed to do nothing that we enjoy?

You nailed it froggy AMEN! Part of living incorporates fun in our lives, without it forget it. I would like to ask the Housing Authority if they were on a tight budget would they give up their pleasures in life? Maybe then it would hit home.......but then again they would have to actually live the life of struggle to clearly understand it. That's what is really a shame to have to live it to get it.

Lips

i thank you all.

this is a subject that is close to my heart and it upsets me that goverments can be soo cruel and cause so much heartache to poor individuals and disabled people that cant actually work and so on and so fourth and when they cut the benefits for these people it is absolutely unfair and it hurts. so i thank you all for the replys personally

but at the end of the day, goverment just dont care especially conservatives, they are the culprits in all of this and caused all this new heartache for many millions of people in this country, and my heart goes out to all the people that will be suffering because of these cuts.

(more children will be in poverty - more homeless people - this will also result in a rise in deaths due to severe poverty and homelessness and lack of food and hygiene)

just thought i would add this

LuckyRJ

I know of several that are struggling due to the cuts. I hope that the benefits find those that need them. Homelessness is not going to help these people not to mention the effects it will have on the economy. No one will want to visit areas that are poverty stricken and have homeless people hanging around. I know that sounds harsh and it's not a personal feeling it's just the way it is. I would imagine there is quite a bit of income generated from travelers coming through the UK. In parts of Chicago there are quite a few homeless (most of them running scams for cash) and people want to avoid those area. Tourists certainly don't want to encounter that on vacation.