Cost Of Living and Suicide

When will the powers that be wake up that low-income families are not surviving because of the price rises? It is all very well to say to reach out to a charity but there is no quick remedy available.

The Office for National Statistics publish suicide data for England here.

  • 5219 suicides were registered in 2021*. This is 307 more than in 2020.

Latest suicide data | Suicide facts and figures | Samaritans

Why the Rise in Suicides Is Even More Concerning than You Think (menshealth.com)

Suicide_Stats_Wales_2021

Does this not scream alarm bells?

Suicide is at a record high and people like Yee-King Ho, known as ‘Fion’ to friends and family, came to live in London from Hong Kong in April 2022, moving to a flat in Richmond in what family hoped would be an exciting chapter in her life, felt there is no way out which resulted in her taking their own life.

***Warning Sensitive Material***

In Loving Memory -RIP

‘Intelligent, dedicated’ woman, 27, takes her own life after struggling to afford £900-a-month rent and having to choose which meal to eat

‘Intelligent, dedicated’ woman, 27, takes her own life after struggling to afford £900-a-month rent and having to choose which meal to eat (msn.com)

Here are a few comments that were with the article below:

  • james moss This is what is wrong with a low-paid economy, people do not want to just survive, people want to have a life, where they can save, and save for a pension, as well as find a home they can afford whether single or families people need proper wages to be a full member of our society, the conservative governments have broken the link between low pay and social homes, we were told that private renting would self-regulate, instead, the rental market has driven the housing market to the crisis we are now suffering, the young woman in question was like many people in this country drowning in the cost of a place to survive, and that is what she was trying to do survive, to live in the UK today and cover the costs 35K is needed, with less than that people are surviving on the crumbs and it is sadly wrong, 2 people on minimum wage can manage, but again it is marginal.
  • DBDavid Beech was Murdered by a corrupt system
  • DBDavid Beech The inept political awareness and lack of action from UK citizens simply assist the corrupt to thrive, when poorer citizens cannot survive.

Master Plan

Maybe this is the master plan to help get rid of the poor people living off the state. Imagine how much money they would save if there were fewer people dependent on them.

Question to the Powers That Be.

  1. Do you not find this article alarming?
  2. Do you not see that people in the comments agree that this is disgraceful?
  3. Have you ever had to worry about putting food on the table or worry how to pay your bills?
  4. Were you born privileged with a silver spoon in your mouth?
  5. How about supporting small businesses, the disabled, and the vulnerable?

The Powers That Be Do Not Care About Low-Income Families Or The Vulnerable

They say they care but in reality, they don’t. Has anyone done the maths on £104 a-week tax credits which equates to £2.60 an hour?

I get it, a self-employed person has to do everything in their power to get more work but what if the person does everything they can and still no more work comes in, how are they supposed to live?

Even if you are single over 35 on universal credit which equates to £334.91 per month = £2.10 per hour or £83.73 a week to live on.

Do the sums not add up, do you need to go back to school to resit your maths test?

Universal Credit: What you’ll get – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Example of Living On Universal Tax Credits & Housing Benefit For a Single Person Over the Age of 35 (Unemployed)

Here is an example of a single person living on Housing Benefits and Universal Tax Credits.

Housing Benefit £590 even though their rent is £650

Universal Tax Credit £334.91

Total = £924.91 ( Equals £5.78 an hour based on 40 hours per week)

So if you continue with the calculations:

Opening Balance: £924.91

Rent: £650

Closing Balance: £274.91 (or £68.72 per week divided by a 40-hour week = £1.71 per hour to live on)/

If a person lives on £274.91 and just pays their utility bills there is nothing left over to pay for food.

Arguably people who are disabled or on the sick may get £247.40 PIP per month (lower rate) Personal Independence Payment (PIP): How much you’ll get – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) but people who are unemployed because small businesses are not hiring, do not want to spend money on services that they will try and do themselves to cut costs. Even the likes of Elon Musk closed down many offices around the world and laid off people, so how are people supposed to live when they can’t find suitable employment? Small businesses are also struggling.

Can no one see the bigger picture here or is it just me?

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I welcome any comments and do share this with your connections.

If you are feeling suicidal, remember there is always a solution to every problem.

I think the large corporation should pay taxes and there should be a profit threshold cut-off, where excess amounts of profits go back into the system.

Do not let your thoughts get the better of you. Speak to someone just to get things off your chest or send us a message via our Facebook Page (we will keep your information confidential).

“Personally what I find therapeutic is to vent my frustration online for everyone to read”.

Facebook Page!

SUICIDE SUPPORT

If you have suicidal thoughts, talk to someone about them, don’t bottle things up. If you do not have any friends or family, reach out to the Samaritans on 116 123 For Free. Sometimes talking to a stranger can help you put things into perspective and helps you tackle daily challenges. Arrange an appointment with your local doctor and explain how you are feeling. Do not drink alcohol or take recreational drugs as this may make the matter worse. Seek professional help asap.

Further Reading

This is how much single people are paying for living expenses compared to couples (msn.com)

#costofliving #pricerises #mentalhealth #suicideprevention #dwp #univeraltaxcredits #taxcredits #inflations