JSA sanction and CWP help please

Kimitatsu

Robbie is correct - you can claim a hardship payment and you will still get your CWP too.

Kim - a CWP is not a generous bonus, for those who have small children in the house being able to keep them warm and dry is a necessity and stops them from becoming ill.

Have you contacted your gas provider? With a child under 5 in the property then you come under the vulnerable groups rules so they will give you more time to pay your bill (it can be deducted straight from benefits if that is easier at a set rate) and will not cut you off in the winter months.

James_Jolene

very usefull advise, i couldnt get through to anyone whom shed light on cwp and hardship. I'll investigate furthermore later. And thanks for everybodys comments, they help me alot and give me some relief.
Thanks

blue_monkey_2

viktory wrote: »

Incidentally, I wouldn't fret too much about your child's health in this weather. I, and so many the same age as me, grew up in a mostly unheated house. The only heating we had was in the living room - and that was only put on in the evening. The rest of the house, including the bedrooms, were completely unheated. We all survived, indeed thrived. Wrap the child up in lots of light layers.

You reminded me that we had those metal framed windows and the condensation would be ice come the morning. And cracking the ice off the (indoor) loo in the morning if you managed to get up early enough.

I used to ask my mum to tuck the covers in really tight so I could not ove and no cold air could get in. And bedsocks, we all had bedsocks.

LOL, I am not even 40 yet!!

viktory

blue_monkey wrote: »

You reminded me that we had those metal framed windows and the condensation would be ice come the morning. And cracking the ice off the (indoor) loo in the morning if you managed to get up early enough.

I used to ask my mum to tuck the covers in really tight so I could not ove and no cold air could get in. And bedsocks, we all had bedsocks.

LOL, I am not even 40 yet!!

I had those window frames (crittel windows) unrtil fairly recently and only three storage heaters to heat a three bed house. We used to pin a duvet cover to the wall round the window and sit in semi darkness for days on end in the winter :rotfl::rotfl: I also remember the windows freezing on the inside - and yet both me and my children are as healthy as horses!

blue_monkey_2

viktory wrote: »

I had those window frames (crittel windows) unrtil fairly recently and only three storage heaters to heat a three bed house. We used to pin a duvet cover to the wall round the window and sit in semi darkness for days on end in the winter :rotfl::rotfl: I also remember the windows freezing on the inside - and yet both me and my children are as healthy as horses!

Don't come on here spouting your luxuries, we had 2 calor gas fires, one downstairs, one upstairs - the one upstairs would get wheeled into the bathroom when it was time for a bath then back to the landing after bath time. :rotfl::rotfl:

As for the duvets, they would be around us when we was sitting downstairs.

Ah, those were the days!! :rotfl::rotfl:

I certainly think we had less illnesses to be fair, we have central heating in this house and I find I have a constant sniffle all year round now.

gratton20

I am 55 now and when I was a kid we had no heating at all, i remember the ice on the inside of the windows ... used to love chipping it off and seeing all the patterns the frost made on the inside.

We used to have coats on the bed as well as the usual blanket .. my dads big donkey jacket was reallty warm but damn heavy i recall .. was snug and warm in bed but as soon as you got out .. wooo freezing. I survived tho, and so did all the kids ... its only now at 55 I am starting to feel the cold but still dont put the heating on unless its really cold ... could never be one of those people whose house is like an oven I need fresh air even in winter with a fan light open LOL

James_Jolene

i too grew up in an awful council house with just a fire in the living room.
However, the house we are in only has radiators and a combi boiler. YEs i too remember ice inside the windows, and getting out of the bath and it being freezing, and so on. yes we all live, but it doesnt have to be that hard, thats why such payments are in place. we can all keep warm with a blanket, but why should we struggle in this day and age? we shouldnt. im only 21 years old, i would never wish upon my child to have to go through what i did when i was younger having to live in a freezing cold house. yes, our family would service on beans and toast, but i would never wish my childs growing up memorys to be like this. our child allready has a cold, and is poorly, its hard to keep a wriggley 5 month old child wrapped up, essecially at night, were told we cant use too many blankets for risk of suffocation.
Thanks for your replies. James

blue_monkey_2

James, your child is 5 months old. He will not remember this - even under hypnosis at a later age - he will not be damaged by having one winter in the cold. Honestly. Every single person should have to go through what you are going through to realise that money does not grow on trees and you cannot hand your cup out and expect it to be filled just because you have a child.

When you hit a bad patch you do what you can to get through it. What jobs are you looking for? As you cannot afford to be picky right now.

You do not have 'no money', you have £70 a week and if you use it wisely you'll be able to eat and keep warm - you'll just not be able to have the heating on all day every day. Heating 24/7 is not a luxury everyone can afford I am afraid, that is life, your child is not going to be damaged by it at all.

Get a pre-paid meter put in and then you can budget for what you are using instead of putting it on and racking up a big bill. You can also arrange for your debt to be paid off through it too so if you put £20 on, £15 could be for gas/elec and £5 for debt.

Also, invest in some hot water bottles for you all.

If you go over to the old style board they will give you lots of ideas for meals for the 2 of you (baby should not be on solids yet and when he is, he can have some of your food but do not cook potatoes, veg and pasta in salt - you'll get used to the taste or you can add it later, we did and never cook in salt now) and you will not be living on beans on toast, you can have chicken casseroles, stews, soups, pasta - with an initial outlay of £30 for storecupoard ingrediats, these will last you a month and you can eat properly.

The pair of you might well even learn something from this and it set you up for the future, you'll learn how to cook properly too. Cook in big batches so a casserole lasts you a few days. Life is not all about luxuries and sometimes it takes hitting the bottom to make yourself sit up and learn and stop relying on others. Having a baby does not mean that everything will be handed to you on a plate.

Do you either of you drink and smoke? Because if you do you cannot do that now, heating the house is more important.

And you get Child benefit and Tax credits too?

Oh, and as for your phone - call them get a 'upgrade' which will mean you paying less per month but start a new contract (I pay £13.50 a month) as this might work out more beneficial for you in the long run.

TV cancel and get a freeview box - how long have you got left before the year runs out on Sky? You can also get it connected back up when you get work.

This is the time to sit down and start your futures and learn from things - when you get jobs, if you can manage to to live on this money, the saving potential you will have will be amazing and think of all the nice cars and holidays you'll be able to have. Big oaks grow from acorns - learn to live on this money now and who knows where you'll be in 5 years time. I am sorry if it sounds patronising but learning to live without it will prepare you well for the future - when you finally have money, you'll spent it wisely and not fritter it away on crap, you will think about every penny you are spending and save all that you don't for those big luxuries that you otherwise probably could not even dream of.

Good luck.

James_Jolene

just an update, CWP are still payed to me but missed the "computer run" they will issue payments regularly now. the guys responding to my thread need to understand. my point for posting was if anyone knew if they are still paid! this cwp is in place for a reason, ! not so u can badger on about how money doesnt grow on tree's and it wont hurt to miss it
my circumstances are not in question nor should they be questioned here
the 25 payment will help us greatly with running our house this year in the bitter cold freezing weather and help keep our child warm. why should he freeze when a payment like this can be given to stop it? it shouldnt. so stop telling me its okay for him to freeze.

GlasweJen

If you don't want your child to grow up in the cold or to have to eat toast and beans every now and then you should have waited until you could support him before you had him. Living off benefits is never going to guarantee the perfect childhood.