It’s the superheroes who save us when the safety net fails
SUE is on the frontline. Everyone knows Sue. At 54 years of age and not five feet tall, she’s the closest thing you’ll find to a real-life superhero.
She works for a charity called TRAC2 out of a small shop in Trevethin, Gwent. Trevethin has it harder than most, but it’s not unlike far too many other communities across the country that would recognise what’s happening there.
Council budgets slashed, public services decimated, foodbanks, mental health issues, domestic violence, the effects of Universal Credit.
“I don’t want to swear”, says Sue, “but, you know, we’re saving lives here because others have given up on the people that get referred to us.”
With a small team of staff and committed volunteers, Sue makes sure the basics are there for people who need them – furniture, clothing, food, fuel, white goods. Some of them are reclaimed from landfill, others are donations from all over the area.
Care agencies refer people who need help to TRAC2, and within hours provisions are on their way. Sue delivers them herself, her head just visible above her van’s steering wheel.
“We’re trying to prevent them from going to doorstep lenders and companies like BrightHouse,” she says. “I’m paying out on the van now and it’s not going to last much longer.” With so many services in the
area being cut back – mental health services, hostels, council support and welfare – the need for Sue’s help is only increasing.
She says: “I’m always battling here. On Friday, we had three emergency referrals which we dealt with immediately, but this is on top of delivering furniture to others who need help, and collecting donations from across the community.”
Sue says she’s already seen lives destroyed by the impact of Universal Credit. She sometimes spends hours on the phone to the Department for Work and Pensions trying to correct issues with people’s benefits.
“Mental health issues are now so bad I don’t know how anyone is coping. The stress caused by Universal Credit is a massive reason for the rise.”
I’ve sat with Sue and seen the outrage she feels about what people are having to cope with. I’ve also watched her reduced to tears at what she’s seen.
I worry about how long she can keep this up.
“Everyone knows Sue,” says one of her team. “They know how to contact her. It doesn’t matter what time it is. She never shuts off. Ever.”
She’s a one-woman community hub, connecting people to the local housing association, the council, credit union, foodbank.
The truth is, of course, she shouldn’t be doing it at all.
The safety net we have for people who are struggling should be there to support them, but Sue’s story shows where the holes are. She’s the safety net for the safety net.
“One thing I would love – austerity to end,” she says.
For now, there’s today to deal with. “Christmas is coming, winter is here and things are getting much worse. I was out there on my own last Christmas. All the services close down and we are all people have left.”
Thank God for superheroes.
To donate to TRAC2, go to trac2.org. uk or send a cheque to: TRAC2, Folly Lane, Trevethin, Pontypool NP4 8JB.
‘‘ Christmas is coming, winter is here and things are getting worse