Our housing officer saved us when the cupboards were bare

VIKKI AND RODGER’S STORY

WHEN Vikki and Rodger Harper had lost so much weight that their clothes no longer fitted, a concerned housing officer asked to look in their kitchen cupboards. Vikki said: “When I said no, she knew there was something wrong and she insisted. There was nothing in them. “She was shocked that we had been left with no help and she told me about the food bank. It saved us.” Vikki and Rodger, both 35, illustrate how precariously close to poverty many working people are. The couple, from the Aberdeenshire village of Insch, and had a modest but comfortable life before they were hit by unemployment. During the credit crunch of 2008, Roger lost his job in insurance. They had four children to feed, Vikki’s family – Matthew, 14, Shannon, 13, and Amber nine, and Rodger’s son Reiss, 13. Rodger took a zero-hour contract as a slater with a building firm. But within six months, the hours dwindled to nothing as the construction industry contracted. Within weeks, they lost their rented house and were declared homeless – firstly being placed in a hostel and then emergency temporary accommodation. Vikki said: “It was a very quick decline. We sold our car, furniture and I sold clothes and jewellery just to get food.” They hadn’t claimed benefits before and as novices, they found the system almost impossible to navigate. It took nine weeks for administrative blunders to be resolved and they were left with no income – not even child benefit.

Vikki said: “We had zero money coming in and not one of the advisors told us that we were entitled to things like crisis loans. It was desperately hard for us and the service from the Department for Work and Pensions was terrible.”

For the first time, the family experienced food poverty and it was common for the couple to survive on one meal a day, so the children could have three.

Vikki said: “Every morning you wake up with a feeling of fear, not knowing what you can give the kids for dinner that night.”

Dinners became inventive concoctions of the cheapest foods and could be anything from pasta with a cuppa soup sauce to bread, cheese and pineapple.

She said: “I never expected that in this day and age, I wouldn’t be able to feed my children.

“Some people think that people who use food banks are feckless parents who feed their kids Nando’s and are just lazy but that’s just not true.”

The stress on Rodger, who had worked all his life, was unbearable.

Vikki said: “He took it hard that he couldn’t look after his family. His confidence, his dignity and pride took such a hit.

“It brought us together but there were also rows because from the moment we got up, to going to bed, we were completely stressed.”

They lost their home in October 2010 and as they approached that Christmas, they had no money for presents. Kind neighbours gave them some of their children’s old toys and family gave them sweets as presents for their kids.

On Christmas Eve, they did discover they were entitled to a crisis loan but when Rodger called the council office from a call box, with his last £2, he was cut off.

The dead line was too much and he broke down. But a neighbour saw him and offered their phone and a crisis loan was fast-tracked.

They were able to make Christmas slightly better but still the children noticed that Santa had been less generous than usual.

Vikki said the council housing officer, allocated when they became homeless, proved to be their saviour.

She told Vikki about crisis loans and after she had witnessed their bare cupboards, she referred them to a food bank at their local church.

Thanks to the food bank, they were able to have a lovely Christmas dinner. But more than that, they were given advice on financial help, such as grants for school uniforms.

Vikki said: “More than anything, we were grateful for the kindness that the food bank workers showed us. I will never forget it.”

In 2011, Rodger got a job in a tyre garage and Vikki is now standing in the council elections for West Garioch.

Vikki added: “It took me a long time to build myself up and I felt that there should be more people with my experiences in the council.

“Now I want to give a voice to the mothers and fathers who were where we were.”