‘I try to never let my boy see me cry’: Mum’s poverty plea
A MUM has written a heartbreaking open letter revealing the struggle of living in poverty.
The mum-of-one, who the Evening Times is calling Debbie to protect her identity, shares a bedroom with her nine-year-old son.
Debbie has been unemployed long-term and is now living in a one-bedroom flat where the windows ice over inside in winter.
Her letter begins: “My name is Debbie, I am a single mum to a nine year old boy, Charlie.
“We live in a one-bedroom flat, it’s tiny and cold, we haven’t moved yet because I need to get a job.
“The hardest thing about being out of work is getting back into work.
“Because I’m a lone parent, we’re looked at as being unfavourable for work because we need to take time off for the kids.
“I’ve also got mental health issues and because I’ve been out of work for a good wee while, finding employers to take me on is quite difficult.”
Debbie goes on to say that she feels she should be giving back to society by working with children.
But finding a job is proving impossible and she adds: “The way money’s going, I would need to take the first thing that came up.
“I’m desperate to get back to work, just desperate.”
Debbie’s letter has been written during Challenge Poverty Week, which runs until Sunday.
The awareness raising week is run by Save the Children, Poverty Alliance, One Parent Families Scotland, Children in Scotland and Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland.
She says: “The hardest thing about living on a low income is that we can’t do anything, we’re stuck in all the time.
“Charlie can’t even have a sleepover because we’re both in the same bedroom. He misses out.
“We wear second-hand clothes, the food budget is really tight sometimes.
“We’ve had debt collectors at the door and that’s not healthy for Charlie to see.
“Winter was really bad last year – we had ice on the inside of our windows, the whole way up to the top of the window.
“Sometimes you can see your breath in our house.
“All the leftovers have to be reused, we put extra clothes
letters@ eveningtimes. co.uk on instead of the electricity.
“I try to never let Charlie see me cry. But I cry often and sometimes everything feels so hopeless and that I’ve let him down.
“No child should worry about money, but I know my son does and it affects absolutely everything we do.
“No family in Scotland should have to live with the constant stress of a life on the breadline.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way.
“We need access to flexible work that pays at least the real Living Wage, access to affordable childcare, and decent housing.”