HIIC Poverty Writings

As a group, we decided to narrow down our research area to a locality in Fife: Dunfermline and the West Fife Villages. My part of the research looks at the area of Abbeyview, which is within Dunfermline town.

l have realised that supporting community organisations and social action approaches has significant potential to achieve better changes.

I learned by going to see our local MSP at parliament and asking questions which were of importance to our holiday hunger project.

The big ideas for all persons regarding health, the importance of our NHS, and then reading the news that the Tories are slowly privatising it off is soul destroying.

There are 17 mental health services in Dundee alone and the lack of knowledge about these services, within communities is shocking.

After doing some research and many discussions within our group, we realised that mental health and suicide was the path that we would take to concentrate on.

I feel that if the same statistics (on average one a week) where a person is committing suicide was happening in Morningside in Edinburgh or any “affluent” area, the authorities would quickly look for the reasons why..

We decided to look at what was most relevant in our City of Dundee in relation to health and inequalities.

The cumulative effect of these different forms of poverty sometimes creates the most damaging outcome of generational poverty - and the constant presence of hopelessness.

The other issue raised was that it was difficult to gain the correct financial information or to know where to get help in the first place.

As part of our overall research, I wanted to ask members of my community whether the benefit system has helped them or made things worse In their lives.

Hearing from older children in my community and from parents who have heard children say cruel things when they were kids too..

Some families in certain circumstances cannot find the cost of having a young person attending school.

'Holiday hunger' was a subject that came up as an important issue.

As a parent with three children, I know how difficult it can be during school holidays, whether it be by paying for activities…

When reading through the returned questionnaires, it was clear that it was mainly agency structures that were being used to refer service users to food banks .

We wanted to know if there was a limit to how many times a person can claim a food parcel and if so within what timescale.

The first method of research was to look up online to find out where our nearest 'food bank' was and to see what information was available to us.

My experience of walking into the food bank in Dunfermline, if I am being honest was daunting…

So there are several community structures in place in the area which try to combat the lack of good food amongst the unemployed and the poor.

You know that you are living in a deprived area when you have smashed bus stops all down your street, parks and woodlands covered in glass and rubbish.

There is also a food pantry located in a few of the local community centres.

We found that 1 in 8 children in high income countries face food insecurity rising to 1 in 5 in the United Kingdom.

When looking at barriers it was clear that when people are experiencing financial poverty…

Where we live there are community groups, various clubs and classes, job shops, Educational, Health and Well-being groups, playgroups, drop in centres and money advice agencies.

…one being the amount of opportunities people get. This is an issue as many young people miss out on things such as school trips, proms, community fun days and many more due to the fact they don't have enough money.

I have come to the conclusion that one of the has implemented many cuts to the benefit system over a long period, since the conservatives came into power in May 2010.

I also know a lone parent who was working part time while in receipt of UC, she was paid her earnings approximately every four weeks.