25% cut to young peoples Universal Credit could put thousands at risk of homelessness
The £20 per week uplift ends today
The axing of the £20 Universal Credit uplift could lead to a rise of homelessness among young people, says on charity which works with young homeless people.
Today is the day where millions of struggling families will see an end to an additional £20 per week uplift, which was introduced to help people through the toughest stages of the pandemic.
Balbir Chatrik, a worker for youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, has said that she thinks this cut will have devastating consequences.
She said: "Nobody expected to see the cost of living about go up, and nobody could foresee the cost of energy going up so much. What I'm going to say very strongly to the Chancellor, which is exactly what we say to 40 other youth homelessness charities, 'think again'.
"This cut, which is a 25% cut for young people in their weekly Universal Credit allowance, is going to inevitably lead to a rise in youth homelessness."
The cut to Universal Credit comes at an unfortunate time, with energy prices soaring over the past weeks, causing many families across the UK to be forced to decide between paying their bills and buying food.
The Government says the £20 boost was only a temporary measure, and insist that they have remained clear on this issue.
For many people the £20 uplift has been a lifeline, which has meant that MPs, charities and pressure groups have argued for the uplift to be maintained to help those that are still struggling.
Kerry Wilks from Middlesbrough is on Universal Credit and she delivered a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak's constituency office during a protest in September.
She tells KISS that the uplift has been essential to cover her cost of living.
Kerry Wilks said: "I'm really worried about the uplift ending. It's a really stressful time, the cost of everything is going up. £86 a week is getting cut by £20, well that £20 could get me my gas and electricity.
"The uplift of £20 has made a huge difference to me. I haven't had depend on my mum as much and I've been able to buy my own school uniforms.
"I'm worried about the cost of food, gas and electricity. Christmas is coming up, it's going to be a really stressful time."
However, the lack of an announcement regarding the issue during the Conservative Party Conference has caused her to feel as though they are "not bothered" by their struggles.
"They're not bothered. If they were that bothered they would have done it by now. What's £20 to Rishi Sunak or Boris Johnson? They're not bothered about the likes of us, the lowest paid", she said.
A Government spokesperson says their £400billion Plan for Jobs scheme is giving people the skills and opportunities they need to get back into work, progress their careers and earn more.