Home   Medway   News   Article

Disabled mum fears she could become homeless as cost of living crisis continues to put strain on families

A disabled mum says she hasn't turned the heating on since before Christmas, layering jumpers and using a hot water bottle to stay warm as the cost of living crisis continues.

She will also wake up at 5am to do housework to make use of the Economy 7 cheap off-peak electricity, and lives by candlelight as she has removed all light bulbs in her home to save money.

Rita speaks about her ongoing struggle to stay on top of bills

Rita, 58, has spoken of her crippling fear that she could soon become homeless if household bills continue to rise.

Rita privately rents a small three-bedroom home in Medway and says that the current cost of living crisis has left her so anxious that she struggles to leave the house and has been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Due to complex PTSD alongside other medical conditions, Rita is unable to go to work and also needs to be at home to care for her 23-year-old autistic son.

She has now been forced to remove all light bulbs from her house, replacing them with candles to save money on electricity as the energy price cap was raised on April 1 and prices sky-rocketed.

Rita claims her rent has risen by £400 recently and says her electricity jumped from £78 to £249 a month - she believes that the government have forgotten about those at "the bottom of the financial ladder" and says she feels like a "leftover".

The cost of living crisis has left her crippled with anxiety
The cost of living crisis has left her crippled with anxiety

With inflation hitting the highest level in 30 years back in January, it was predicted that the average household would face a £1,200 hike in household bills this year, something that has become very real for Rita and her family.

For the first time in her life she is now using a food bank, something she never thought she would have to do.

Rita explained: "I remember we were driving somewhere when the pandemic first started. We went past Canterbury Street and we saw the queue for the Gillingham Street Angels.

"I said, 'poor people'. I'm one of them people now. I never thought that would be me."

Although she is trying to be as self-sufficient as possible and is replanting vegetables from the food bank so that she can grow her own to use in the future.

All of the light bulbs have been removed in the house
All of the light bulbs have been removed in the house

Rita also shared how she will eat just one nutritious meal a day and will often use a slow-cooker overnight where possible to save money.

Even boiling the kettle takes a lot of electricity, and according to the mum-of-two it's cheaper to make a pot of tea in the morning and then microwave each cup.

Speaking of this "depressing" existence of watching every penny, Rita said: "I remember the 70s when there was a three day week, there were strikes, there was an energy crisis, you'd have power cuts, but only one parent needed to go to work to support a family.

"You had school dinners. You had a bottle of milk at school.

"People were all in it together but it doesn't seem to be like that now."

Rita has been forced to use a food bank for the first time in her life
Rita has been forced to use a food bank for the first time in her life

She continued: "There is an us and a them - we are the bottom of the ladder.

"We are left. We're left with the leftovers. We are the nothing."

The physical impact of the cost of living is also becoming apparent for Rita with a flare up of fibromyalgia due to the cold weather, as well as the psychological strain she's facing.

Rita said: "I wake up crying and my heart's pounding.

"I'm constantly crying, I can't eat and even when I do manage dinner I'm often sick because of the anxiety."

The mum-of-two layers fleece jumpers and uses hot water bottles to stay warm
The mum-of-two layers fleece jumpers and uses hot water bottles to stay warm

The family also have a dog and cat, which could become another financial strain if they were to get sick.

Rita assures that if it came to it she would make sure their bills were paid before putting food on the table for herself, and explained how her son would give up everything he loves before letting go of his pets.

She shared: "We are with the PDSA and you do still have to pay for treatment but it's not too expensive and luckily although they're both old, they're healthy.

"I've got nothing left to sell. I've sold everything.

"My son is autistic and doesn't go out much but the one thing he likes are his games. He would sell them all, everything he has."

She makes one pot of tea on the stove every morning
She makes one pot of tea on the stove every morning

Rita is very clear in her view that this crunch on finances is not new, and has been a slow and steady rise since October and said the fuel crisis in particular was there "long before the war in Ukraine".

She is now fearful of the future not only for herself, but also for her 18-year-old daughter, 23-year-old son and grandchildren.

"The malnutrition that's going to affect the children in the future because they haven't had the nutrition that they need will affect their bodies in later life," she said.

Calling on the government to listen to the plea of those on a low income, she said there is just one word to describe her experience - "awful".

"It's going backwards. What're they going to do?" she said.

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More