Over two million people have been visited by bailiffs during the cost of living crisis according to Citizens Advice. Sixty per cent of those have been intimidated or harassed during bailiff visits, with some bailiffs demanding sky high fees on top of money owed by families who cannot afford to pay basic bills.
As ever, Disabled people are invisible from the headlines. But not from the story. Because around a third of us live in poverty. So you can bet your bottom pound coin that we are affected by such horrific behaviours by bailiffs. Three quarters of people visited said it took a toll on their mental health. In other words, they became more Disabled. A quarter of people have fallen into debt which may see bailiffs going to visit them soon.
I have been in this boat in the past. Unable to work due to illness and illness during pregnancy, and dependent on someone else for financial support who did not keep up with bills, I cannot explain the overwhelming feeling of physical sickness, and the empty retching every five minutes for days on end, from abject fear. The jangle in ever nerve of your body, as you desperately try to emotionally regulate in a situation beyond your control. With nothing to take, the threat is a threat to your very existence. It changes you, for good, and for the worse. Companies that employ bailiffs see pound signs before hearts and minds and people. If people can’t pay, what then? When the last stick of furniture has been taken, what then? When the debt ends up even higher because of fees, what then? Oh yes. We’re back to the ONS stats on Disabled people dying by suicide again. In case you missed them before – more of us die by suicide than non-disabled people. Three or four times more likely depending on gender.
