A single mother who has not eaten properly for two weeks and cries at night due to the cost-of-living crisis said the wait for a Government payment to ease her struggle is “heartbreaking”. More than eight million households on means-tested benefits are set to automatically receive direct payments of £326 between Thursday and the end of July from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – with a second instalment of £324 to be transferred in the autumn.
Sarah, a 23-year-old with a young son, whose name has been changed because she does not want her friends or family to know what she is going through, told the PA news agency she “prayed” she would receive the payment on Thursday but was still waiting on Friday morning. “It’s heartbreaking ’cause I understand they said between July 14 and the end of the month, but a lot of us prayed it would be today, and seeing others have it is heartbreaking because as a single mother my only income is universal credit, which is £485 a month,” she said.
“£485 isn’t a lot with the rising prices, so when they said, ‘July 14, you get this payment’, it was a relief knowing I don’t have to worry for a bit with getting food on my plate and choosing to eat or pay (my bills). I haven’t slept ’cause I cried because the cost of living is horrible.
