There’s no hope in John McDonald’s eyes. “I haven’t eaten in three days,” he says, glancing down at the floor. “I’ve been on the streets since my mum and dad died four years ago.”
It’s a sad reality for too many. John, 58, says he lost his job as a joiner when the company shut down in 1979. In a tragic twist of fate, he broke his neck shortly after, leaving him in pain and out of work ever since. Homeless and alone, he now spends his days sleeping in parks around Gorton.
Many work hard in the bustling, diverse neighbourhood south-east of town, holding down multiple jobs to make ends meet. But John is among thousands out of work. New figures have shown that 8.3 per cent of people in Gorton are unemployed – the highest rate in Greater Manchester and the ninth highest in Britain.
Darren Fitzgerald, 57, has struggled with an alcohol addiction for 20 years and drinks from as early as 4am every morning.
He now struggles with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, meaning he has breathing difficulties and needs specialist equipment at home. Despite his illness, the dad-of-seven says he would still never work – believing you’re better off on benefits than having a job.
He currently receives £159 a month as part of his Universal Credit allowance, as well as £259 a fortnight from other benefits.
“I’ve never worked,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “People don’t want to work anymore. You get more money on benefits.
“You get rent, get your taxes paid and you get more money than working. I wouldn’t work because it’s no good for me. If you work, you’re worse off.”
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, just 3.3 per cent of people in Altrincham and Sale are unemployed. That means Gorton has 2.5 times the rate of unemployment as Altrincham and Sale West.
Rochdale has the next highest unemployment rate of any area in Greater Manchester at 7.4 per cent, followed by Bolton South East, Blackley and Broughton, Wythenshawe and Sale East and Manchester Central.
After Altrincham and Sale West, the constituencies with the lowest unemployment rates are Stalybridge and Hyde, Wigan, Cheadle, Makerfield and Withington.
Linda Cleary, 65, believes the unemployment rate is higher in Gorton because some simply don't want to work. “I hate to say it because I don't mean this for all the younger ones, but a lot of them don't want to go out because they find unhealthy ways of making money,” she said.
“I'm retired now due to ill health. I used to work at an office in town years and years ago. I've done quite a few jobs; I've worked abroad in Greece and America.
"A lot are lazy and some of these young parents have probably never worked anyway so they don't really have a work ethic.
"I had two boys who are both big now but I wanted to look after them. I didn't go back to work until they were in school, so I suppose there's always that. I even got out with the buggy posting leaflets just to make money."
Bernard Valentine, from the Abbey Hey area, struggles with alcohol dependency. The dad-of-six lost his job as a labourer on a building site seven years ago and has not found work since.
"I just did bricklaying and plastering; those are all the skills I gained. I'm on Universal Credit now, I started about two years ago,” the 57-year-old said.
"I get £150 a fortnight. I used to get £300. I have to pay bills, it's very hard. With food and bills, I just go places like foodbanks to get my shopping. That does me.
"I'm an alcoholic; I'm getting help. I started drinking when I was 13. I don't know why unemployment is so high to tell you the truth. I'd rather work than be on benefits. It gives you something to do all day.”
One woman told the Manchester Evening News she thinks there aren’t enough services to help people get employed.
The 36-year-old, from Gorton, worked for the NHS for 10 years, first as a cadet before going on to study a degree in operating department practice.
But a brutal attack by an ex-partner in January led to her severely damaging her spine, meaning she can no longer work on medical grounds. She also now suffers from PTSD and has since been receiving psychological help.
“He started verbally abusing me in Tesco car park, making death threats,” she said. “When he appeared to have gone, he was around the back of my house and attacked me with a small baseball bat.
“I now have a bulging disc in my spine. There are things I can’t do at work because of my reliability. I could collapse and I’m in constant pain.
“A lot of people don’t want to work because the services aren’t there to help. I’ve been told by the job centre to dumb down my CV because I got refused a job because I’m overqualified.
“I wouldn’t expect to lie just to get a minimum wage job. It’s offensive. It just upsets me because I really want to work and I’m not able to. I have to do volunteering; I find it quite shocking.
“It’s actually humiliating that I can’t work. They don’t help the right people; it’s not okay for me and I’m really struggling.
“People have a negative view on benefits, people don’t like being on then. I love volunteering but I feel a bit scruffy. I feel like I should be working; I’m not making excuses not to work. I just feel like I’m fighting a losing battle. It’s just horrible.”
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