Too often those who have been helped by benefits get ignored, misrepresented or at worst blamed for their situation.
The ‘Who Benefits?’ campaign ran from 2013 to 2015, giving a voice to the millions of us who have been supported by benefits at some point in our lives.
It was a coalition of over 100 charities, including Disability Rights UK, faith organisations, professional networks and community groups
The campaign gathered over 2,000 stories from people currently supported by benefits or who had been supported by benefits at some point in their lives.
These stories are not only incredibly moving; they give insight into the reality of what it really means to be supported by benefits, the reasons behind why people need this support, and how crucial support can be.
The stories showed for example that half of those that need support from benefits do so because of an illness or disability – by far the biggest reason shared with the campaign.
The campaign has now issued a document giving a representative snapshot of these stories.
Some of the themes include that:
- Benefits are a vital safety net
- You never know when you might need support
- Working people need support too
- People on benefits want to work
- We all benefit from benefits