Dudley residents struggle with rising costs, eviction threats, and confusing benefit systems during the cost of living crisis in the UK.
Ferristina Peart-Smith is a 57-year-old mother who might lose her rented home. She could become homeless because of eviction. Ferristina has a heart problem and Raynaud’s.
Ferristina lives with her 22-year-old son who has mental health challenges. She worries eviction will hurt him and worsen his condition, she said. She feels overwhelmed by it all.
Paul is from Stourbridge and lost work due to back pain. He found the benefits system confusing and sought help from Citizen’s Advice. He needed a five-hour call for his claim.
Paul described the system as complex, noting he had never dealt with it before. He said it felt like a foreign language, and Acronyms confused him. He worried about claiming correctly.
Paul was getting letters about unpaid taxes, and Citizen’s Advice helped him avoid jail. Without help, he was lost and, despite having a laptop, still struggled. He feared depression without support.
