Catherine Hawkins was worried she would be made homeless after her benefits were frozen
A severely disabled bed-bound mum has slammed the DWP after being told she was well enough to work – even though she is unable to walk. Catherine Hawkins, 50, worried she would be made homeless after her benefits were frozen and she was left with just £1.71 in her bank account.
The mum-of-one felt she was being ‘pushed’ to go to work – despite being unable to walk – after her Universal Credit was stopped.
Catherine suffers from neuropathy in her feet and Crohn’s Disease. She is dependent on carers to wash and shower her, provide her with food, and tend to her basic needs, including moving her from her bed to her lounge.
She was stunned when the Department for Work and Pensions told her she had to attend a workshop and officials were “putting pressure” on her to get a job. Catherine feared she would lose her home as she would be unable to pay her rent and began contacting food banks as she has “no food”.
She was asked by the DWP to provide her last three bank statements – which she says she has already downloaded and sent – but they told her they had not received them.
Catherine, from Diglis, Worcester, said: “I’m afraid I’m going to end up being made homeless. How can they expect me to work when I can’t even walk? If I even tried to stand up, I would fall straight down.
“I’ve had to ring a food bank today because I have no food. I feel like I’m going around in circles. I just feel depressed – sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
She receives just over £1,000 a month in Universal Credit which covers the £722 rent for her Platform Housing Group ground-floor flat and is used for other bills and living expenses.
She also receives £900 a month in Personal Independence Payment ( PIP ). Mrs Hawkins was worried about going into rent arrears if the UC was not paid into her account by January 8 (in time to cover her rent, due to come out on January 10).
Catherine added: “I’ve said I can’t attend a workshop interview. I’m completely disabled. I can’t walk. They’ve said I should have had one on December 15. They were going to call me but I never received the call.
“They threatened me again, saying I’ve got one on January 15. I could work from home, on the phone, but that’s about it. I can’t do anything where I have to walk around.”
The latest blow comes shortly after a delay in fixing the door entry keypad to her home by Platform Housing earlier in December, which meant one of her carers had to climb through her bedroom window to look after her.
It is understood that Catherine has not missed any Universal Credit payment and all review investigations and all UCR team actions have ended and she has been notified of this.
The DWP has apologised for the distress caused to Catherine and have since made a U-turn over the decision. A DWP spokesperson said: “We apologise for any distress caused to Ms Hawkins as a result of the review into her case. We have lifted the suspension on her account. We are committed to improving processes to ensure vulnerable customers get the support they need.”
