Austerity and Cuts
Austerity and Cuts Advice and Support Group
Austerity and Cuts Advice and Support Group will meet on Wednesday mornings weekly between 10am – 1pm at the Friends Meeting House, 5 South Terrace, Hastings near the centre of town. The first meeting is on the 21 November 2018. June Knight writes.
This new peer to peer group aims to provide help and support for all those affected by cuts, austerity, disability assessments and sanctions.
It invites interest and involvement by those trained and experienced in advice support and also health and care professionals. But it is mainly peer to peer – for mutual help and understanding.
The meetings will aim to offer practical help and support to people through assessments, form filling, appeals and sanctions. They will also aim to help develop people personally and also provide a Pauper’s Lunch and Talk between Noon and 1pm with interesting topics and people to help create awareness and raise funds to help those being affected.
Soup and simple fare will be provided, but hopefully the Pauper’s Lunch will graduate into a Pot Luck and people bringing their own contributions as a truly community led and focused event.
Background information:
This new peer to peer support group is being set up June Knight who is a former mental health nurse and has experienced disability and mental health needs herself. She has had experience of a looking after a brain damaged special needs boy through most of his childhood and adolescence. She also had both parents suffer and deteriorate into dementia and go through that long awful journey of progressive illness and loss. June has also had success online in supporting and advising those going through the Disability Assessments. She has background knowledge and experience as a Citizens Advice Bureau Advisor, a Case Manager and Care Coordinator and managed two cases through court regarding disrepair and eviction, and defending her citizens’ right to freedom of speech. She did these alone due to the lack of law and the loss or Legal Aid. She feels everyone needs to be informed, advise and supported during these times.
Funding and official status as a Not for Profit organisation is being pursued. A new website is being built and official email: http://www.austerityaction.org
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3 Comments
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I fully support my sister June’s efforts.
Comment by Philip Knight — Sunday, Apr 21, 2019 @ 11:45
Thank you Becky
It is a start.
Not got the online social media group up yet
But I use and am supported by ESA survival group. Which supported everyone nationally.
A local group will help
and also I would like to take a local audit of Disability and Austerity (already got survey created) and find out how everyone is, where they are and how affected.
and take the information and witness to councils and those that make decisions as weight to the impact of austerity locally
Both national and local governments have refused and avoided accounting and monitory for impact on most vulnerable although contrary to their duty and interests.
It is not expensive and don’t need the 100,000s usually accessed and given to do surveys and research.
Sod that, lets get the information and witness in.
Thanks
Bit scary (very scary) But LET’S GO.
June.
Comment by J B KNIGHT — Tuesday, Nov 20, 2018 @ 17:05
Excellent work June! Although I will not be able to attend these meetings, I would be more than happy to give advice and help where possible and when I have the time. I am currently putting together a factual article for publishing in the press regarding the assessments for PIP & ESA/UC (Work Capability Assessments).
Comment by Becky Polain — Monday, Nov 19, 2018 @ 11:01