Panorama.S2014E15.Dont.Cap.My.Benefits
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00:00I'm calling from the council about your benefits being cut.
00:16You are going to lose £68.13 per week to £95.33 per week.
00:22The reason that you are being cut is because you are not working.
00:25Your ticket number is £750.
00:29My worst fears were confirmed. It is going to be an accommodation outside of London.
00:33You're doing me like an animal.
00:35You've got seven children. It is not possible for you to afford to live in London.
00:39They're going to pay that figure if I go out to work, but yet they can't pay my rent now.
00:44I could pick up that computer and dash it down there.
00:46A lot of people are suffering because of this benefit cut, you know, and a lot of people are out in the street.
00:50Would you do it sitting down raising five children? Really?
00:55As a man, sometimes you have to go and do stuff that you might not want to do.
00:59Any problem, my son, you're the office problem.
01:05I'm only there for a year and I can be uprooted all over again to come back to London.
01:09It doesn't make any kind of sense.
01:12No!
01:15Oh, my God.
01:23The reality is all we're doing here is we're saying that nobody on benefits,
01:27people who are not working, should be earning more than the average earnings for the rest of Britain.
01:36Hi, I'm from Brent Council. Yeah.
01:38My name is Minesh. I'm coming with regards to the benefit cap.
01:42Benefit what?
01:43Brent Council's welfare reform team are delivering details of one of the most radical welfare reforms for 60 years.
01:50It's called the Overall Benefit Cap.
01:53They've got those drafts that's called it.
01:55Introduced by the government last August,
01:57the cap means no-one out of work and on benefits gets more money than the average working family.
02:02That's set at no more than £350 a week in benefits for a single person and £500 for families.
02:10Usually one will knock on the door.
02:12One will stand back to see if anybody looks through the windows.
02:16Oh, someone's up there.
02:19Someone doesn't want to answer the door.
02:21Yeah, there's not much we can do.
02:23£29 is what you are losing per week from your housing benefit.
02:27My husband has no job.
02:29Yeah, so if he's not working, we need to maybe then refer him to somewhere where he can find work.
02:34OK.
02:36Many will lose hundreds of pounds a week.
02:38The government's message is clear.
02:40Shraddha from Housing Benefit and Rent Council.
02:42Work at least 16 hours a week as a single parent and 24 hours as a couple,
02:47you'll avoid the cap and keep your house and benefits.
02:50Note that you are working.
02:52Yeah, I'm working.
02:54Have you made an application for working tax credit?
02:56Just general tax credit.
02:58Yeah, but because you are working 24 hours, you are entitled to it.
03:02Across the UK, housing benefit is usually enough to cover the rent.
03:06In London, as rents are the highest in the country,
03:09the cap could result in many people losing their homes.
03:11Oh, hold on.
03:13We're from the council.
03:15Is your mum or dad in?
03:17Yasser Al-Masawi and his team have spent the last year
03:19warning people how serious
03:21the impact of the government's changes are going to be.
03:23The lights are on.
03:25The reason we're doing the visits
03:27is we're hoping to make sure that people are aware
03:29that they've been capped.
03:31Some people just don't think it's going to happen.
03:33They won't be affected.
03:35They just want to put their head in the sand.
03:37If they do finally do come and tell us
03:39that they've managed to get work
03:41or they've managed to increase their hours or something like that,
03:43that's better for them, you know.
03:45Then they can stay in their homes.
03:53Implemented by the government nationwide,
03:55the cap is having the biggest impact
03:57in London boroughs like Brent.
03:59Almost half of those capped live in the capital.
04:01I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom.
04:04Brent is one of the most ethnically diverse
04:06and deprived boroughs in the country.
04:08Up to three times a week,
04:10the council's citizenship ceremony
04:12marks the final stage in the journey
04:14of those who want to become British citizens.
04:16About 5,000 people in Brent each year.
04:18We have Dragomir Sarafimov
04:20and Marianna Todorova.
04:24That's excellent.
04:26And let's do that romantic shot with the Queen.
04:28London's lack of cheap housing
04:30combined with the lack of housing
04:32combined with the cap
04:34hits large vulnerable households hardest.
04:36Councils like Brent
04:38say they have no choice
04:40but to move them out of the capital.
04:50We will not see,
04:52we will not accept
04:54any kind of Kosovo-style
04:56social cleansing of London.
04:58You are not going to see.
05:00The coalition government believe the cap is fair
05:02and just, saves money
05:04and encourages people into work.
05:06The Labour Party broadly agrees.
05:08Polls suggest over 70%
05:10of us think it's a good idea.
05:12Ticket number 163.
05:16With access to Brent Council
05:18and filmed over seven months,
05:20we tell the story of how the government's
05:22new benefit changes are impacting
05:24on families.
05:26He says you have to go to Birmingham
05:29It doesn't matter what.
05:31Once we move out,
05:33seven children will be without a school.
05:35We will be jobless.
05:37Ultimately, you're facing homelessness.
05:39If it's a private sector,
05:41bailiffs warrant tomorrow
05:43the eviction will be going ahead.
05:45Awaz Osman originally came from Somalia
05:47and has been living in Brent for 23 years.
05:49He is now a British citizen.
05:51Deadline is tomorrow for the bailiff.
05:53So that means tomorrow at 6 in the morning
05:55we have to move out.
05:57I told them everything.
05:59They give us a house in Birmingham.
06:01I don't even know it's Birmingham.
06:03I've never been to Birmingham.
06:07Hey, take those scissors.
06:09Don't drop it.
06:11The rent for Awaz's four-bedroom house
06:13is around £500 a week.
06:15But that's the total amount
06:17of benefits after his cap.
06:19The council believe his only option
06:21is moving him to cheaper accommodation
06:23150 miles away in Birmingham.
06:25They're not happy.
06:27They don't want to go
06:29because they're losing their social life,
06:31family, friends.
06:33We lose everything if we go to Birmingham.
06:35If we lose the school,
06:37that's the biggest damage we will have.
06:39And we have to lose our job as well.
06:43So I'm leaving all my entire life in London.
06:45I'm not going to go to Birmingham.
06:47Definitely.
06:49100%.
06:55It's Awaz's eviction day
06:57and it's time to hand over
06:59the keys to the landlord.
07:01I think you can call the bailiff.
07:03They don't need to come.
07:05Before, it was OK.
07:07It was good.
07:09We don't have any problem.
07:11No-one has a problem before.
07:13But since this cat happened,
07:15every family, they're suffering.
07:17I'm not going to go to Birmingham.
07:19I will look for something else.
07:21Because I'm working hard.
07:24They cannot take me away.
07:26They head back to the council
07:28to persuade them they both have part-time jobs.
07:30Awaz is a van driver
07:32and his wife's a beautician.
07:34They believe this should exempt them
07:36from the cap and from being moved.
07:38The cap is when you're not working.
07:40But we're working.
07:42How can it affect us?
07:44This is evidence.
07:46This is the papers.
07:48This is my bill letter.
07:50This is my contract.
07:52Can I bring it?
07:54This is more than enough evidence.
07:56As I understand it,
07:58we've offered you accommodation in Birmingham
08:00which you've turned down.
08:02And the reasons you've provided us
08:04for turning it down is that you're in employment.
08:06You only in fact told us
08:08you're in some form of employment
08:10for the first time yesterday.
08:12I have told them before.
08:14I said I'm starting work 1st of September.
08:16We have records of phone conversations with your wife.
08:18I don't know that phone conversation.
08:20This was last week.
08:22When I was working,
08:24she didn't even know that.
08:26I didn't even tell her I was working.
08:28We've seen this time and time again.
08:30Not just with yourself but a number of applicants
08:32who in a bid to try to avoid the caps
08:34come here and present to us
08:36information that are not necessarily true.
08:38You're opening yourself up for prosecution
08:40if we do find that you've provided
08:42false information in an attempt
08:44to secure housing
08:46from this local authority.
08:49We do not accept that your employment is genuine.
08:51OK, no problem.
08:53But I can prove you wrong.
08:55The situation really is, you've got 7 children.
08:57Yes.
08:59It is not possible for you to afford to live in London.
09:01Explain it to me.
09:03How will you pay the rent for a property that's worth £500
09:05and you only get £500 from the government?
09:07If we go to Birmingham,
09:09we have to start our life from ground zero.
09:11And I really empathise with that.
09:13That means losing our family,
09:15our friends, our schools, our jobs.
09:18We have to go zero.
09:20I empathise with that.
09:22What you've got to realise is
09:24we didn't make this law.
09:26What we tried to do is help.
09:28We did not make you homeless.
09:30But you're helping us because you're destroying us.
09:32No, we're not. As I said, your job's on the question.
09:34OK, what about my job?
09:36You're still not exempt from the caps,
09:38so you can't afford to stay.
09:41Ticket number 33.
09:43Please go to desk one.
09:45The council workload begins to increase.
09:47Next, please.
09:49As the news of the cap finally gets around.
09:51So after I've paid my rent,
09:53what does that leave me for?
09:55Water, electric, gas, food?
09:57And, you know,
09:59you just can't live on it, can you?
10:01If you don't find the work...
10:03If you don't find the work...
10:05It's the problem.
10:07It is a big problem.
10:10It is a big problem, I know.
10:12I've been brought up and lived in Brent for 30 years.
10:14My mum and dad live here,
10:16my friends live here,
10:18my kids' dads live around here,
10:20and they're talking about family value,
10:22but they're splitting up families.
10:24Maybe I should find a nice lady
10:26and make her pregnant,
10:28because that's the only way she and I
10:30are going to be able to have a relationship
10:32and I'll get a council flat,
10:34because that's how it works, isn't it?
10:3617, 18, get knocked up, get a council flat,
10:38Tracy McCarthy is a single mother
10:40with three children,
10:42who's lost £106 a week due to the cab.
10:44She is also fighting an eviction.
10:46He just wants me out of the property.
10:48The possession officer, he tried to give me by hand,
10:50but I've refused to open the door.
10:52Is that because you're frightened of the neighbours?
10:54Yeah, I want to open the door to him.
10:56OK.
10:58You sound like you're quite familiar
11:00with the eviction process,
11:02so you've only got to wait for one more eviction notice,
11:04so don't get worried just yet, OK?
11:07The eviction notice will then be passed over
11:09to the temporary accommodation support team.
11:11They will try and secure suitable accommodation
11:13for you and your family.
11:15I don't know where I'm going to be
11:17in six months' time.
11:19I don't know if my children are still going to be
11:21attending the schools that they're attending,
11:23whether I'm going to be able to go on to attend college.
11:25It's just uncertainty,
11:27that's what it is.
11:37Usually I can get work quite quick in a pub,
11:39and I need work quick at the minute,
11:41so I've been looking for a job and nothing yet,
11:43so my confidence is just...
11:45down low at the moment.
11:47Tanya Blake is a single mum of two
11:49who is desperate to find a job
11:51and avoid the cap.
11:53I'm just wondering, have you got any vacancies at the moment?
11:55You can leave your CV.
11:57Can I?
11:59Almost 60% of those capped are single parents,
12:01and they are the hardest hit.
12:03Thank you. Thank you very much.
12:06Tanya and her husband have been capped
12:08exactly the same as a couple who could both work.
12:10I've been going online,
12:12newspapers,
12:14going into places in person,
12:16just handing my CV.
12:18Oh, Marley's got it. Thank you.
12:20Most of my problems will be over
12:22and I can get better sleep at night-time.
12:24That would be excellent.
12:26I don't know if you have any vacancies or not.
12:28At the moment, a job,
12:30but I can take your CV.
12:32Yeah, that would be lovely.
12:35In the last few months, Tanya has had six job interviews.
12:37When I get my job,
12:39I will never be going back on benefits in my life again.
12:41It's too stressful.
12:43I'm a person that's always been to work
12:45and they've put me under that tar with all the others,
12:47like I live on Benefit Street.
12:49I'm not about that.
12:51You know, I don't want to be known
12:53as those people like that.
12:59The benefit cap has contributed
13:01to a housing crisis in the capital
13:04with too many people chasing
13:06too few affordable homes.
13:08In the past,
13:10councils were free to pay the market rate
13:12for rented properties.
13:14But in 2011,
13:16the coalition government cut
13:18what it paid private landlords.
13:20They were then far less willing
13:22to rent to people claiming welfare,
13:24resulting in increasing numbers of evictions.
13:28It was the job of Brent's head of housing needs,
13:30Lawrence Coker,
13:32Some of them were taking a hit
13:34of two or three hundred pounds per week,
13:36which they couldn't sustain.
13:38So the outcome of that was
13:40that they evicted the tenants
13:42and they didn't re-let their property to us.
13:44By putting on a cap
13:46which is for the whole country,
13:48it hasn't worked for us.
13:50It hasn't worked for London
13:52or the South East.
13:54What we are having to do
13:56is to find accommodation
13:58which the households can afford
14:01but that's outside of London,
14:03it's outside of Brent
14:05and the families don't want to go there
14:07because they've lived in Brent all their lives.
14:13Many claimants are now stuck,
14:15often in poor housing
14:17in expensive areas waiting to be evicted.
14:19Their rents made unaffordable
14:21because of the cap.
14:25My toilet keeps seeming to flood up
14:27and it will be like
14:30walking in water and it's a sewage work
14:32so my house stinks like a sewer most of the time.
14:34Tanya and her two children
14:36Rios and Kamali
14:38were moved outside Brent to Notting Hill
14:40three years ago and the council paid her rent.
14:42This is where they have to leave poison for the mice.
14:44It's not good at all.
14:46One time they came and they just put the poison in a dish
14:48and I found this little boy come and told me
14:50Mummy what's this?
14:52Rent thought this was a good place for me.
14:54You know they enforced this property on me
14:56with a £500 a week rent.
14:59You know I just had a bar job at the time
15:01so I don't know how they expected me to afford this rent.
15:03I had my work in Wembley
15:05my big boy was in nursery there.
15:07No, not good.
15:09Not good.
15:11The cap means Tanya's lost over £200 a week.
15:15Laugh and giggle, smile and grin.
15:17Her rent eats up what's left
15:19and she's got nothing to live on.
15:21If she doesn't find work
15:23she'll be evicted.
15:25When I was growing up
15:28Mum and Dad out of work.
15:30I don't know how anyone can be rich and proud on benefits.
15:32No, to me it's very shameful.
15:34You know I hate being in this situation.
15:36I hate having to rely on the government.
15:38I need a job and a cheaper accommodation.
15:40So then I've got more chance
15:42and more money to spend
15:44on the household and the boys
15:46because it isn't cheap.
15:54There were 10 cases
15:57where £100,000 a year was spent on housing benefit
15:59for individual families.
16:01That's 10 too many.
16:03It's one reason why Labour has said
16:05we would support a cap on overall benefits.
16:07But how best to design this cap
16:09to avoid it pushing people into homelessness
16:11and ending up costing more.
16:15In search of large, cheaper properties
16:17many London boroughs rehouse families
16:19in the West Midlands
16:21like Hansworth in Birmingham
16:23where rents are more affordable.
16:25So the beds arrived.
16:27They're piled up here at the moment
16:29because we don't know
16:31until the family arrive
16:33which bedrooms each person will be sleeping in.
16:35Mark is Brent Council's man in Birmingham
16:37and he's preparing for Awaz
16:39and his family's arrival
16:41from Brent later that day.
16:43We supply a fridge freezer
16:45to the property
16:47and a washing machine.
16:49As well as a cooker
16:51that's what the clients are given.
16:54There's nothing worse
16:56than coming into the house
16:58with a dirty toilet.
17:00This property in London
17:02might be costing a taxpayer
17:04about £1,500 a month.
17:06Here in Birmingham
17:08the local housing authority rate
17:10is £714.
17:12It's quite a substantial saving
17:14on what the local authorities
17:16have to pay out in London really.
17:19But back in Brent
17:21Awaz is still resisting
17:23the council's offer.
17:25The question I need an answer to
17:27is are you accepting the offer
17:29in Birmingham or not?
17:31To be honest I'm really stressed and confused
17:33I don't know what to choose
17:35and what to do to be honest.
17:37I need to know.
17:39The office is shutting down.
17:41We started our conversation
17:43before 4 o'clock.
17:45It's almost 5 o'clock now.
17:48I need to know though.
17:50If I don't work next week
17:52I lose the job.
17:54The question about your employment
17:56that will be investigated.
17:58Leave that to us to do.
18:02Good morning Brent Council.
18:04Hello it's Mark in Birmingham.
18:06Are you alright?
18:08Yeah I'm fine Mark.
18:10Yeah.
18:12Mark's been on standby all night
18:14waiting for Awaz and his family.
18:17I'm just reporting the clients didn't turn up last night.
18:19Yeah we've heard nothing this morning.
18:21We waited until 11.30ish.
18:23Found them this morning
18:25still no answer.
18:27So obviously it's up to you
18:29you're in now with that one.
18:31That's two in a week who haven't turned up.
18:33It's a bit frustrating
18:35that I've wasted my time
18:37but at the same time
18:39there'll probably be more of these cases.
18:41Some people really really
18:43don't want to be here and others are making the best of it.
18:47I don't even know where I'm going actually.
18:49Tanya's rent is expensive.
18:51As a single mum
18:53she would prefer not to work
18:55but has no choice
18:57as she is desperate to avoid the cab.
18:59Oh we're down there.
19:01Come on big boy.
19:03Ok so we're calculating
19:05that you'd have to pay a difference
19:07of £219.59
19:09per week.
19:11Per week?
19:13Yeah.
19:15No way can I pay
19:17£200 and something pounds a week.
19:19That's almost £800 a month
19:21and I just don't have that
19:23kind of money every week.
19:25After I pay my rent
19:27I'm going to have to send my children out begging
19:29because I don't have no way to feed them
19:31or to pay my other bills at home.
19:33I'm thinking just to give up my property.
19:35Give up my house.
19:37And then to move where?
19:39I don't know.
19:45Sorry about that.
19:47I don't blame them for what they're doing
19:49to get the lazy people back to work
19:51but you know I've just had a baby
19:53and I'm not looking to go back to work
19:55when he's 6 months or around 7 or 8 months
19:57where he's walking and can go in the nursery
19:59then yeah I'll go back to work and stay at work.
20:01But it's hard.
20:03It's hard.
20:05It's hard.
20:11Ticket number 29.
20:14Please go to desk 14.
20:18As I said my worst fears were confirmed.
20:20It is going to be an accommodation
20:22outside of London in High Wycombe.
20:24I am a stressed man.
20:26I'm very good to family.
20:28I'm going to stress.
20:30You're doing me like an animal.
20:32Let's try to move this thing on.
20:34Listen to me.
20:36Palestinian refugee Khalid Qasim
20:38has 7 children and moved to Brent 16 years ago.
20:40I'm telling you that nothing can be done.
20:43This is all we have.
20:45Why do you try to stay with someone?
20:47A good very big family.
20:49How it comes?
20:51Khalid has a part time grocer's job
20:53earning £150 a week.
20:55His benefits are £800 per week.
20:57As he's working
20:59he should never have been affected
21:01by the changes.
21:03But he's still being evicted.
21:05The only affordable accommodation
21:07is 30 miles away in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
21:09I told them if you hurt him
21:12you are responsible.
21:14My oldest child.
21:16He told me if I leave the store
21:18I hurt myself.
21:20Don't try to emotionally blackmail us.
21:22That's called emotional blackmail.
21:24Sorry about that.
21:26Anything happens to your children
21:28that's your parental obligation
21:30to safeguard them.
21:32Do not try to blackmail us with this.
21:34I can go to that address.
21:36You have to sign a letter
21:38that if my oldest child
21:41Which local governmental authority officer
21:43in their right mind
21:45is going to do something like that?
21:47You tell me.
21:49You can't sit here and protest.
21:51This is a public building.
21:53We have a closing time.
21:55You will eventually be asked
21:57to leave this building.
21:59You understand me?
22:01OK. I'll get the children.
22:03You can't do anything against the children.
22:05Even touch him.
22:07I know the law.
22:10I told you I'm confused.
22:12My wife she doesn't want to accept it.
22:14I don't know what can I do.
22:16I want to stay with my friends.
22:18I don't like my own place.
22:20I just want to stay in London.
22:22Tomorrow is the day for me to leave.
22:24I don't know where can I go.
22:26It's a very difficult situation.
22:28You are like someone
22:30who is in the middle of the fire.
22:34His behaviour at the minute
22:36is not really good.
22:38Eventually if he chooses not to leave
22:40then the ramifications
22:42he will be escorted off the premises.
22:44He is here now.
22:46We can only provide him what is affordable.
22:48Given time it's going to get worse and worse.
22:50We are going to see a lot more cases such as this.
22:52He's got seven children.
22:54He needs to think very carefully
22:56about what he is going to do now.
23:00What's going to worry you?
23:02Brent's Lawrence Coker
23:04is seeing more cases like Khalid's.
23:07People who have low paid jobs
23:09evicted and having to leave London.
23:11My fear
23:13is where is this going to end?
23:15Where are we going to be able to house
23:17these families who are homeless
23:19because they have been evicted from accommodation
23:21which they can no longer afford.
23:23Even if you go out and you do get a job
23:25you won't necessarily be able to stay
23:27because there isn't the supply
23:29of the private sector housing
23:31which is affordable and available.
23:36I'm having to scream.
23:38I had a trial
23:40of a job in a bar
23:42but that didn't go too well
23:44so that really made me
23:46lose a bit of my confidence.
23:50Tanya is seeking advice
23:52from a housing benefit expert.
23:58You're in temporary accommodation
24:00which means they owe you a full housing
24:02charge.
24:04Which means they owe you a full housing duty.
24:06So it means they can't
24:08get rid of you.
24:10It may be that what they'll do
24:12is they'll look to move you to rent
24:14that would be within this £280
24:16and then it doesn't matter if you work or not
24:18because you're already going to
24:20escape the cap just by reducing
24:22your rent. The difficulty
24:24is going to be even that
24:26£280 that you would be left with
24:28you're going to struggle to find
24:30private rented accommodation that's
24:32cheap enough.
24:34That's what I'm trying to run away from.
24:36Because they're not housing you in London anymore
24:38whether you work or not, they're housing you out
24:40to Birmingham, to Luton
24:42and if I go out there I have
24:44no support. Maybe I could
24:46contact Brent
24:48and ask them to try and find her cheaper
24:50temporary accommodation and these are the
24:52areas that she's willing to look at.
24:54That would be a nice thing for you to do
24:56but it's Brent I don't trust
24:58because they haven't
25:00helped me before.
25:02There's a lot of uncertainty.
25:04I know it's good of you
25:06but it's good of you on your side
25:08You're right.
25:10I just get upset.
25:22Because it's such a big document we really need to be
25:24careful about what we put in here.
25:26Back in Brent, housing officer
25:28Ali Tahir has got even more
25:30bad news for Khalid.
25:32This letter I'm going to issue the applicants with
25:34it's an enforcement letter, we can do this lawfully
25:36we've made a reasonable
25:38adequate offer of accommodation
25:40and give them one final chance
25:42to reconsider this decision
25:44if he doesn't then
25:46for all intents and purposes they're on their own.
25:48We're not
25:50life managers, we're not life coaches
25:52we are what we are, we're housing officers
25:54we don't have a choice in it as much as Eddie
25:56and Kimpton.
25:58Councils like Brent have the power to
26:00discharge their duty to rehouse Khalid
26:02if he continues to refuse
26:04offers of alternative accommodation.
26:06He's not going to be happy.
26:08The rest assured he's not going to be happy.
26:12We've made an offer of reasonable
26:14adequate accommodation in High Wycombe
26:16I urge you to accept this
26:18you've got the right to review within 21 days
26:20of receiving this decision letter
26:22if you choose not to then obviously there's nothing else
26:24you can do. Think about your children
26:26they're all under nine, there's seven of them
26:28think about having a roof over your head
26:30it may be in another part of the country
26:32it's not too far.
26:34It's very very late today
26:36No, no, no
26:38I don't know. Are you going to
26:40do this or not?
26:42No, no
26:44Of course I take the home
26:46but because
26:48my children
26:50go to school in the morning
26:52my son
26:54and you're the office problem
27:08Khalid and his wife Faiza
27:10still don't want to accept the offer
27:22I don't have money
27:30Mr Qasim
27:32are you going to take the property or not?
27:38Over here, over here
27:40as a man sometimes you have to go and do stuff
27:42you might not want to do
27:44that's your responsibility
27:46take what they've given you so they don't have to
27:48sit here tonight
27:50So you take the property
27:52at least the family have somewhere to stay for tonight
27:54and then you can ask for a review
27:56Yeah
28:00Do you like to come upstairs?
28:02It's just you, everybody else can stay here
28:10After arguing for over six hours
28:12Khalid and his family finally
28:14returned to their accommodation
28:16They will be evicted
28:18the next day
28:32As the changes begin to bite
28:34the Brent Welfare Reform Team
28:36are still trying to reach as many potentially
28:38affected claimants as they can
28:40£95.33 per week
28:42You are going to lose £68.13 per week
28:44Some it's really scary
28:46Because the shortfalls vary for a lot of people
28:48some shortfalls are £20, £10
28:50some shortfalls are £100, £300
28:52Well you do understand the reason
28:54that you are being kept is because you are not working
28:56yeah?
28:58You're saying that he's too sick to go and work
29:00but what about you then?
29:02They react in different ways, some people do want to get into employment
29:04and then we can work with, some people want to move
29:06we can work with them as well, some people don't have an option
29:08because they can't move because of children
29:10and they can't go into employment for whatever reason
29:12One of the ways the council
29:14softens the blow is drawing on
29:16a temporary government top-up fund
29:18that helps vulnerable families cope with the cap
29:20It's called
29:22Discretionary Housing Payment, DHP
29:24We'll be able to pay
29:26Discretionary Housing Payment for you
29:28until the end of the financial year
29:30which will be the 31st of March 2013
29:34We're not going to throw money at people
29:36if they're going to sit there and just do nothing
29:38it's not to delay the process
29:40it's to support a solution to the process
29:42Yeah but your husband can look after the kids can't he?
29:44while you work
29:46is that not possible?
29:52Tanya's back at Brent
29:54she's convinced her benefits were being cut
29:56and believes she has to find a job
29:58but there's been some confusion
30:00We are paying out at the moment
30:02500, your rent is fully covered
30:04so
30:06I came here last week yeah
30:08so can you tell me why nobody stated this to me last week
30:10and why I've got all these figures from last week
30:12and I've been getting myself into a tough and tumble
30:14because now you're telling me this
30:16it's kind of pissed me off now
30:18As her son Kamali is under one
30:20she was getting her top-up all along
30:22but she had no idea
30:24I haven't bought myself any gas
30:26so my house is like a freezer at the minute
30:28me and my kids haven't stayed in one room
30:30I've not been eating
30:32so my kids can eat
30:34I'm still breastfeeding this little boy
30:36or trying to
30:38I went to my doctor
30:40and he said it's because I'm not eating properly
30:42and because I had to start taking my sleeping tablets
30:44because I couldn't sleep at night
30:46Did I need to do all that?
30:48No
30:50I'm sorry I'm just so annoyed and angry right now
30:52I could pick up that computer
30:54and dash it down there
31:00I'm alright I'm in a menial situation now
31:02because I don't have to contribute
31:04these guys will pay till March
31:06In the meantime I will still look for a job
31:08so when it comes to March
31:10I don't have to come in this building and deal with these people
31:12because they'll just put me in a mad home
31:14send me to a mad home with all this stress
31:22Yes Marlee
31:24Tanya's temporary benefit top-up will eventually run out
31:26Her rent is so high
31:28the council might still be forced
31:30to move her out of London
31:36Single mother Tracy McCarthy
31:38has also found she's being capped
31:44That's £317.80
31:46Like Tanya
31:48she's also getting a temporary top-up
31:50because she's studying
31:52but it's also about to run out
31:54Ok so how much is the shortfall?
31:56It is £106.26
31:58That's what you're short for?
32:00A week
32:02It's not really affordable is it really?
32:04More worrying for Tracy
32:06is her pending eviction
32:08And if you do get evicted because of the shortfall
32:10we have to look at what have you done to avoid that eviction
32:12Have you done anything to get into employment?
32:14Have you done anything to move?
32:16Then we'll look at it again in November
32:18We'll review it on a regular basis to see how far you've got
32:20Would you be willing to get a part-time job
32:22if that meant that you could stay where you are?
32:24It all depends whether I'd benefit out of it financially
32:26So you would want to do a better off-calc
32:28with the job centre pass to see what happens?
32:34In High Wycombe, Khalid's getting his first taste of his new home
32:56Children, they will fall down
32:58and one of them will die here
33:00This house costs £375
33:02An equivalent house in Brent
33:04could cost over £500 per week
33:08There's no space for these things
33:10There's no space
33:16I will bring them here
33:18and see what they said
33:20Healthy and good for the Salisbury family
33:22What is it? Can you see it?
33:24You can see it, isn't it?
33:26If you don't work 16 hours per week
33:28we will actually be looking at
33:30moving you outside of London
33:32One of those areas will be Birmingham
33:34How do you feel about that?
33:36After all the chaos in the city
33:38and the lack of jobs
33:40it's time for a change
33:42It's time for a change
33:44It's time for a change
33:46It's time for a change
33:48It's time for a change
33:50It's time for a change
33:52It's time for a change
33:54After all the council's efforts
33:56to warn capped claimants
33:58of the consequences of the benefits changes
34:00the message is finally hitting home
34:0216 years ago
34:04we came as a refugee in London
34:06and now we are going second time
34:08as a refugee from London to Birmingham or somewhere else
34:10That I think is not good
34:12However, they said
34:14you have to move
34:16It's very difficult to go outside London
34:18because it is multicultural
34:20We need multicultural
34:22We don't want problems
34:24We need peace and love
34:26I didn't ask to be moved to Manchester
34:28This was thrust upon me
34:30because of the benefit cap
34:32You lot found me a property in a place
34:34that I said I did not want to go to
34:36I am not putting my family in danger
34:38for the sake of Brent Council
34:40Donna Roswell has been capped
34:42and her benefits almost halved
34:44She's a single mother
34:46who despite being moved to cheaper housing
34:48still needs to find a job
34:50I've known you for some time
34:52Unfortunately you haven't been successful
34:54I have previously discussed being an Avon rep
34:56I've got a lot of friends
34:58Five children, I'm sorry
35:00Five children, Avon ain't gon' feed
35:02Plain and straight
35:04I've done Avon when I had three children
35:06So please don't be talking that rubbish to me
35:08It will give you that flexibility
35:10that you need
35:12Would you do it?
35:14Would you do it sitting down raising five children?
35:16Don't belittle me with Avon
35:18It will give you that flexibility
35:20It doesn't give me no flexibility
35:22Really, really, really
35:24No
35:26You can't just uproot families
35:28and take them out
35:30You can't just tell them what they can live off
35:32from what they can't
35:34because you're not living with their expenses
35:36Everybody's family is individually uniquely different
35:38We can't help it
35:40I did try to assist her
35:42I referred her to Jobcentre Plus
35:44to try and find employment
35:47For now, she needs to be a bit more open-minded
35:49of what kind of job she wants to get into
35:51and I think that will help her
35:53Is she willing to do that?
35:55I don't think so
36:10A little bit scared
36:12because it's too far away
36:15My wife, she's sick
36:17Who's caring about the children?
36:19Nobody
36:21And they told me, OK, here now
36:23there is a community
36:25I can't trust anybody here, isn't it?
36:29She can't see any future in this area
36:31When I look to her
36:33I think like something's burning
36:35inside her heart
36:44Because my children are in school for two months
36:46I don't know what's going to happen to them
36:48and my friends are used to it
36:50Their psychology is changing here
36:52and they keep coming back
36:54They say the child is the most important thing
36:56and yesterday I found out
36:58that if you don't take the house
37:00the authorities will take the children from you
37:02to take care of them
37:15Are you going to sing it?
37:17Good night, Lola
37:19Good night, Lola
37:21Tracy is still fighting her landlord's attempt to evict her
37:26On the 4th of November
37:28that's when he wants me out of this property
37:31but I don't intend to go
37:33I don't intend to go
37:35I don't intend to go
37:37I don't intend to go
37:39I don't intend to go
37:41I don't intend to go
37:43I don't intend to go
37:45It just keeps me awake at night
37:47wondering what's going to happen
37:49whether I'm going to be shoved in a hotel
37:51and forgot about
37:53They're threatening to put me down looting
37:55I'm not happy about that
37:57I want to stay in the Brent area
37:59To uproot a family
38:01and put them outside of London
38:03it's not really practical
38:05because my family network's in London
38:07and my friends are in London
38:09It's where I want to stay
38:11Tracy is raising up three children alone
38:13and is unsure whether she's better off on benefits
38:15or working
38:19Tracy volunteers part-time
38:21and studies three days a week at college
38:23People have the attitude that
38:25single parents are single
38:27because they want to be
38:29and they get more money if they're a single parent
38:31It's not the case
38:33Basically in a full-time job as it is
38:35I don't sit at home watching Jeremy Carl
38:37I want to go out and work
38:39and keep myself busy
38:41but to go out and work
38:43cleaning toilets all day long
38:45and things like that
38:47for minimum wage
38:49What are you saying to children when they're older?
38:53I don't know if I'm going to get the court letter
38:55through the door saying
38:57you're being evicted on such and such date
38:59You know, it could do without the stress
39:09Khalid has returned to Brent
39:11to complain about his house in High Wycombe
39:13The stairs are a problem
39:15Yes, they're very dangerous for the children
39:17It's a very long stair
39:19to the second floor
39:21We found this one lock in the mattress
39:23The children woke up at night
39:25They said, what's that, like this?
39:27It's not healthy for children
39:29And the train, if I travel from Wycombe
39:31to my job
39:33it will cost me around £400 a month
39:35I can't afford it, to be honest
39:40He's brought in photos
39:42of what looks like an infestation
39:44of, could be wood lice
39:46or, I'm not sure, some kind of beetle
39:48and the fact that he's got open stairs there
39:50I don't know if they're allowed
39:52But this is his responsibility, isn't it?
39:54It's highly unlikely, isn't it?
39:56That these sorts of issues are going to make it unsuitable
39:58What I need him to be leaving today with
40:00is the fact that this is the area
40:02that he's going to be living in
40:04at least the foreseeable future
40:06So what's he doing about the children's schooling, for instance?
40:09He said he's been working since 2006
40:11in Harrow Road
40:13It seems pretty harsh to have to say to people
40:15you might have to give up your job
40:17Why has he got to give up his job?
40:19Because it's in Harrow Road
40:21and he's saying it costs him £300 or £400 a month
40:23commuting from High Wycombe
40:25But where's he going to live?
40:27Well, exactly, I'm going to have to say
40:29it's your house or your job
40:31Or say to him, find your own accommodation
40:33We can help you with deposits, etc
40:35I've said that as well
40:37It's not affordable in Brent
40:39We can't
40:56Since the reforms began
40:58homelessness in London
41:00caused by landlords ending tenancies
41:02has increased by over 300%
41:05Evicted families are regarded by Brent
41:07as technically homeless
41:09and many end up in temporary hostels
41:11waiting for their turn to be moved out of the borough
41:15OK, this is our second room
41:17This is where we put our food
41:19and our plates
41:21and our cutlery and all that
41:23Because we can't leave it in the kitchen
41:25otherwise people will take it
41:27or use it
41:29Mumino Kulmaya is a British citizen
41:31who came from Ethiopia 12 years ago
41:34She's a single mother
41:36and for the last three months
41:38together with her two daughters
41:40has been living in an emergency hostel
41:42We use for everything this room
41:44So our food
41:46our clothes
41:48dirty clothes
41:50Everything's inside this room
41:54£616 for two rooms per week
41:56It's not worth the money
41:58they're saying
42:00because that room is really small
42:02It shouldn't be that much money
42:04Hafsa's family were evicted
42:06because of rent arrears
42:08Due to the cap, the council can't find
42:10any affordable housing in Brent
42:12so they are moving them to Luton
42:14I've lived in Brent for nearly all my life
42:16like 12, 11 years
42:18and I like it here
42:20and I have a lot of family here
42:22so I can't just move
42:24and in Luton I have nobody
42:26I don't know anyone there
42:28I've never been there in my life
42:30I'm going to do my GCC soon
42:32so I can't move to another school
42:34so they're ruining it for me
42:36so I'm refusing to go
42:42They have to drag me out
42:50Hello
42:52Tracey's back at the council
42:54still trying to find ways
42:56to make her finances add up
42:58and she's being moved out of Brent
43:00So if you started work
43:02you would have to pay about
43:04£4 towards your rent
43:06The cap only applies if you don't work
43:08OK
43:10If she was working 16 hours on minimum wage
43:12Tracey's total weekly income
43:14would be £811
43:16and if her rent stayed the same
43:18she would have more money to live on
43:20So you'd have £328.37 roughly
43:22per week
43:24for your living expenses
43:26I'd give that figure
43:28Well that's the figure the system's giving
43:30They're going to pay that figure
43:32if I go out to work
43:34but yet they can't pay my rent now
43:36Because obviously you've got a cap at the moment
43:38on benefits haven't you
43:40But then I'm still going to have the cap aren't I
43:42No, if you start work the cap doesn't apply to you
43:44you can get more than £500 a week
43:48Most of the time you're better off
43:50in work
43:52only if you work full time maybe
43:54Sometimes it's hard to work out
43:56but 16 hours if you do the minimum
43:58for working tax credit you're definitely better off
44:00Just use the lift to get down
44:02Thank you
44:06I'm staying at college
44:08It means I'm going to struggle
44:10but I'm hoping that because I'm in studies
44:12they'll continue to pay my rent
44:14but we'll see
44:24I'm not going
44:26Definitely I'm not going with you
44:28If you want to, go
44:30I'm staying in the street
44:32She was angry
44:34Mumino's elder daughter Hafsa
44:36is still insisting on staying in Brent
44:38You need a house isn't it
44:40They need a house
44:42Exactly, so it's for you to talk to your children
44:44tell them you are the mother
44:46you can't just leave her there
44:48you're supposed to be telling her what to do
44:50Can I have a right to say
44:52no this house
44:54I'm not happy
44:56I know
44:58If you refuse
45:00we'll stop working with you
45:02you can't come to us for help
45:04and the B&B where you are
45:06we are going to cancel it within 7 days
45:10Mumino will have to find her own cheaper property
45:12or get a job
45:14She hasn't worked for 12 years
45:16and the council's deadline looms
45:18I don't think she'll be able to make it on her own
45:20She can't find the deposit
45:22because most of the estate agents
45:24will ask for one month's rent
45:26one month's deposit, which is really hard
45:28Even me, I'm working, I can't afford to do that
45:36They think we are being hard
45:38and they don't think it's happening actually
45:40they think it's just you
45:42making a decision on their behalf
45:50If you're happy and you know it
45:52nod your head
45:54I like coming here, I like volunteering
45:56I like coming to the centre
45:58it's something that I enjoy
46:00Helping out in a children's nursery
46:02may help with Tracy's career plans
46:04but it won't stop her being capped
46:06and moved out of Brent
46:08Magic
46:10When I mention to them that I'm doing voluntary work
46:12it's not recognised
46:14by the council
46:16it's not recognised by the homeless unit
46:18they said it's irrelevant
46:20for my moving process
46:22so they're happy for me
46:24to be homeless
46:26on the day that my eviction comes
46:28and they're happy to put me in a different area
46:30so all this will
46:32completely be gone
46:38I would be happy to get a paid job
46:40but it's just uncertainty really
46:42I don't know where I'm going to be, what's going to happen
46:44it's going to affect everything
46:46Tracy's decision not to work
46:48is a gamble
46:50the council might continue to financially help out
46:52but if she's evicted
46:54she could end up like Mumino
46:56living in one of Brent's B&B hostels
47:06Mumino's moving today
47:08with her youngest daughter Hanan
47:10but needs to pick up her belongings
47:12stored with family and friends
47:14This is the hardest thing
47:16I've ever seen in my entire life
47:18really
47:20even...
47:22I don't know
47:24Her elder daughter Hafsa hasn't turned up
47:26She says
47:28I'm not going, I'm not going
47:30looting, it's not my area
47:32I don't want to go
47:34We meet again Inshallah
47:36Inshallah
47:38I'm feeling a little bit sad
47:40because usually we visit each other
47:42we can't if I move there
47:44because it's a little bit far
47:46I need this money, a lot of money
47:48to travel here
48:04Bye
48:20Mumino's arrived at her new house
48:22in Luton with Hanan, her younger daughter
48:24Do you like it?
48:26I'm not sure
48:28Hello, I'm Donna from
48:30Teal Properties
48:32Mumino's weekly hostel bill in Brent
48:34was over £600
48:36but in Luton, this three-bedroom
48:38terrace house costs less than
48:40£170 a week
48:42This is the living room, come dining room
48:44Through here is your kitchen
48:48Bathroom
48:50It can be a friend, a kitchen
48:52It is legal
48:54And then upstairs
48:56we have three bedrooms
49:02We've got a big Arndale centre
49:04just five minutes away
49:06We've got a little shop down the road on the corner
49:12This is not a sitting room
49:14Open plan lounge diner
49:16That's what most of the houses look like now
49:18Do you think this looks like a sitting room?
49:20Be honest
49:22It is not really
49:24It is not
49:26Luton, and again, bad house
49:28This area is
49:30Scrap, really, scrap
49:32For me, if this one is in London
49:34I should say
49:36Oh, at least I have a house in London
49:38and my children in school
49:40but now
49:42I don't have a good house
49:44and also I'm changing everything
49:46you know
49:48I think it's best to make a phone call to them
49:50see what they say, sort it out
49:52through them
49:54Mumino makes one final plea
49:56to her Brent housing advisor
49:58Do you think it's possible
50:00to come back in London?
50:02Yeah?
50:04I can't carry on this
50:06hard life, really
50:08because you're pushing me something I don't want
50:10I'm not stressed
50:12I'm stressed, really
50:16Why are you closing?
50:20What's happening? Are you going to take the property
50:22or are you deciding not to?
50:24They say you don't have a choice
50:26You've got to take it, right, okay
50:28Yeah, I don't have a choice
50:42What are you doing?
50:44After over two years
50:46in her rented house
50:48Tracy's finally being evicted
50:50The landlord's here
50:53Grab the baby, grab the baby
50:59The landlord tried to
51:01illegally evict me
51:03One day when I was out he
51:05come round, bolted up the door
51:07so I couldn't get in again
51:09and I
51:11ended up having to climb through
51:13a bathroom window, heavily pregnant
51:15I'm not really bothered about the landlord
51:17I'm just more worried about where I'm going to be
51:19tonight
51:21It's going to be upsetting for the kids
51:23if I'm putting a bed and breakfast
51:25because I'm not going to be able to
51:27keep these in their bedtime routine
51:31It's just going to be a nightmare
51:35Hey, I'm leaving here today
51:37being evicted
51:41Give me your number
51:43Where's my phone?
51:45Bye
51:47Bye
51:53One of the worst challenges ever
51:55I've come across in my entire life
51:57There's people on benefits
51:59They're grand people
52:01It's not their fault that their benefits
52:03have been cut down
52:05It's the very best of people at this benefit
52:07Not this lady, she's very worthless
52:11I owe a few poppies
52:13but I wouldn't let her think that the council
52:15now
52:17last resolved
52:21I'm not giving him his case
52:23Why should I?
52:25He's chucking me out of the property
52:27so
52:29Come on, Buster
52:35Tracy now has to return to the council
52:37and declare herself and her family homeless
52:43So she's found
52:47what you are
52:49Hi Tracy
52:51Hiya
52:53You've got to be near Wembley, don't you?
52:55At the council
52:57Tracy's worst fears are confirmed
52:59There's not a house available
53:01just a hostel
53:03The main thing, Tracy, is that you're not on the road
53:05You and your children will have a roof over their head
53:07and we've taken that into consideration
53:09I could be there for over a year
53:11No, you don't have to be there for over a year
53:13Why would you say that?
53:15Because I've known people
53:17But it's not people's case
53:19it's your case
53:21My kids are going to be uprooted
53:23and we're going to be stuck in a roof
53:27Hopefully it won't be for very long
53:29but just remember
53:31at least you've got somewhere to go
53:33so you and your children won't be homeless
53:35Yeah?
53:37Alright?
53:39Bye
53:57I knew it, a hostel
53:59Oh God
54:03It's just going to be a nightmare
54:05I know it is
54:09Yeah
54:15In the last year
54:17due to the government's welfare reforms
54:19276 households have been moved to accommodation
54:21outside of Brent
54:25Across the UK
54:27even though councils have tried to help claimants
54:29avoid the cab
54:31over 38,000 families were still affected
54:35What's difficult to predict
54:37is the consequences of the government's reforms
54:39on the lives of those forced to leave their homes
54:45After seven months
54:47the experiences of the Brent families we have followed
54:49have been very different
54:53I'm going to stress
54:55You're doing me like an animal
54:59Khalid drove 30 miles each day
55:01to take his children to school
55:03and to keep his Brent job
55:05Following a council review of his case
55:07they moved him and his family back to London
55:11Seven children
55:13they will be without a school
55:15We will be jobless
55:17A council investigation proved that
55:19Awaz and his wife were legitimately working
55:21They moved to Birmingham
55:23but rarely lived there
55:25preferring to stay with family in Brent
55:29Donna never actually moved to Manchester
55:31and after 15 years on the housing waiting list
55:33she got a cheaper council house in Brent
55:37I'd never thought the day would come
55:39when I'd actually have my own property
55:41To know that I'm still local
55:43the entire family's over the moon
55:47She's now got a full-time job in a children's nursery
55:51The government's intention
55:53is to encourage people back into work
55:55but so far only around one in ten of those capped
55:57has a job
55:59For Tanya
56:01the council managed to find a cheaper
56:03private rented property back in Brent
56:05I'm just a lot more at ease now
56:07and a lot more relaxed now
56:09I can feel like I have a future now
56:11I can afford to get on with my life now
56:13But she is still unemployed
56:17Mumino found a part-time job
56:19but is still capped
56:21Hafsa never did join her in Luton
56:23and stays with family in Brent
56:25They rarely see each other
56:27I'm feeling what all mums feel
56:29Not feeling well when my daughter is other places
56:31It's hard, it's very hard
56:35It's not good really what they're doing
56:37because they're spaying up all the families
56:39See each other like once every two weeks
56:41or sometimes once every week
56:45And the longest I haven't seen her
56:47was like probably three weeks
56:49I just want us to all be together
56:51Tracey and her family of three
56:53are currently living in a one-room hostel
56:55in Brent
56:57waiting for a new home
56:59somewhere
57:01If I'm here in September
57:03I doubt it whether I'll be able to go to college
57:05A lot of people are praying for me
57:07I'm praying for myself
57:09and for my children
57:11I'm praying for myself
57:13and for my children
57:15I'm praying for myself
57:17and for my children
57:19and I'm just hoping that I will be able to
57:21get out of here as quick as possible
57:23basically
57:25and then get into some kind of temporary flat
57:27or something
57:29to enable me to have a steady life
57:31with my children
57:33Don't jump on that bed
57:39Nobody on benefits
57:41people who are not working
57:43should be earning more than the average
57:45earnings for the rest of Britain
57:47The benefit cap
57:49affects your household
57:51which means that your current accommodation
57:53is not affordable
57:55The government is announcing
57:57the most radical overhaul
57:59of our welfare system
58:01since its inception
58:03driven by a simple
58:05overriding principle
58:07the purpose of welfare
58:09is to ensure that people
58:11who are not working
58:13have a stable income
58:15simple principle
58:17the purpose of welfare
58:19is to help people into work
58:45Thank you for watching!