“We are currently sitting with no heating, so the house is freezing and we are living out of food banks”
A Co Antrim mum has opened up about the impact rising costs will have on disabled families this Christmas.
Josephine's six-year-old daughter Paige has mitochondrial disease, a rare genetic condition. Because of this, she is often in and out of hospital - trips her dad, Mark, accompanies her on, while mum stays at home and cares for her other children.Josephine says the family is receiving support from charities that will mean her children have something to open on Christmas Day, but it will be very different to previous years.
Earlier this year, the family did receive a grant from Sense’s cost of living support fund, and this helped ease the pressure at the time. However, it’s not a long-term solution. Meanwhile 61% of families said they were unable to afford to keep their home adequately warm while 68% admitted to being unsure how they’ll cope over the winter, so it will be little surprise that many are not looking forward to Christmas.Last month, the Government announced further one-off payments to help with rising costs, as well as a commitment to increase benefits in-line with inflation.
Sense is calling for more targeted support for disabled people, with the introduction of a new social tariff to lower the cost of energy bills for disabled households who face higher energy usage because of their individual needs.
Danmark Seneste Nyt, Danmark Overskrifter
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