Will you be there for people when our social safety net fails them?
You can make a difference. Make your gift today.
I want to be a lifeline for people when our social security system fails them.
Your gift could help the Turn2us PIP Helper tool reach more people and help build a fairer system so no one is left skimping on food just to get by.
Jo's story
Almost a decade ago, a road accident at work left Jo with a fractured tailbone, injuries across her upper body, and lasting physical pain. Since then, Jo's lived with diagnoses that affect her daily independence.
As she found everyday tasks increasingly impossible and struggled to work the hours she needed to get by, Jo searched for support and eventually found out about a disability benefit called the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Like thousands of others, Jo found the process of claiming PIP complex, inaccessible, and emotionally draining.
Nearly 3 in 4 people who claim PIP felt like their assessor did not understand their condition, and more than a third of people who’ve been denied PIP did not have their application assessed properly. The PIP process is fraught with complex application forms, frequent reassessments and poor decision making.
Following her experience, Jo worked with Turn2us alongside a group of people who've claimed PIP from different background across society to create a new tool supporting people to access PIP - the Turn2us PIP Helper. Thanks to your support, this vital tool will launch later this year.
On working to create the tool with Turn2us as part of a group of people who'd claimed PIP, Jo says:
"We all had different perspectives and life experiences: different genders, ages, and disabilities and that’s why I believe the tool’s so effective - because of the people that helped to create it. Being involved in creating the tool as the people who use it is really powerful.
"The tool guides someone step-by-step through the whole PIP process and really makes it clear exactly how to fill out the application to clearly show an assessor what someone’s condition is and what support they need. We know the burden that applying for PIP can put on your mental health. It’s really awful. With the Turn2us PIP Helper, you can see how to access wellbeing support at any point, hear from people who’ve actually been through the process, or save your information to take breaks and come back to it with a clear mind. I can’t stress enough how much this was needed."
Why donate?
Your donation could help more people claim the support they’re entitled to through the PIP Helper tool, and challenge our welfare system to build a fairer economy in the long term.
PIP isn’t just a nice to have. It’s absolutely critical. Disabled people are most impacted by deep poverty in the UK, and are disproportionately represented in groups that are not eating regular meals.
Jo says:
"I felt like a hypochondriac, like a fraud claiming PIP, but I need to be able to put heating on; I need a hot bath every now and then to help with the pain and PIP allows me to do that. The reality is, people are skimping on food to be able to stay warm and going through hell to get support to pay for the essentials."
That’s not how a fair or just welfare system works. We should all be able to access the support that’s there for us, without shame or stigma.
Your donation will help stop people being denied support they’re eligible for in the first place and having to wait for too long to get help. It will help the Turn2us PIP Helper tool reach more people and build a fairer system so no one is left skimping on food just to get by.
If you can, please make your donation today.
Thank you.
Because of PIP we can actually live without fear of being made homeless or losing our home. We can stay in our house despite the increase in bills from energy and water and food. That’s how important the payment is to me.