Dundee Helps its Children Survive

Dundee: Togs for Tots, children’s charity helps poorest to live.

MORE than 50 families a month are turning to a grassroots group for clothing, toys and essentials as benefits cuts bite in one of Scotland’s poorest cities. Togs for Tots to Teens for example has distributed aid to 154 clients in the past three months.

The packs are tailored to the needs of each child and are given to youngsters from birth to late teens. Organiser Jordan Butler set up the group, which collects and distributes clothing, games, high chairs and more, after recognising growing levels of need in the Dundee area.

Many of the items are second hand, while others, such as underwear or cot mattresses, are provided new through a wish list on the Amazon website. The group operates from a donated space within Elim Pentacostal Church in the city’s Coldside ward.

Cases have included a seven-month-old baby with just four babygros and a 15-year-old boy who would not leave the house because all of his clothing was too small.

Most clients are in work and in receipt of benefits but struggling to meet rising living costs and packs have been delivered to families in Dundee, Angus, Fife and Perth.

Butler, a 33-year-old arts worker who holds down two jobs in addition to running the scheme, says demand has surpassed her expectations. She said: “We don’t advertise, so this is just the people who know about us through word of mouth. We know that it could be higher by five-fold.

“I’m surprised at the momentum we have managed to get, but initially I was actually surprised there was nothing in place in this area for people who were struggling for clothing and equipment for any age of child.

“Older children are often forgotten. We get more referrals for older children than babies – about 60 per cent of the cases we have had are children aged nine and older.

“These are not new families starting out, they are established families or families who have then had another child and things have just got too difficult for them.”

Analysis shows Dundee is the city hardest hit by Westminster welfare reforms behind Glasgow.

 “I want to create kindness instead of this ugly blame culture that has been going around.

“The poor, the working, the vulnerable are being encouraged to fight among themselves about whose fault it is, but we all know whose fault it is.”

Butler spoke out as the Scottish Government revealed more than 150,000 households have received aid since April 2013 to buy essentials such as nappies, food and cookers through the Scottish Welfare Fund.

More than £65 million has been distributed since its inception, with the spend on clothing and shoes up £90,000 to £630,000 last year. The value of nappies provided shot up from £17,200 in 2013-14 to £23,000 in the past 12 months, with another £3.9m of grants for food and £1.3m for energy costs.

During that period the number of claims made by households in Dundee rose 13 per cent, in line with the overall Scottish figure.

Dundee councillor Jimmy Black, chair of the local Fairness Commission, said: “Across Dundee we have two cities. One of those is a prosperous city based around the universities.

“The other is a city in post-industrial decline where the jobs for people who used to work in shipbuilding and industry are not there in sufficient numbers.

“The welfare system until now helped by providing a safety net. Now that has all changed.

“No matter how much good that we try to do, the benefits cuts are having a serious effect on people.”

More than one third of the Scottish Welfare Fund grants were made to “vulnerable households” including lone parents, disabled people, those with a chronic illness or people with mental health problems.

Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said: “These grants are a vital lifeline for people in crisis with more than 150,000 households benefitting from a share of the £65m Scottish Welfare Fund.

“It is helping people in desperate situations buy everyday items like food, shoes and beds, and keeping them afloat during worrying times.

“The Scottish Government will continue to work with councils to publicise this scheme and reach those who are struggling to be able to afford items that many of us take for granted.

“While the UK Government presses ahead with its austerity agenda and continues to widen the gap in inequalities, the Scottish Government will continue to try to militate against the worst of the impacts of the cuts, including investing £296m in mitigation schemes, extending our free childcare and encouraging employers to pay the Living Wage.”

ABC Note:

If you want to donate this is the URL: http://www.togsfortots.org

Source article from the National