No work, no money, no hope

LegacyUser

I haven't worked in six months. I have been living in a black fog of depression. I have my own house, but haven't made a mortgage payment in five months. I am going to lose my home, but I don't mind that, I have somewhere to go. I don't care, as long as my debts are cleared. But I fear I might not actually clear my debts, as my home won't sell, and I need the cash to clear other debts, not just the mortgage. Renting will not clear my debts, as the solicitors' letters are already coming in.

I drove a van, buses and trucks for years, but as a result, I suffer from a very bad back, and will not, at any cost, go back to driving any more. I will end up on a stretcher if I do. I had been hoping to change career, before all this recession blew up. I have no qualification, am still waiting on the dole (I only applied two months ago), no income at all, and am very, very down about the whole thing.

When I look at this government, and the sheer waste of taxpayers money that continues even as we all have to make cutbacks, I figure what's the point of it all, it's just a game, a ratrace, and a meaningless slog until you get too old to slog any more. I am sick of being told to get a job, any job at all. There are no jobs, at anything. I spent months trying, and now I don't try any more, as it is a waste of time. I can't do just anything, as my back kills me, so I cannot drive for prolonged periods, and I cannot stand for anything over an hour, though once I am active and moving around I am okay.

I am very down. I can rise myself and be positive if an opportunity arises, but there has been nothing for months now to rise me, and the depression gets deeper and blacker. Am I criminal for just wanting to be a quiet, ordinary person, doing my own thing, and having nothing to do with this rotten, corrupted, greedy society we live in? Is there an opt out clause?

Victor

This isn't the place to solve the worlds problems, but we can help with some of yours.

Tomorrow, go to the local community welfare officer and explain your situation. He should be able to pay you Supplementary Welfare Allowance (this will be offset against the jobseekers benefit when it gets paid), including Mortgage Interest Supplement. It won't solve everything, but it removes the worst of the financial pain.

Also, if you have a spare room, consider availing of the Rent-a-Room scheme - you can earn up to €10,000 per year tax free in your own home. this may affect you benefits.

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/SupplementaryWelfareAllowance/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/SupplementaryWelfareAllowance/Pages/MortgageInterstSupplement.aspx

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/housing/owning-a-home/home-owners/rent_a_room_scheme

LegacyUser

OP,

"This government" is no better or any worse than any other government in the world. People in power are smarter and cleverer, but at the end of the day they have the same weaknesses that the rest of us have. Blaming them is causing you to lose focus on your own problems.

P

LegacyUser

Unregistered wrote: »

OP,

"This government" is no better or any worse than any other government in the world. People in power are smarter and cleverer, but at the end of the day they have the same weaknesses that the rest of us have. Blaming them is causing you to lose focus on your own problems.

P

Really? There is little doubt that the government we have elected is both incompetant and self serving. Firstly they split the working population setting private and public sector workers at each other. They retain the highest salaries in the world ( Cowen get paid more than Obama!) while cutting everyone else salaries.
Almost every decision they have made on baning crisis has created a lack of faith in our abilities meaning we are now paying more for capital than almost all other developed countries.

Thats not helping the OP. My son lost his job too about 6 months ago. He wanted to begin a small self employed business figuring he would rather have a hundred euro a week working than the dole. But there would have been about 2 months with no income so he asked if he could remain on dole even partly until income came in. The answer was that he could after he was 2 years on the dole. In other words an encouragement to sit and do nothing. Without the capital to bridge that 2 month gap ( which he doesn't have) he can do nothing. For him the future is probably emigration just like the 70 and 50s

dudara

Folks - this is not the forum to rant/rail about the Government and the current economic state. Any further discussion along these lines will result in immediate bans.

Please stick to the OPs problem.

dudara