Advice NI Annual General Meeting calls for restoration of NI Executive to provide desperately needed local support as poorest households brace themselves for a winter of crisis and deprivation.
This is such a difficult time for everyone across Northern Ireland, however it is a terrible time for those on the lowest incomes (both in and out of work) who have endured a decade of austerity.
The cost-of-living crisis is escalating in front of our eyes. Deaf and disabled people cannot wait for action to be taken. We have been severely impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. This is on top of extra costs that we as disabled people already face.
The Northern Ireland Audit Office has warned that the full impact of welfare reform has not yet been felt in Northern Ireland. Many claimants will face significant hardships when the current mitigation measures come to an end in March 2020.
Advice NI and NICVA are warning that, with less than a year to go before Welfare Reform Mitigation runs out, thousands of vulnerable people across Northern Ireland may be facing a substantial drop in income and even eviction.
With the current mitigations package due to end in 2020, our Head of Policy Kevin Higgins looks at how Welfare Reform will impact thousands of the most vulnerable households in Northern Ireland.
