Having to change circumstances is a scary process, you never know if they're gonna stop your benefits or not, especially PIP, I've heard loads of stories of people being forced to reapply when they report a change in circumstances.

I've got an upcoming change in circumstances at the end of the month, it'll mean changing address, probably twice cos I'll be homeless for a while, I hope not long, and a reduction in my benefits of nearly £500. I'm lucky to have support from a local charity who's going to handle those phone calls for me and help me set up bills because I'm gonna be emotionally strained at the time, my mental health won't handle being homeless very well (triggers flashbacks of being homeless as a teen and sharing rooms in hostels with people taking drugs, drinking alcohol and violent - not to misunderstand I meant some amazing people when I was homeless and most turned to drugs or alcohol to cope with being homeless, most also protected me in my youth from copying them and I was only homeless for a few months but it was still very scary experience to have). I have to go through that again as an adult through no fault of my own but cos I was put in temporary accommodation which isn't a real contract but a licence meaning they only have to give 24 hour notice but gave a months, I'm bidding on homes but there's been nothing to bid on since early May, it's scary. Anyway, so I know I'll be at risk of mental health decline, I have a housing officer at local council who's trying to help me find a home there, I've local charity supporting and trying to push getting me a place, but can't give what's not there to give. So right now I feel homelessness, I fear loosing my benefits and I fear the uncertainty I face. Benefits are seldom straightforward and they often look for excuses to screw us over and we can't trust benefits services to be there when we absolutely need them, that's when they're most likely to screw us.

I consider myself very lucky not to have the need for regular contact with the DWP or job centre staff.

I appreciate the fact that these civil servants are mostly human beings themselves, trying to do their jobs, nevertheless, I also often question how some of then do actually even sleep at night, given what they subject people to when they enforce regulations on their fellow beings. That same subjugation can sometimes even apply to their fellow colleagues. It's a well known fact the DWP recruit disabled people for amongst other roles, public facing ones, some of whom have to meet certain targets themselves and failure to do so, carries consequences, so there are times when DWP staff are subjected to sanctions alongside other claimants.

One reason I am opposed to contact with the DWP is for one thing, they use tactics to intimidate folk for a start. On journal entries they use first names to address you with, as if that implies they are your friend or breaks down barriers. Their letters and forms are written in such a way to imply threat and gain compliance. I dread those brown envelopes dropping through the letter box. Further more they regularly, break their own laws and regulations. For instance didn't apply correct legislation when calculating benefits along with many more legal errors they made during my assessment phase. They state on the Work Capability forms and PIP forms "You do not need to send us XYZ", when legally you are permitted to send in whatever the heck you like in support of your claim. Everything "has" to be considered as evidence. They just don't read everything properly. No wonder they have a reputation for being lazy.

In addition, I'm fully aware they receive tons of post each day, however, they very often seem to loose documentation posted to them, which is why it is always imperative to send anything to them via track and trace delivery options. Again, this creates an immense lack of trust and dishonesty with them.

At health assessments, which are referred to as "Medical assessments", (even through there is nothing much medical about them as they are more legal tests than anything health related) they have a huge tendency to spin what people tell them about themselves, or fabricate things altogether, I know this is standard practice, they are trained to do this and incentivised to reuse benefits to claimants under the guise of saving government funding. It's common knowledge that more costs are fraudulently spent and lost elsewhere in government corridors!!

Overall, I feel the vast majority of DWP are either poorly trained in their jobs, don't care about the folk they are there to help, for instance, telephone helplines often take far too long to be answered or staff carry an air of authority over claimants. I even find it remarkable people are not being signposted towards benefits they are more than eligible to claim for then going without, so no I wouldn't welcome regular contact with the DWP due to a distinct lack of trust between them and myself.

https://youtu.be/gLE_yFONmc4