0:00:02 > 0:00:03That's all we have at the moment.
0:00:03 > 0:00:06Life on benefits can be tough.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07The Government in Westminster
0:00:07 > 0:00:10is undertaking a shake-up of the welfare system.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13The aim is to focus payments on those in greatest need
0:00:13 > 0:00:15and help claimants into work.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18They're also aiming to cut £12 billion
0:00:18 > 0:00:20from the spend on benefits.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22You think you could do this yourself?
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Tighter rules have been introduced.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Filling in those forms is an absolute nightmare.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29..new systems...
0:00:29 > 0:00:31It can drive you mental.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33..and stiffer penalties.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36It's not right, just cutting our money like that.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Vulnerable and disabled people, even those who are ill,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41say they are being pushed to the limit.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45I don't see why we should be punished for having a spare bedroom.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48If it's just me that's not getting the help,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50who else is suffering in this world?
0:00:50 > 0:00:51In the Bridgend area,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53we followed people for ten months
0:00:53 > 0:00:57to see the impact on some of those who are experiencing the changes,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00and how challenging benefits decisions
0:01:00 > 0:01:03can be complicated and stressful.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Why should I have to fight against it? But that's what it takes.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And a lot of people would have given up, you know?
0:01:10 > 0:01:12A lot of people would have given up.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17This is the reality for those who are...
0:01:25 > 0:01:30Any one of us could be affected by illness or lose our job
0:01:30 > 0:01:32quite out of the blue.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35The benefits system is there as a safety net,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37to help people get their lives back on track.
0:01:39 > 0:01:40Over the last four years,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44the Westminster government has revamped the entire benefits system
0:01:44 > 0:01:48and cuts of £9 billion a year are having an impact.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56One of the changes to the welfare system is tighter rules,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59aimed at making it much harder for migrants to arrive in Britain
0:01:59 > 0:02:01and claim benefits.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08But these changes can also affect some British-born nationals.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14As well as working for 20 years in Britain,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Bridgend-born Will Thomas has also worked abroad, with his wife, Julie.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21They decided to settle in South Africa,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23where things went well for them.
0:02:23 > 0:02:24We worked together, we lived together,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28we laughed together, so were together 24/7.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30And, um, it couldn't have been better.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35But all that changed when Julie died unexpectedly
0:02:35 > 0:02:38during a routine operation.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45It's been eight years now and I miss her every day.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46I talk to her every day.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49We were best friends.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52I know it's a cliche, but we certainly were.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57After this, Will decided to travel.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02He ended up in Malaysia, where he became the victim
0:03:02 > 0:03:05of a violent robbery and he was seriously injured.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10His money was taken and he was hospitalised.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Will had a badly-broken hip, which was left untreated
0:03:13 > 0:03:16until he was flown back to the UK in 2013.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21I came directly from hospital in Kuala Lumpur
0:03:21 > 0:03:23to the hospital in Hillingdon
0:03:23 > 0:03:27and I applied for benefits almost immediately.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31They said, "Unfortunately, you have no history in this borough,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33"so we can't help you at all."
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Although his injuries were debilitating,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39he wasn't eligible for any disability benefit
0:03:39 > 0:03:42because tighter rules prevent anyone from applying
0:03:42 > 0:03:47who has not been resident in Britain for two of the last three years.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53After four months in hospital, on crutches
0:03:53 > 0:03:57and with just £2 in his pocket, Will got the bus back to Wales
0:03:57 > 0:04:01in the hope he would get emergency accommodation in his home town.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04So, then, I went to Bridgend Council
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and I was told that there were people just like me
0:04:08 > 0:04:13on the streets with worse problems, such as drugs and drink problems.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17Will says he left the meeting
0:04:17 > 0:04:20under the impression that they could not help him.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Stressed and anxious, he was worried he'd have nowhere to stay that night.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34It made me feel very angry because they're treating me
0:04:34 > 0:04:39like some foreign alien, who has no rights whatsoever.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I had no money, I'd had no contact with my family, at that point,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48so I was totally alone, with no benefits of any type.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50But, unbeknown to Will,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54the council WERE trying to sort out emergency accommodation for him.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Another of the big shake-ups in the Government's welfare reform
0:05:08 > 0:05:10is more stringent rules for job seekers,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12aimed at getting people into work.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16For young people in the Bridgend area,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18that can be more of a challenge
0:05:18 > 0:05:21because there are higher than average numbers
0:05:21 > 0:05:24amongst 16-to-24-year-olds looking for jobs.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30As a couple, Yolanda and Michael get jobseeker's allowance.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34It amounts to £114 a week for both of them to live on.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38They are long-term unemployed and are desperate to find work.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It would just give us a bit more freedom
0:05:42 > 0:05:45to do certain things that we weren't able to do now.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47I mean, now we haven't even got a phone.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Don't have internet or anything. So, I think, just getting a job,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55we'll be able to make slow progress towards those kind of things
0:05:55 > 0:05:57that most people take advantage of nowadays, like.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59So, it would be nice.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Every day, Michael has to log in
0:06:05 > 0:06:08to his jobseeker's account online.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12But without an internet connection, he has to walk from his home,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14at the top of the Ogwr Valley, to the local library.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20How far is it to where you go to get to the computer?
0:06:20 > 0:06:22It's about a 45-minute walk...
0:06:25 > 0:06:27..there and 45 minutes back.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Like every JSA claimant,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Michael has made an agreement with the Job Centre
0:06:34 > 0:06:37about what steps he'll take to look for work.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Claimant's money can be cut or sanctioned
0:06:42 > 0:06:43if they don't stick to the agreement
0:06:43 > 0:06:45they have to make with the Job Centre.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50Basically, I have to click on to Activity History
0:06:50 > 0:06:54and just write in what I've done so far.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Introduced in 2012,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01the universal job match is designed to sift for the most suitable jobs
0:07:01 > 0:07:03that fit his profile.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07This one is saying that they're recruiting
0:07:07 > 0:07:11for a temporary warehouse assistant.
0:07:11 > 0:07:18It's essential that the candidate possess a forklift truck licence.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- Have you got one of them?- No.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Even though he's not qualified, he applies anyway,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27just to fill his job quota.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34It's really annoying because...
0:07:34 > 0:07:37it feels as if I'm forced to apply for jobs
0:07:37 > 0:07:40that are way out of my league
0:07:40 > 0:07:45and it's genuine that I can't find a suitable job for myself.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Michael has been using the system for years without success,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53so job searching has become a box-ticking exercise
0:07:53 > 0:07:55in order to comply with the Job Centre.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00All he needs is just someone to give him a chance,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02but it's very hard for him.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04But I'm constantly supporting him,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I'm constantly applying for jobs for him and giving him advice.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11It may be tough, but we have gone through a lot together already,
0:08:11 > 0:08:12so this is nothing.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Yolanda and Michael face stiff competition.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21They are up against 3,500 other unemployed young people
0:08:21 > 0:08:26in the Bridgend area - all competing for the same jobs.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36When 61-year-old Will Thomas returned to Britain in 2013,
0:08:36 > 0:08:37having worked abroad,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41he discovered the benefits system had been transformed.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46In poor health, penniless and with nowhere to live,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49he was surprised to find out he could not apply for benefits.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53I was born in Bridgend.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56My parents were Welsh,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58my whole family is Welsh
0:08:58 > 0:09:02and then they have the nerve to tell me that I have to be back
0:09:02 > 0:09:05in my own country for two years to get what I'm entitled to.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10It was his first day back in his home town.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11Will was in pain,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14so he went to the Princess of Wales Hospital for treatment,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17where he got the news that the council had arranged
0:09:17 > 0:09:20emergency accommodation for him that night, in a B&B.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23From then on, his situation improved.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I went down to the council next day and they were, oh,
0:09:27 > 0:09:28full of apologies.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31She was almost on her knees when she came to see me!
0:09:31 > 0:09:33"Oh, what can I do to help you?"
0:09:33 > 0:09:35So I wasn't just on my own any more.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42With the help of the council, he got a longer-term place in a hostel.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Now, he is returning to the Salvation Army hostel in Bridgend,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53which was his home for over a year.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- Ah, William!- How are you doing?
0:09:55 > 0:09:59He meets the staff who helped him - Shaun Haynes and Janine Rees.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- How are you?- I'm all right, thank you.- Good to see you.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06At that time, the 16-bed hostel was full of young people,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09many of whom had fallen out with their families.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Unlike them, he had no benefits to pay for food.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Will had no income. He had nothing to be able to feed himself.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22The food bank were fantastic,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26but it doesn't provide things like your perishables -
0:10:26 > 0:10:29your bread, your milk, just for a cup of tea.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33So, we would go and provide that for him to make sure he could have
0:10:33 > 0:10:36a cup of tea in the morning. A bacon sandwich.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37A bacon sandwich was this guy's luxury
0:10:37 > 0:10:39for the best part of eight months.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46It was the first time I had ever been in surroundings like this
0:10:46 > 0:10:49or an environment like this.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Totally alien to me.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54And you just wonder, "Well, is it EVER going to end?
0:10:56 > 0:10:58"Is anybody going to give me a break?"
0:11:03 > 0:11:06After six months in the hostel, without any money,
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Will was told that he could apply for one of the new benefits -
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Employment Support Allowance - so he did.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15But his claim for ESA was rejected,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18as he was deemed fit enough to work.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25If you're stressed already and you're depressed already,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27you get an envelope through the door, saying,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31"Right, you are not ill. You can work. You're not on ESA any more."
0:11:32 > 0:11:35How that would make you feel? How would that make you feel,
0:11:35 > 0:11:37when you know exactly what you're capable of
0:11:37 > 0:11:41and what your ailments are and how fit you are -
0:11:41 > 0:11:42what you can and cannot do?
0:11:45 > 0:11:47At a loss as to what to do next,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52in November 2014, Will turned to Bridgend's Citizens Advice,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55who offer free help to people with benefits problems.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Advisor Carl Williams reviewed Will's health problems
0:11:59 > 0:12:01to see if he had a case.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05- Is there a problem with anxiety, as well?- Yes, it's all connected.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Very severe depression, as well.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Do you know what brought the depression on, Will?
0:12:10 > 0:12:11The death of my wife.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17'Now, Will suffered from depression and anxiety.'
0:12:17 > 0:12:22He suffered... He had trouble with his hands, his shoulder, his leg,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25so his mobility wasn't there.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29He had trouble preparing food,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33so we made then another application
0:12:33 > 0:12:36for Employment and Support Allowance.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- Where's the arthritis, Will? - The arthritis is in the shoulder
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and in the hands...
0:12:42 > 0:12:44..and in the feet.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Looking at the forms, you know, that immediately turns you off.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53You think, "I can't do that. There's no way I can fill that in."
0:12:53 > 0:12:57So, thank goodness for people like Carl, because he's a life-saver.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Literally, a life-saver.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Next, he'll be called to a Department of Work and Pensions
0:13:05 > 0:13:08health assessment to test if he qualifies for ESA.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Both Yolanda and Michael are on jobseeker's benefits.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Until 11 months ago, Yolanda had been working,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25but Michael has never had full-time employment.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Their toughest experience was after family circumstances
0:13:30 > 0:13:34left them homeless and with no alternative but to sleep rough.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39It was about a year ago today that we were here.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42It was really freezing, wasn't it?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44It was a really cold night. It wasn't like this last year.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46It was absolutely freezing.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50But even homelessness didn't exempt them
0:13:50 > 0:13:52from their daily job search.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59We tried explaining to the Job Centre, we can't be job searching
0:13:59 > 0:14:03and sorting out a roof over our heads, all at the same time.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06I was embarrassed. I was ashamed.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08It was a really tough time, mentally, for me.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13They eventually found a place of their own,
0:14:13 > 0:14:1740 minutes away from Bridgend, at the top of the Ogwr Valley.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Yolanda and Michael have both felt the impact of one of
0:14:24 > 0:14:27the most controversial changes to the benefits system.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Claimants' money can be cut or sanctioned
0:14:31 > 0:14:33if they don't stick to the agreement
0:14:33 > 0:14:35they have to make with the Job Centre.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Being late for a Job Centre appointment
0:14:38 > 0:14:42or not making enough job-seeking effort can result in a sanction.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46The next time they go to sign on,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48they discover Michael has been sanctioned again.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52They've sanctioned me...
0:14:53 > 0:14:56..for not attending a work appointment.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03But I explained to them that I had attended an interview
0:15:03 > 0:15:06previously and sent a letter to them
0:15:06 > 0:15:08to say that I was at an interview,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11and they just sanctioned me.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15His work coach didn't say anything to him
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and just, you know, signed him on as normal and then,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21only when we checked today, we noticed half the money was missing.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25When we came in today, we found that he was sanctioned for two months.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30They struggle on £114 a week.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Now, after this sanction,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34they have to survive on half that,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37which works out at less than £9 a day.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41They don't give you a warning or anything. They'll just...
0:15:41 > 0:15:44There's no pity, there's no nothing. It's just, "You're sanctioned".
0:15:44 > 0:15:46It's like they're not even human any more.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48They have just become very robotic
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and they don't understand that, you know,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53if you cut that money away, they'll starve for two weeks.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I think we might be fine, in terms of electric,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03but we are just going to have to switch everything off at night
0:16:03 > 0:16:06and...stuff like that, but...
0:16:07 > 0:16:09It's going to be hard.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Yolanda and Michael are not alone.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Benefits sanctions were meted out last year
0:16:20 > 0:16:23to 28,000 claimants who, by definition,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25are some of Wales' poorest people.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Yolanda has been job hunting.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37She has had jobs in retail and catering before, so she's focused
0:16:37 > 0:16:39her job-searching efforts
0:16:39 > 0:16:42by knocking on the door of every cafe in town.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46You got some quite good news.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Yeah, I just had a trial shift at Costa Coffee,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51so it went pretty great.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54It was only for the three hours and it went really good.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59They're going to give me a trial week, just to teach me properly
0:16:59 > 0:17:02everything, cos they didn't have much time to do it today.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Everything seems really good.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Finally, after 11 months of jobseeker's allowance,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14she has got the prospect of a wage coming in.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16- Hey, babes.- Hey, babes.
0:17:19 > 0:17:20How do you feel about tomorrow?
0:17:20 > 0:17:24I'm quite excited. I'm nervous. I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27but I think I'll be fine.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33My last job was last year, in October, and I was fired
0:17:33 > 0:17:34because of my homelessness.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38So, going back through those doors again is quite exciting.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41It's nerve-racking, but it's exciting.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Now she's got a job, both the couple's benefits are stopped.
0:17:46 > 0:17:52They told me that I weren't entitled to any type of benefits,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56including housing benefit, because of Yolanda working.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01They'll also have to pay their £350 per month rent.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Since Will returned go the UK, he's been trying to get a benefit
0:18:16 > 0:18:19that recognises he's not fit for work.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22He has reapplied for Employment Support Allowance
0:18:22 > 0:18:26and, whilst this is happening, he gets a basic application rate
0:18:26 > 0:18:28of just over £70 per week.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32This has helped him to move from the hostel to his bedsit.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35As well as the hip injury,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39he has a litany of health problems that hinder his everyday life.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- Oh, hi!- Morning.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46A visit to local hairdresser Tricia Whelan can be a necessity for Will.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51- Oh!- There are times when he finds using his hands extremely difficult.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55It's a real treat for me, getting my hair done,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58because, with my problems with my hands...
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- Do you struggle with your hands? - Yeah.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03I have... Thank you.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07- I have Dupuytren's, which makes them close.- Oh, right, OK.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10It's a tightening of the tendons you can see here.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- So... It's something that Margaret Thatcher had.- Did she?
0:19:14 > 0:19:15I'm not proud of that!
0:19:17 > 0:19:19So, I'm not even in good company.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22But, yeah, eventually, they just tighten up like that,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24so you have to have an operation.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27But it just makes it difficult for dexterity, you know?
0:19:27 > 0:19:31- You obviously struggle with things like washing your hair.- Exactly.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37After the wash, Trish can't resist a restyling.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- How is that looking for you, Will? - Absolutely brilliant.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42I'll show you the back now.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Oh, yeah! Lovely! Great!
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- OK, lovely.- Thank you, Will. - Thanks so much.- Good to see you.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51- Take care.- You take care.- Thank you.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56The next stage in Will's ESA application
0:19:56 > 0:19:59is to attend a work capability assessment.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01It's a 50-minute test,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04designed to determine if he's fit for work or not.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17It's the day Will has to prove to the Department of Work and Pensions
0:20:17 > 0:20:20that he has health issues.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28His shoulder and hand problems make putting on his jacket difficult.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31See, they don't see this at the assessment, do they?
0:20:35 > 0:20:39It's almost a year since Will was first turned down for ESA
0:20:39 > 0:20:41and he never really understood why,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44with his health problems, he got zero points.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49It is very hard, once you get knocked back
0:20:49 > 0:20:55by the assessment people, to go back again and try it again.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59But if you know you're true and you are disabled,
0:20:59 > 0:21:00then you're not lying,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04but they make out that you're lying all the time.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12So, today, it's them trying to prove that I'm fit for a job
0:21:12 > 0:21:16and me saying, "Look at everything that I have -
0:21:16 > 0:21:20"my complaints and my health - and you'll see that I can't do a job."
0:21:23 > 0:21:27What happens in the assessment will play a big part
0:21:27 > 0:21:30in whether or not he gets his ESA benefit.
0:21:38 > 0:21:4050 minutes later,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43it's all over and done with.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45It's a waiting game now.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48I wait for that magic white letter through the door box.
0:21:50 > 0:21:51And they'll tell me...
0:21:52 > 0:21:53..what my life is going to be.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07After a year of job seeking,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Yolanda has finally started her new job at the coffee shop.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16That's all we have at the moment.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Well, in the fridge, anyway.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22There's a bit more in the cupboard and the freezer.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25So...
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Despite getting a job, the couple are struggling more than ever
0:22:28 > 0:22:32because Yolanda has to wait four weeks for her first wage packet.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34From our last payment,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37we have just had to make that stretch as far as we can.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Only just the last week, I've had to ask my mother for money
0:22:41 > 0:22:46because I only get paid monthly, so...until the next payday,
0:22:46 > 0:22:47it's been hard.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54The impact of this and Michael's sanction leaves them with £80
0:22:54 > 0:22:59from their last benefit payment to survive four weeks.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02So, when Yolanda gets her first pay packet of around £700,
0:23:02 > 0:23:08it will barely cover their debts, never mind the £350 rent.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I am just kind of thinking that, even when I get paid,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15it's not going to be as hip-hip-hooray as I'd want it to be.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Not even living any more - just surviving.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27What should have been the beginning of a new era in their lives
0:23:27 > 0:23:30is turning out to be tougher than living on benefits.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Five weeks later, things are looking up.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46They've finally got their computer connected -
0:23:46 > 0:23:48all down to the generosity of a friend.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51We've got Wi-Fi in the house now, only cos of the neighbour.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56He's got Wi-Fi recently and he's asked if we wanted to have it,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59so he gave us the password. It's just helped a lot.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Now, I don't have to rely on going down the library
0:24:03 > 0:24:07and all of the computers being used up or the system's down.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Although Yolanda's pleased to be back at work,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14it's difficult to plan ahead.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18She's on what's known as a zero-hours contract,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21which means she has no guarantee of a set number of hours each week,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23so her take-home pay varies.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28I was already getting 30 hours, so I thought that's what I'd get,
0:24:28 > 0:24:29more or less, each week.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34But, yeah, after a while, when Christmas came, it wasn't as busy,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37so I did get, eventually, a little bit less hours.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Not by much but, at the end of the month, when the pay comes in,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41you do notice the difference.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52It is hard, just seeing other people my age having that kind of money
0:24:52 > 0:24:55to just go out, do a bit of shopping or you see them on Facebook,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58going on holidays, having different experiences,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and I'm just pretty much stuck at home.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07I do believe that we can get ourselves sorted,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10start living life like, you know, young people should.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I do see us doing that, but it's...
0:25:13 > 0:25:16..just getting past that first barricade,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19which has been holding us back for such a long time.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Having moved off benefits and into the world of work,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Yolanda and Michael still face an uncertain future.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38The number of people of zero-hours contracts is increasing yearly.
0:25:38 > 0:25:44Across Wales, that's 40,000 people with no guaranteed weekly wage.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53Yes, yes.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Two weeks after going to his work capability assessment,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Will has received a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It says he's not eligible for Employment and Support Allowance.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11He's on the phone to them because it doesn't make sense.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I really don't know what's going on
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and it really is stressing me to death!
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Confusingly, the letter refers to the very first time
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Will was assessed for ESA, over a year ago, in 2014.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31I went for a health assessment about two weeks ago.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37So, does this letter have anything to do with that health assessment?
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It seems the letter is a mistake -
0:26:40 > 0:26:43a Department of Work and Pensions blunder.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Ah. So, that is the results of my last assessment?
0:26:49 > 0:26:52But they DO have the result he's been waiting for.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Ah, OK. So I'm not fit for work for two years?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Oh, that's great news! Thank goodness for that!
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Oh, bless you so much. It really means a lot, you know?
0:27:07 > 0:27:12Having battled for 19 months and been turned down once before,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15now Will's finally been recognised as unfit for work
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and eligible for ESA.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Goodnight. Bye-bye!
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Hello!
0:27:22 > 0:27:23HE LAUGHS
0:27:23 > 0:27:24Oh!
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Happy, happy!
0:27:26 > 0:27:30I just need to see, you know, a confirmation now.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33But that is... Oh, that is...
0:27:33 > 0:27:37What a great result. And it should be a great result, you know?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Why should I have to fight against it?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42But that's what it takes.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And a lot of people would have given up, you know?
0:27:45 > 0:27:46A lot of people would have given up.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51He'll be getting £109 a week
0:27:51 > 0:27:54which, even with his housing benefit,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56is far less than a living wage.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00But for Will, this is a victory.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04It's turned my whole life around, it really has. I'm not...
0:28:04 > 0:28:07I don't feel as if I'm in the gutter now.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10You know, I have a life, which I can enjoy.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18It can sometimes take months to challenge benefits decisions,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22but half of those who went as far as appealing their ESA claim
0:28:22 > 0:28:24won their cases.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Next time, on Battling With Benefits...
0:28:28 > 0:28:32Oops-a-daisy! Right, where are we going?
0:28:32 > 0:28:34..some of the most vulnerable people in Bridgend
0:28:34 > 0:28:38are being hit by the changes to disability benefits
0:28:38 > 0:28:40and cuts in local services.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42I am trying be to civil and polite
0:28:42 > 0:28:44but, when it comes to my daughter's health,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47something needs to be done urgently.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52And how some are giving up on the benefits system altogether.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57- Ah, that is a result. - Oh!- Free.- Yeah.- Free at last.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00It's just not worth the hassle - it's too stressful.