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In these times of economic crisis things are getting hard for many families in the UK. And, sadly, as usual, the people being most effected are those living in the poorest areas or those without jobs. Luckily, although the current government is doing its best to dismantle the system – the benefits system is not dead yet! Losing your job can be a very frightening prospect – especially if you have a family to support but even for singles not being able to pay your next rent bill can put a huge amount of stress on you. During these times its import to stay as positive as possible – this might sound like obvious advice but it’s incredibly easy to let yourself spiral down into depression – Don’t Do It! The best way to avoid the downward spiral is to start taking action immediately, starting your research online (assuming you have internet access) is usually the easiest way to find out what benefits you're entitled to or failing that you might want to contact your local citizens advice bureau by telephone or visit them in person. There are actually a wide range of benefits available to people in different situations – you don’t have to be jobless to get help, for those of us on minimum wage who still need to feed our families there working tax credits and similar schemes which may be beneficial to you and your family. One of the best ways is to use a Benefits Calculator which will often be able to help you work out exactly which benefits or grants you're entitled to and will be able to give you an idea of the ways you can claim them. Once you’ve established which benefits you're most likely to be able to claim then your next port of call will be your local Job Centre Plus. This is the place that takes care of all benefits in your region, they will help you fill out any relevant forms and show you how to find they're job site where you can look for new jobs. They will also arrange a signing-on schedule which you must stick to very carefully – it’s very important you do this because if you miss an appointment you will lose any benefits you’ve claimed and may have to start the whole process from the beginning again. If you have a job interview or some training then you may be able to rearrange the appointment butt make sure you let them know well in advance and have some proof of what you were doing or you could wind up losing all your benefits. Whatever you do – make sure you get active as quickly as possible – being unemployed is an incredibly difficult situation and you’ll need to stay on your toes if you want to make sure you can pay your bills and don’t run up a huge debt. --- I am a copywriter and poet with a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Creative Writing. I have worked in various marketing & creative roles since 2001. My aim is to publish at least one novel before I die – so far I have had 2 poems published internationally in print as well as some online. In my professional capacity I currently work for an advertising agency in London. Richard Newman
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benefits calculator, income support, universal credit, benefits checker,
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