Universal credit makes you jump through so many hoops, you just want to give up | Sharron Spice

When I couldn’t find a job, I had to wait five weeks to get my money. When it came, I got £70 for the month

  • This article is part of the heat or eat diaries: a series from the frontline of Britain’s cost of living emergency

Everybody’s got to do a side hustle, get another job. I do youth work and I’m a youth offending supervisor at the weekend. And then I have my full-time job as a project support worker with adults in supported housing. I assist with varying needs, from wellbeing to benefits applications. I have a three-month contract. Overall, I work six days a week, sometimes seven.

Everything’s gone up. Food’s gone up, rent’s gone up, Netflix has gone up. Pasta, rice, your deodorants, soft drinks. We know that energy is due to go up again in October and I feel that the government is not doing enough to support us. To get to some of my service users in the community, I need a car, and right now petrol is at 191p per litre. Now I’m thinking, “I need to conserve my petrol.”

As told to Paula Cocozza. Sharron Spice is in her 30s and lives in London

The Trussell Trust is an anti-poverty charity that campaigns to end the need for food banks. Show your support at: trusselltrust.org/guardian

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