Loving dad who was homeless after Universal Credit failure took his own life

[Jojogu]

A loving Hull dad who ended up homeless after a Universal Credit payment failure took his own life.

Stephen Collinson, 30, had ended up staying hostels across the city after his Universal Credit payout did not come through as he had expected during Christmas 2019.

He had been staying at the Doorstep of Hull in Albert Avenue, but was tragically found dead in his room on May 28, last year, an inquest heard.

A large quantity of ethanol was found in his blood during a postmortem examination.

The day before his tragic death, Stephen had been in an argument with another resident, and was therefore called to a meeting with the housing board to discuss moving him to another accommodation.

Other than the argument in question, the housing support officer at Doorstep said Stephen was a well-balanced person who had never had any concerns raised about him.

In a statement read in court, the housing officer said: "Stephen got on well with the others, he was a very nice person who often cooked food for other people living in the accommodation."

Stephen had been handed a card informing of the imminent meeting taking place the night before, however, he would not have known the details of the meeting from the card alone.

Coroner Lorraine Harris said: "I have evidence here that shows that Stephen would not have been homeless, but he did not know that, and it is a shame.

"He ended his life with the apprehension of being homeless, but the housing group was fully supportive of him."

In December 2019, Stephen had told Hull Live he had ended up living in the homeless hostel when his Universal Credit payout did not come through as he had expected during Christmas time.

Stephen had been working at a factory rolling up pigs in blankets up until late October 2019, but, due to a delay in wages, he was not eligible for Universal Credit payment in December and struggled to pay rent, causing him to move into Doorstep.

He previously said: "I'm getting up and going to work and trying my hardest and it feels like I'm getting nothing whereas if I just sat on my a*** I'd be alright.

"I've been working my a*** off all year, then when I need the help it's not there.

"I just think it's an absolute joke."

Recently, in March 2021, he had also lost a close friend to suicide and was feeling very low about it, the court heard.

Stephen had been very close with his brother throughout his life, particularly following their parents' divorce, which had a big impact on his life.

His loved ones attended the inquest, remembering him fondly for the person he was.

Fern Rivett, Stephen's ex-partner and mother to his daughter, Darcy, said: "He will be well and thoroughly missed, I just wish he got the help he needed or came to us."

His sister-in law, Katie Campion, said: "He was a loving uncle and both my children adored him."

The coroner returned a verdict of suicide.

Hull dad who was homeless after Universal Credit failure took his own life

Stephen Collinson searching for a full-time job and a permanent home just days before his tragic death

www.hulldailymail.co.uk

 

[Snake of Eden]

I hate this moden feudal-slavery system. Holding people hostages in their jobs just to be able to pay rent should not be legal. I hate this fucking world. I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad that when I lost my job in the pandemic that I fucked my landlord over 10,000 USD I couldnt pay when the eviction moratorium was active and I moved abroad to my home country. My landlord was utter piece of shit who wouldnt even accept to wait one week for late payment without penalizing me. The happiness that this arrears has brought me is one of the greatest sweet revenages i had in life. Vile vile people those motherfucking megacorp rich landlords.

 

[TheBestUsernameEver]

The thing that annoys me is that poverty traps people.

 

[Feeding Pigeons]

This is horrible.

Stephen had been handed a card informing of the imminent meeting taking place the night before, however, he would not have known the details of the meeting from the card alone.

Why didn't he know this? Why couldn't the person who handed him the fucking card tell him "Just chill, you're not going to be out on your ass". Is that so hard? This shit is by design.

 

[Dragon's Heart]

Why do people have to die before anyone pays attention? Even after that, a point is reached where they say "oh, well" and still nothing changes. Why are people so hopeless they ask? Uh...have you been listening at all?

 

[Crazy4u]

It was preventable. Shame on universal credit

 

[Feeding Pigeons]

Why do people have to die before anyone pays attention? Even after that, a point is reached where they say "oh, well" and still nothing changes. Why are people so hopeless they ask? Uh...have you been listening at all?

Oh things change alright, for the worse. Even the church, multiple people and I have brought this up before on this forum, christians were killing themselves to get to God faster, right? The church didn't make big moves to improve peoples lives so they wouldn't commit suicide, no, they simply declared it would get them sent to hell if they committed suicide. Thats all that ever happens, its a tale as old as time. No institution is ever going to dig their heels in and really try to improve the situation on suicidality, they'll just limit the means people have to kill themselves. Its disgusting. It leaves me physically disgusted.

 

[Chinaski]

This is horrible.

Why didn't he know this? Why couldn't the person who handed him the fucking card tell him "Just chill, you're not going to be out on your ass". Is that so hard? This shit is by design.

It absolutely is by design - the number of people who have been driven to suicide by UK austerity policies of the last ten years is astounding, it's been widely reported and still the prevailing wisdom is " muh balance the books" - these aren't suicides, it's social murder, they were absolutely preventable and this is exactly why the arguments on here for "free on demand euthanasia for all, this would be a truly Compassionate Society" are completely flawed.

 

[Feeding Pigeons]

It absolutely is by design - the number of people who have been driven to suicide by UK austerity policies of the last ten years is astounding, it's been widely reported and still the prevailing wisdom is " muh balance the books" - these aren't suicides, it's social murder, they were absolutely preventable and this is exactly why the arguments on here for "free on demand euthanasia for all, this would be a truly Compassionate Society" are completely flawed.

So if I'm understanding you right, you're saying that if something like euthanasia on demand were to become a reality it would change something that is typically clandestine into something like McDonalds. It wouldn't actually improve the situation it would just fast track the one we already have.

 

[Snake of Eden]

"free on demand euthanasia for all, this would be a truly Compassionate Society" are completely flawed.

i totally agree with you here. While euthansia should be a total human right but for preventable reasons that may lead to it, it is totally inhumane to curtail destitute indivisuals to have to resort to it. This would become a dystopian nightmare, a purge, a voluntary holocaust

 

[LastLoveLetter]

This is very sad. What's even more frustrating and upsetting is that this isn't as rare an occurrence as many think. A significant number of claimants have died overall as a result of issues with welfare and systemic failures that never get addressed or properly investigated. There are multiple suicides linked to this that have been in the news. The Department of Work and Pensions are very secretive about the details and the true extent of this. The real number is likely much higher than reported. That's excluding the thousands that have died simply while waiting to hear about the outcome of their claims. Austerity kills.

It's clear that Universal Credit utterly failed this man, all due to procedures that defy logic. Delayed wages unfortunately results in lower payments or even no payment at all until the next assessment period. If you do not have enough to live off, then this leaves the claimant absolutely screwed unless they successfully appeal this (which can take months). The bureaucracy and red tape, combined with the lack of common sense and humanity often displayed by advisors, is truly ridiculous. And in cases like this, life ruining.

Not only that, but it is evident that his temporary accommodation failed him too. How hard is it to tell a vulnerable resident why they are being asked to attend a meeting and provide some reassurance? How hard it is to be more compassionate? If the meeting card was anything like the letters I receive from my landlord (which are commonplace within social and supported housing), it probably wasn't worded particularly kindly or reassuringly.

This was avoidable, and absolutely should have been prevented, as is often the case with circumstances like this.

Rest In Peace, Stephen. You deserved better.

 

[Snake of Eden]

So if I'm understanding you right, you're saying that if something like euthanasia on demand were to become a reality it would change something that is typically clandestine into something like McDonalds. It wouldn't actually improve the situation it would just fast track the one we already have.

Yes totally. As much as it should be a human right, other solutions that should go into drastically minimizing the preventable causes that lead to people choosing to opt by taking the euthanasia route, also should be addressed just as seriously.

 

[Chinaski]

So if I'm understanding you right, you're saying that if something like euthanasia on demand were to become a reality it would change something that is typically clandestine into something like McDonalds. It wouldn't actually improve the situation it would just fast track the one we already have.

My view is the socio-economic drivers to suicide, such as this one, would increase. Stories like this, and indeed the management of the pandemic as a whole, have starkly illustrated how expendable the poorest, the elderly, the infirm etc are when it comes to preserving muh economy. Any DIGNITAS KIOSK ON EVERY STREET CORNER would not be a compassionate manoeuvre, a "truly compassionate society" is one which seeks to eradicate socio-economic drivers to unnecessary suicide. If the argument is that many of the people who would use it would be doing so of their own choice which we should respect we should also factor in what their main considerations were when reaching that decision. A compassionate society enables people to live, not drives them to suicide.

 

[Snake of Eden]

The karma of this situation falls on the rich people of society and their enablers. They are to blame for allowing this to happen and not have any regards to the humanity of less fortunate people in society. society's embracement to the rich people's sense of entitlement and privilege is to blame. It is a cultural problem. It is a socio-psychological problem. It has been going for much of human history but now is manifesting like never before and spreading like wildfire everywhere it can reach. What would allowing accumulating these type of infinite resources in few hands of society lead to accomplish other than more misery and suffering for those who lack. Is it really making such a difference in the quality of lives and happiness of the rich to hoard absurd amounts of wealth? They already have their mansions, towers, lands, private jets, yachts. What else do they really want to do with all that wealth????

 

[Dragon's Heart]

Delayed wages unfortunately results in lower payments or even no payment at all until the next assessment period.

This kind of sounds like a form of slavery. We'll just delay this until they die so we won't have to pay them at all.

 

[WhiteRabbit]

This is awful. I'm assuming universal credits are some type of welfare program? I knew someone who lived in her car for almost 2 years while on a housing waitlist here in the usa.

 

[Snake of Eden]

This is awful. I'm assuming universal credits are some type of welfare program? I knew someone who lived in her car for almost 2 years while on a housing waitlist here in the usa.

My internet pal from USA suicided on her first day being homeless. It was the darkest most grim thing I ever witnessed first hand.

 

[Alan James]

They already have their mansions, towers, lands, private jets, yachts. What else do they really want to do with all that wealth????

They just don't give a damn about beggars and those who are unlucky. They care about animals much more and treat animals much more humanely than people who, in their opinion, are worse than them, "subhumans" (as they think).

 

[deflationary]

these aren't suicides, it's social murder, they were absolutely preventable and this is exactly why the arguments on here for "free on demand euthanasia for all, this would be a truly Compassionate Society" are completely flawed.

What happened to "it's always just individual choice"? It's social murder when people commit suicide due to economic factors, but if they stay it's simply their own decision?

Not really interested in getting into another discussion, just saw this and couldn't help but to point out the double standards.

 

[Onthe29th]

i feel so bad for this guy…not wanting to be homeless and not having money is an understandable reason to ctb, heck that's part of the reason I'm going to ctb soon.

 

[demuic]

Yes totally. As much as it should be a human right, other solutions that should go into drastically minimizing the preventable causes that lead to people choosing to opt by taking the euthanasia route, also should be addressed just as seriously.

Knowing the history of the world and the nature of humanity, it's more likely that we'll see pigs fly than anything like grand, sweeping changes to the system ever happening. Or if they do happen, they will not be for the common people's benefit. The corruption goes too deep and there are very vested interests who serve to profit from the status quo.

The karma of this situation falls on the rich people of society and their enablers. They are to blame for allowing this to happen and not have any regards to the humanity of less fortunate people in society. society's embracement to the rich people's sense of entitlement and privilege is to blame. It is a cultural problem. It is a socio-psychological problem. It has been going for much of human history but now is manifesting like never before and spreading like wildfire everywhere it can reach. What would allowing accumulating these type of infinite resources in few hands of society lead to accomplish other than more misery and suffering for those who lack. Is it really making such a difference in the quality of lives and happiness of the rich to hoard absurd amounts of wealth? They already have their mansions, towers, lands, private jets, yachts. What else do they really want to do with all that wealth????

None of this is a secret. It has been known for centuries. There are far more average people than there are the uber rich, but rather than rally against a common enemy, people would rather distract themselves with the superficial (popular culture/trends/etc). They have the delusion they will some day reach those heights through enough "hard work" and envy the wealthy as idols who earned what they deserve. Or they are simply too weary from having to wageslave away every day to even give the state of affairs any thought. These are the tools that have been used throughout the ages to prevent a humane and egalitarian society, and they have been used because they are very effective.

We live in a world that is superficially very different from times in the past, but the nature of man has not changed, and will not change as it has not for thousands of years.

Ultimately, this is the world that has been chosen by humanity.

 

[Chinaski]

What happened to "it's always just individual choice"? It's social murder when people commit suicide due to economic factors, but if they stay it's simply their own decision?

Not really interested in getting into another discussion, just saw this and couldn't help but to point out the double standards.

I too am not interested in your persistence in following me in to numerous threads with this ongoing nonsense but would be interested to know where the "it's always just individual choice" quote comes from - I've been absolutely consistent on the point that a compassionate society seeks to ameliorate drivers to suicide rather than enable it, and any supposed double standard is down to your own misunderstanding.

 

[deflationary]

I too am not interested in your persistence in following me in to numerous threads with this ongoing nonsense but would be interested to know where the "it's always just individual choice" quote comes from - I've been absolutely consistent on the point that a compassionate society seeks to ameliorate drivers to suicide rather than enable it, and any supposed double standard is down to your own misunderstanding.

Stuff like this is what I meant:

there is much more honesty in admitting that something within is holding us back than there is in blaming society for not enabling it

Apparently someone not committing suicide must just be down to something within the individual and they should stop being dishonest by blaming society, whereas when someone does commit suicide, that can be called social murder. There the responsibility has shifted from the individual to society.

 

[Chinaski]

Yeah there's quite clearly a context to that, it might have been worth posting the link, however this is quite clearly your own misunderstanding in that you've conflated me stating that there shouldn't be any societal mechanism for delivering death on demand with me also stating societal drivers to suicide make me angry, this is possibly due to your enthusiasm for following me around this place with your own pro-choice assessment checklist getting the better of you.

To illustrate I'll offer you the following example: two people decide to suicide. The first person became very depressed after a medical procedure went wrong in a way which severely impacted their ability to enjoy life and treatment to rectify this is inaccessible due to cost. The second person, such as the one in the above article, became severely depressed after their benefits were sanctioned for missing an appointment and their home was put at risk by an unscrupulous landlord to whom they owed rent. In both instances it's their choice to suicide and neither meet Dignitas criteria. Now, it is possible to hold an opinion on the fact if these people, or anyone else, wishes to commit suicide they must overcome their own "SI" and summon the courage required to engineer their own ceasing to exist, such as the one you've chosen to quote. It is also possible to be angry at the societal drivers which led each of these people to this point, and feel that the argument in favour of simply killing these people rather than ameliorate those drivers is totally lunk-headed.

Tldr: government policies which have been evidenced to cause suicide are bad. A hypothetical government policy which offered to then kill these people comfortably would also be bad. It's not that hard to understand tbqh.

 

[deflationary]

Yeah there's quite clearly a context to that, it might have been worth posting the link, however this is quite clearly your own misunderstanding in that you've conflated me stating that there shouldn't be any societal mechanism for delivering death on demand with me also stating societal drivers to suicide make me angry, this is possibly due to your enthusiasm for following me around this place with your own pro-choice assessment checklist getting the better of you.

Here's the link to your first post in the thread: https://sanctioned-suicide.net/thre...tate-or-lies-society-tells.81170/post-1451087

And a quote from it:

Ultimately, they don't prevent any of us from ctb. Only we do that.

That's been your position in multiple threads. Now compare that to calling this case social murder. There's a huge difference in the rhetoric used and how responsibility is dished out. It's clearly double standards for my money. But I'll leave it at that.

 

[Chinaski]

Here's the link to your first post in the thread: https://sanctioned-suicide.net/thre...tate-or-lies-society-tells.81170/post-1451087

And a quote from it:


That's been your position in multiple threads. Now compare that to calling this case social murder. There's a huge difference in the rhetoric used and how responsibility is dished out. It's clearly double standards for my money. But I'll leave it at that.

Yeah, only we can suicide, nobody else can do it for us, ultimately the only thing preventing me from suicide is me. Government policies which knowingly drive people to a point of destitution and despair which has resulted in a high number of suicides amongst the poorest is social murder. Both are true. You've hurriedly and mistakenly conflated two points because you thought there was an opportunity to Do An Own, not the first time, probably not the last.

 

[BeansOfRequirement]

More tunnel vision. We don't know everything about this guy's life.

 

[Chinaski]

More tunnel vision. We don't know everything about this guy's life.

This was the reporting into the public inquest into his death, not speculation, so I'm curious as to why you'd throw doubt on it unless you think the inquest has covered something up.

 

[BeansOfRequirement]

This was the reporting into the public inquest into his death, not speculation

Not talking about the report; which did mention that his friend had ctb'd, that his parents' divorce impacted him, that he seemed to live separately from his child and that he had been drinking before the suicide.

so I'm curious as to why you'd throw doubt on it unless you think the inquest has covered something up.

I'm throwing doubt on the oversimplification of these kinds of cases. I agree with you that societal issues/politics/economy will affect suicide rates (my suicidality is in large part from this), and can in some cases be an almost complete explanation. I do not, however, see that as terribly relevant to the issue of how easy it should be to ctb.

Your point, if I have understood it correctly, is that allowing easier access to humane suicide methods would be sweeping societal issues under the rug. That's probably the case, but I tend to think in terms of avoiding suffering and I suppose that automatically puts me against this sort of (futile) struggling.

I like discussing things with you, so I had to post.

 

[Chinaski]

Not talking about the report; which did mention that his friend had ctb'd, that his parents' divorce impacted him, that he seemed to live separately from his child and that he had been drinking before the suicide.


I'm throwing doubt on the oversimplification of these kinds of cases. I agree with you that societal issues/politics/economy will affect suicide rates (my suicidality is in large part from this), and can in some cases be an almost complete explanation. I do not, however, see that as terribly relevant to the issue of how easy it should be to ctb.

Your point, if I have understood it correctly, is that allowing easier access to humane suicide methods would be sweeping societal issues under the rug. That's probably the case, but I tend to think in terms of avoiding suffering and I suppose that automatically puts me against this sort of (futile) struggling.

I like discussing things with you, so I had to post.

The thing is with these cases is that the government policy is usually the very final straw, the tipping point if you like - quite often the suicide is multi-factoral, for example a person loses their job, a loved one dies, their partner leaves, they start drinking, they slide into depression, they become ill, *then* the government slaps a big punitive slab of destitution and homelessness on them because they failed at being a Good Citizen and we must Balance The Books. It's not an oversimplification in my view to state that punitive policies regarding healthcare, welfare and housing are linked to a number of suicides in the UK, it's been widely (but not loudly) reported on. It's worth remembering that situations like this rarely seem to affect those who were fortunate enough to be born wealthy, they are policies which are implemented by design to effect punitive measures on the poorest and essentially weakest in society, those without a voice, without clout, without a grain of institutional power. Offering them a Community CTB Kiosk would be a further act of social murder, a eugenics-but-compassionate, and as much as l would prefer an easier death I'd much sooner wrestle with my own courage and do it the hard way than have many more instances of policy-driven suicide.