Young, unable to work, disabled, homeless…triumphant.

This is the story of a young man, let’s call him Jack, who has spent the last 7 years dealing with physical and mental health conditions while undertaking a degree in politics. Jack is intelligent, articulate and full of ambition, but circumstances conspired to leave him unable to study, unable to claim benefits, homeless and dependent on charity for survival. Despite this, Jack was preparing to take on the Department for Work and Pensions at a social security tribunal.

I met Jack at the Jobcentre a few weeks ago. There was a mini-festival of advice going on in the offices, with representatives from all the local advice organisations ready to offer support to anyone who walked through the door. So many came that morning. The place was packed out, with queues quickly forming of people who needed help with debts and/or benefits and/or housing, employment etc.

Jack and his support worker had waited a while. He walked with a stick, and had a great big smile on his face, seemingly happy to wait as long as it took. Within a couple of moments of talking to Jack, I realised we needed to find a quiet place – away from the chatter and bustle – to discuss his case further. It was complicated, but also urgent. His appeal against the DWP was to be heard in less than a month and he needed representation. Jack had already told his story to so many people, and been passed from here to there and back again. Now it was my turn to hear it and I couldn’t be the next person to sympathise and signpost.

In 2015, aged 19, Jack started his degree and completed the first year without incident. However, complications arose in the second year with Jack’s mental health; he missed lectures and couldn’t complete his work. He didn’t pass.

The following year, 2017, Jack tried again to complete the second year of his degree, but his health deteriorated further and it became an impossible task. Later that year, now aged 21, Jack was diagnosed with ADHD.

Third time lucky, and now with support for his ADHD in place, Jack repeated the second year again and was able to progress to the final year of the degree in 2019.

Unfortunately, part way through the final year, Jack started to suffer pain and immobility in his hips and legs. The pain was sufficient to disrupt his studies and he fell behind. This year of study was being torn out of his grasp again.

Jack tried again the following year, 2020, but he was too ill to study, too ill to attend lectures, too ill to fight on. He underwent surgery in 2021 to replace both of his hips and for a while, Jack was wheelchair-bound.

By now, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that Jack was trying to repeat the final year of his degree almost from the moment he came round from his anaesthetic. This young man’s determination to succeed could be a superpower in Marvels’ Cinematic Universe. He could be the Determinator (or something like that).

He might just have pulled this off if whatever the issue causing his joints to crumble hadn’t also then manifested itself in his lower leg joints. Though he endured almost to the end of the academic year, he simply had to withdraw for treatment and defer once more.

By 2022, aged 26 now, Jack was allowed to enrol for his final year again on a part-time basis. Not attending lectures, not charged tuition fees and not eligible for student finance. Yet, somehow, still needing to live…(I know, inexplicable right?).

He claimed Universal Credit. He was not able to work due to his health, and was not studying full-time, so should have been eligible for the modest, but essential, monthly payment to pay the bills.

The DWP said no. The decision-maker looked up the degree course, and it was listed as being a full-time course, so Jack must therefore be a full-time student? The University quickly wrote a letter to support Jack’s claim for UC — yes a full-time course normally, but Jack was indeed a part-time student now — no tuition/no attendance at lectures/no eligibility for student finance. In a classic example of DWP decision-makers once again having ‘computer-says-no’ levels of insight into real-life situations, and zero flexibility or imagination to come to a reasonable decision, they refused to accept the black-and-white statement of the University and closed Jack’s claim.

Unable to sustain himself on fresh air and determination alone, Jack lost his accomodation and became homeless. After all those years of trying so hard to finish that degree, despite the challenges his own body and brain threw at him, it seemed that a nonsense decision from the DWP was going to bring the dream to an end.

This is Jack though.

Instinctively believing the DWP decision could not be correct and refusing to give up, he asked for help from wherever he could find it. He was rehoused into hostel accomodation (at an absolutely eye-watering £834 per month) which Housing Benefit mostly covered, based on him proving an income of zero. A charity supporting disabled people paid his service charges for him, bought him food, issued vouchers and joined Jack’s quest to find a way to overturn the DWP decision.

So many months later, they found their way to the Jobcentre advice fair. It was just as well they did because Jack found out that day, via a friendly Jobcentre employee who knew all about his case, that his appeal was going to be heard within a couple of weeks. He hadn’t been notified of this of course, because the DWP had sent the notice letter to the address he no longer lived at, and added a note on his journal, which he couldn’t access, because the same DWP had closed his claim down! As they say, make it make sense.

Jack had appeal papers in his bag, medical evidence, letters from University, letters from his support worker, his housing officer — this small battalion of people who were all keen to see Jack get justice.

And I was lucky enough to be the latest recruit. I got on the phone to my colleague in Welfare Rights — one of those colleagues who you can 100% rely on to do an excellent job every single time. She was free on the day of the appeal hearing and we quickly arranged a time for Jack and his support worker to meet her. That was my work done.

Jack was so grateful for the support and grateful for my time, and all the while not allowing me to feel one bit sorry for what he had been through. I felt a bit emotional at the time, and do again now, writing about this. I felt like saying, ‘no, thank you, Jack — it’s been a privilege to meet you. You’re quite the inspiration.’

It was a couple of days ago that I learned that Jack’s appeal had been allowed. He had won. Hearing that made my day. UC awarded and backdated. Well done, my colleague, and well done Jack — it was never in doubt.

When I read things on social media or in the newspapers about how the young people of this country are ‘workless’, apparently all feigning health conditions and living their best lives on insufficient, punitive benefits, I feel even more compelled to share stories like Jack’s.

For anyone in this position, having received a knock back from the DWP that makes no sense, (I’ve another to speak to on Monday – bladder cancer – debilitating treatments and surgeries and, apparently ineligible for Personal Independence Payments), please seek out your nearest welfare rights service. Get support. There are so many battalions of incredible people out there ready to fight with you. Try out https://advicefinder.turn2us.org.uk/

Health crises happen to people, and not everyone - especially not young people — have the financial resources, and/or support, to weather them as well as Channel 5 chat-show hosts and Tory newspaper editors. But Jack is worth 100 of these people. I hope he now aces his degree and goes on to change the world.

Good luck Determinator, it was a pleasure to know you for a short period.