Home News Hunger strike ends after emergency payment

Hunger strike ends after emergency payment

Friday, 26 June 2009

A NON-IRISH national living in Phibsboro who went on hunger strike last week said he is prepared to starve himself again if he is not granted the supplementary welfare benefit he feels he’s entitled to. Egyptian national Ihab Alfa, who was granted Irish residency three years ago, went on hunger strike for two and a half days to highlight the plight of those refused unemployment benefit. Ihab’s hunger strike ended when his local community welfare officer issued an emergency payment and requested further documents in order to process his application for supplementary welfare. Up until last week he had survived on just e615 over the last four months. Phibsboro Road resident Ihab said he could no longer afford food or pay for his accommodation before last week’s emergency payment was issued. “I went on the hunger strike because I simply could not afford to buy food,” he told Northside People. “I hoped that it would highlight how difficult it is for someone who has been refused supplementary welfare to survive. “I had no money. I lost my job. I was refused the dole and I was refused any supplementary welfare. “I appealed my refusal of the supplementary welfare in April but it got to the stage where I didn’t have the money to buy food so I had no other choice but to starve myself.” He added: “I’ve lived here for 10 years and I’ve always worked until the start of this year. I didn’t deserve to live like that.” Ihab had initially held last week’s protest outside the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) Health Centre on Quarry Road in Cabra where he had previously met with a community welfare officer who refused his application for supplementary welfare. Ihab appealed the decision but was told last week that it could be at least six weeks before his appeal was even considered. The former painter and decorating contractor described how his situation came about when work began to dry up at the beginning of this year. “I tried to live off some savings I had for as long as I could because I didn’t want to have to get money from the Government,” he said. “I didn’t apply for social welfare for as long as I could after I lost my job. “I chased any work I could get so that I had some money coming in. “I was told in two offices for social welfare that I wouldn’t qualify for the dole. “Since March I’ve received just three emergency payments of e204 each. That’s all I’ve had to live on. I asked some friends for money but I really had nothing until the emergency payment was given to me last week. “My landlord calls for the rent money but I had to pretend to be out when he knocks at the door. I had nothing to give him.” A spokesperson for the HSE said anyone who is dissatisfied with the outcome of a claim for supplementary welfare has the right to an appeal. It was explained that a further appeal can be made to the Chief Appeals Officer and ultimately to the Ombudsman. The supplementary welfare scheme is means tested. “If a person has claimed a social welfare benefit or pension but it has not yet been paid and they have no other income, they may qualify for supplementary welfare allowance while awaiting payment,” the HSE spokesperson told Northside People. “The community welfare officer may make a once off payment to meet an exceptional need. “There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. “Each application is determined by the HSE based on the particular circumstances of the case. “An exceptional needs payment covers essential, once-off exceptional spending that you could not reasonably be expected to meet out of your weekly income.”