€50 from Spain's minimum income and food banks: the poverty trap
A testimony from Jerez, Spain, shows how the IMV minimum income drops to €50 per cohabitant, forcing people to eat at soup kitchens. The alternatives are emigrating or…
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
€50 from the IMV and soup kitchens: the Spain that never shows up in the statistics
A man in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, survives on €50 a month from the Ingreso Mínimo Vital (Spain's minimum income scheme) and eats at soup kitchens. He owns an inherited home, but shares it with his brother, who works, and that has cut his benefit down to a laughable amount. He cannot find work in his city and refuses the option of moving to Madrid to share a homeless shelter with people in social exclusion. His case, posted on economics forums, is not an isolated one.
The IMV was designed as a last-resort safety net, but the caps based on household composition turn the aid into something symbolic. Those living with a relative who earns any income see their benefit drastically reduced, even if that relative does not support them. The result: people with a home but no money to eat, dependent on charity.
The alternatives are harsh: learn German and emigrate to Switzerland to work at whatever job, or resign yourself to extreme poverty. Others in a similar situation pay €400 a month trying to avoid falling into that hole, but end up just as poor. The striking detail: some would rather pay €400 than live on €50, even though the financial outcome is the same. The difference is the dignity of not depending on a free meal.
A man in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, survives on €50 a month from the Ingreso Mínimo Vital (Spain's minimum income scheme) and eats at soup kitchens. He owns an inherited home, but shares it with his brother, who works, and that has cut his benefit down to a laughable amount. He cannot find work in his city and refuses the option of moving to Madrid to share a homeless shelter with people in social exclusion. His case, posted on economics forums, is not an isolated one.
The IMV was designed as a last-resort safety net, but the caps based on household composition turn the aid into something symbolic. Those living with a relative who earns any income see their benefit drastically reduced, even if that relative does not support them. The result: people with a home but no money to eat, dependent on charity.
The alternatives are harsh: learn German and emigrate to Switzerland to work at whatever job, or resign yourself to extreme poverty. Others in a similar situation pay €400 a month trying to avoid falling into that hole, but end up just as poor. The striking detail: some would rather pay €400 than live on €50, even though the financial outcome is the same. The difference is the dignity of not depending on a free meal.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (42 replies).
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