I sleep with men for £10 because Universal Credit’s left me and my seven-year-old destitute – I’ll even see punters on Christmas Day
Single mum Charlotte sold her son's toys after being forced to live on £1.64 a day on Universal Credit. When she had no possessions left to sell, she sold herself
A SINGLE mum has bravely revealed that she's been forced to sell her body for as little as £10 in order to feed her seven-year-old son while struggling to survive on Universal Credit.
Charlotte, 27, from South London, makes around £200 a week by performing sexual favours on as many as 15 men.
Heartbreakingly, the mum of one says she feels abandoned by the Government - and that it's only her punters “I can trust”.
Sometimes Charlotte's clients visit her home when her son's at school.
While her son has no idea the lengths his mother is going to in order to provide for him, he already knows the family are struggling and hasn't asked for a single Christmas present.
She said: “He’s really understanding about the whole thing.”
Tragically Charlotte is so destitute she's planning on seeing clients on Christmas Day.
“I haven’t got a choice. I’ll be doing it over Christmas too - what am I meant to do?" she says.
'I sleep with men to buy food in Iceland'
The former housekeeper, who lives on an estate, had to give up her job when she had her son because she couldn't afford childcare.
She moved onto Universal Credit in January when she moved home and describes the system as “vile” after falling £500 behind with her rent and being threatened with eviction.
She now receives £467-a-month in Universal Credit after her rent has been paid to her landlord and her debts of £126 a month were taken off.
After she's paid the rest of her bills, she's left with £1.64 a day to live on.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun as part of our Make Universal Credit Work campaign, she says: "At times I have had to sleep with men for some change - just £10 or £20 so I can buy some food in Iceland, just so my son doesn’t go hungry."
Charlotte was kept waiting for five weeks for her first Universal Credit payment last January, which she says was financially crippling.
The father of her son pays nothing towards his upkeep and while she received a £600 loan from the government to tide her over, she claims she wasn’t told by her local Jobcentre that it would need to be repaid.
“That was the final straw when everything changed, and I saw how much debt I was in… the payments and the household bills, it all built up,” she says.
The Sun wants to Make Universal Credit Work with new campaign
Universal Credit replaces six benefits with a single monthly payment. One million people are already receiving it and by the time the system is fully rolled out in 2023, nearly 7 million will be on it.
But there are big problems with the flagship mew system - it takes 5 weeks to get the first payment and it could leave some families worse off by thousands of pounds a year.
And while working families can claim back up to 85% of their childcare costs, they must find the money to pay for childcare upfront - we’ve heard of families waiting up to 6 months for the money.
Working parents across the country told us they’ve been unable to take on more hours - or have even turned down better paid jobs or more hours because of the amount they get their benefits cut.
That's why The Sun has launched our Make Universal Credit work. We demand the Government makes the following changes to help hard-working famililes before it's too late.
We want you to:
- Get paid faster: The government must slash the time Brits wait for their first Universal Credit payments from five to two weeks, helping stop 7 million from being pushed into debt.
- Keep more of what you earn: The work allowance should be increased and the taper rate should be slashed from from 63p to 50p, helping at least 4 million families.
- Don’t get punished for having a family: Parents should get the 85 per cent of the money they can claim for childcare upfront instead of being paid in arrears.
Together, these changes will help Make Universal Credit Work.
'I’ve sold my son’s toys to pay the gas and electric'
This year, toys are at the bottom of her Charlotte's fantasy Christmas list for her little boy.
He desperately needs a new pair of shoes and a coat, as his old jacket is ripped, but Charlotte hasn't got the money to replace them.
“I’ve had to sell the toys he has just to charge the electric and the gas,” she says.
While she'd love to be able to treat him - to a pizza takeaway or take him to Thorpe Park for the day -there is little chance of that.
Are you on Universal Credit? Tell us your story! Email: universalcredit@the-sun.co.uk and join our
'I can't erase what I've done'
While Charlotte's resigned to her situation, she's also furious with the government.
“I’m angry. The politicians say it’s [Universal Credit] working for some people - who?” she asks.
“Why are people getting poorer but the government don’t care? Even if something changes, I can’t erase what I’ve done now.”
Charlotte's not the only woman on Universal Credit who feels she's had no choice but to turn to prostitution to make ends meet.
Julie, 30, from Merseyside told the BBC she had been left “so ashamed” after being forced to turn to sex work after an EIGHT-week wait for her Universal Credit payment.
“I didn't go out looking for it, I said no at first ... it wasn't until about three weeks later that I said 'OK, yeah,' because I thought I need to, because I need money’,” she said.
"It's something I never ever thought I would be ever capable of doing.”
What to do if you have problems claiming Universal Credit
IF you're experiencing trouble applying for your Universal Credit, or the payments just don't cover costs, here are your options:
Apply for an advance - Claimants are able to get some cash within five days rather than waiting weeks for their first payment. But it's a loan which means the repayments will be automatically deducted from your future Universal Credit pay out.
Alternative Payment Arrangements- If you're falling behind on rent, you or your landlord may be able to apply for an APA which will get your payment sent directly to your landlord. You might also be able to change your payments to get them more frequently, or you can split the payments if you're part of a couple.
Budgeting Advance - You may be able to get help from the government to help with emergency household costs of up to £348 if you're single, £464 if you're part of a couple or £812 if you have children. These are only in cases like your cooker breaking down or for help getting a job. You'll have to repay the advance through your regular Universal Credit payments. You'll still have to repay the loan, even if you stop claiming for Universal Credit.
Cut your Council Tax - You might be able to get a discount on your Council Tax or be entitled to Discretionary Housing Payments if your payments aren't enough to cover your rent.
Foodbanks - If you're really hard up and struggling to buy food and toiletries, you can find your local foodbank who will provide you with help for free. You can find your nearest one on the
And mum-of-three Emma Mullins, 42, also revealed how she had been faced with the shocking choice between “selling myself or my children eating”.
Claiming benefits after being diagnosed with a brain tumour, Emma told charity Tomorrow’s Women: “We had just been made homeless and we had nothing, no food, nothing. I still feel angry when I think about it now that I had to degrade myself – but it was either that or see my children starve.
"I would do it again if I had to, but I hope I’m never in that situation again.”
'Most mothers who are sex workers are single mothers'
Cari Mitchell, a representative for the English Collective of Prostitutes added: “Most sex workers are mothers and most of those are single mothers.
"They're placed in an impossible situation where for increasing numbers the option to go into the sex industry in order to survive becomes real."
In October, MP Frank Field shocked the House of Commons when he revealed women in his Birkenhead constituency were selling themselves for sex for the first time as a result of hardship caused by the introduction of Universal Credit.
After The Sun shared Charlotte's story with Mr Field, he says he will be writing to Department for Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd about her case.
MORE FROM MAKE UNIVERSAL CREDIT WORK
"Here we have yet another awful example of Universal Credit pushing vulnerable mothers, who are trying to protect their children, to rock bottom and beyond," he told The Sun.
"I’ll be asking the new Secretary of State what additional help, if any, the Government can offer so that Universal Credit ceases to be an agent for exploitation."
Amber Rudd has responded to the Sun's campaign, saying she's listening to Sun readers as she tries to improve Universal Credit for working families.
A DWP spokeswoman told The Sun: "We’re committed to ensuring people can get help when they need it most – advance payments and budgeting support are available and rent can be paid directly to the landlord where necessary.”
*Charlotte's name has been changed.