Former nurse 'forced to eat dog food' after her benefits were cut

'I'm not living, I'm just existing', says Ann Cumberland-Quinn

Ann Cumberland-Quinn told a newspaper she had resorted to eating dog food (Creative Commons)

A homeless former nurse claims she has been forced to eat dog food after her benefits were cut.

Ann Cumberland-Quinn, 56, is disabled and has had nowhere to live since her Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) were cut.

She claimed that she lost her council bungalow in June 2015 after an ESA mix up and has since been living in her car and temporary accommodation.

Ms Cumberland-Quinn, who needs the help of a mobility scooter and crutches to move around, said she has been struggling to find and a home because she has no fixed address.

"I'm keeping out of the way of everybody. I've had enough and I'm tired. My head is banging with all this," she told Cambridge News.

Ms Cumberland-Quinn, used to work as a nurse at the Princess of Wales Hospital, in Ely, Cambridgeshire, but has struggled with the welfare system.

Council workers advised her to live with her parents, who are dead, she said.

"I want some money to live and I'm not living, I'm just existing,” Ms Cumberland-Quinn told the News.

Ms Cumberland-Quinn suffers from neuropathy, a nerve condition.

"All my nerve endings are dead," she said. "That's why I'm incontinent and my legs have swollen up.”

She said her Chihuahua dog, Chanel, keeps her going but had also resorted to eating her food.

However, Angela Parmenter, Housing and Community Safety Manager from East Cambridgeshire District Council told The Independent that Ms Cumberland-Quinn had been "supported by our housing team since she was evicted from social housing for rent arrears in January this year."

They added: “Since then she has been repeatedly offered alternative accommodation – all of which she has turned down. A number of charities and the local church have also offered MissCumberland-Quinn financial, practical and emotional support.

“We will continue to work with Miss Cumberland-Quinn and advise her of the many options which are still available to her.

“We are also aware that she has a large amount of money available to her following the sale of her house, which increases her options. “We will continue to work with Miss Cumberland-Quinn and advise her of the many options which are still available to her.

“We are also aware that she has a large amount of money available to her following the sale of her house, which increases her options.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “Decisions for PIP are made following consideration of all the information provided by the claimant and their GP or medical specialist, and anyone who disagrees with a decision can appeal."