When I was young I realised my blood was both white and black. Where did I fit in the whole scheme of things?

You might think it’s easy to jump through hoops but the hoops keep growing and moving around and you can still lose your payments

Whenever I weigh up my decisions and my path forward, I always try to come back to this question: what legacy am I leaving my children?

I began life with promise and hope, but poverty robbed me of my confidence. Now I believe I have something to contribute and that I do matter

Even though I am my own worst critic, I now know that I can start something and finish it successfully

During the holiday season we were unable to afford gift giving, or to travel and see family, but the new year brings new possibilities and a huge silver lining

Our six Life on the Breadline writers share their expectations, hopes and dreams for their Christmas Day

The shame I’m made to feel stems from ignorance about the difficulty of living on government assistance

A society that ceases to ensure basic needs are available to all gives up the right to call itself one – it has become an economy

The factors causing poverty and unemployment never change. People like me live in fear for their future

‘Intergenerational welfare dependency’ is a term that makes me see red. Having a low income is not a genetic fault

For most of my life I’ve been a mess at this time of year, but now I can barely contain myself as I anticipate the joy of Christmas

Kindness happens in myriad ways, unexpectedly and without fanfare. It’s what keeps us sane

The legacy I want to pass down to my three children is the knowledge that despite the struggles, there are some ways to make do

Recently diagnosed with PTSD, I push forward with those who fight beside me, offering invaluable support, otherwise I would be lost and completely without hope

The effort it takes to not feel rage at the way I am portrayed in the media is exhausting. The lack of power is crushing

I dreamed of being the best contemporary dancer ever and living a life of opulence. Life, however, is not a dream at all

We were a comfortable two-parent family, now I’m a single mum with extremely limited financial resources

‘You hope that others have open hearts and don’t judge too harshly, but the daily realities for poor people show otherwise’

One big meal a day means skipping things that for most are a daily given