Being a father means showing up, every day, no matter how tough things get. It means putting your children’s needs before your own, protecting them, providing for them, and doing everything in your power to make them feel safe and loved. But what happens when the system that’s supposed to help families in crisis doesn’t show up in return? The heartbreaking story of Phillip Herron, a single dad from Durham, England, is a painful reminder of what can happen when someone struggling is left to suffer in silence—with no safety net and nowhere to turn.

Phillip Herron was a 34-year-old factory worker and devoted father of three. In 2019, with only about $6 left in his bank account, he took his own life. He had been waiting weeks for his first Universal Credit payment, a delay that turned out to be too long and too heavy a burden for him to carry. Universal Credit, a program introduced by the UK government to replace six different welfare benefits with a single monthly payment, was supposed to simplify things. But in reality, the five-week delay for first-time applicants has created serious hardship for many—especially those already teetering on the edge.

Phillip was one of those people. He had quietly applied for Universal Credit, hiding the extent of his financial troubles from his family. He was out of work, struggling to feed and clothe his kids, and facing mounting debts—some of which came from payday loans charging outrageous interest rates over 1,000%. He owed nearly $25,000 and had fallen behind on rent. His home was on the brink of being repossessed. Despite all of this, he kept going for his kids. Until he couldn’t anymore.

Like many others, Phillip turned to Universal Credit as a last resort. But the system that promised help instead left him waiting, isolated, and crushed by stress. The delay in getting his payment—five weeks or more—is often fatal for people in desperate situations. “When someone finally asks for help, they’re already at rock bottom,” his mother, Sheena Derbyshire, told The Daily Mirror. “Making them wait so long? It’s dangerous.” For Phillip, it was the final blow. “He already had his own problems,” Sheena said. “But I believe this was the last straw.”

Just hours before his death, Phillip posted a gut-wrenching selfie from inside his car. He was crying. Along with the photo, he left a farewell message. The next day, he ended his life on a quiet rural road. His family had no idea how bad things had become. “We were shocked,” Sheena said. “In his letter, he said the family would be better off without him. That broke my heart.”

After his death, Sheena began piecing together the reality of what her son had been going through. She found emails, debt notices, and voice messages—each more heartbreaking than the last. His home was under threat of eviction. He owed money to utility companies. “Listening to those messages,” she said, “was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Phillip’s children were devastated. One of his daughters, Sheena said, dreams of him often. “She said she saw him and begged him not to go. But when she woke up, he was gone.” None of the children received professional counseling, she added.

Public reaction to Phillip’s death was swift and fierce. Social media users expressed outrage at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the agency responsible for Universal Credit. One user wrote, “Another death on their blood-soaked hands.” Others demanded accountability and reform. Still, the government’s response remained cautious. A spokesperson for the DWP offered condolences but said, “Suicide is a very complex issue, and it would be wrong to link it solely to someone’s benefit claim.”

Sheena has since made it her mission to speak out. She hopes that by sharing Phillip’s story, she can prevent another family from experiencing the same nightmare. “You don’t just wake up one day and take your life. It builds up,” she said. “Please, talk to someone. If you can’t talk to your family, call a support line like Samaritans. Just don’t suffer in silence.”

Sadly, Phillip’s case is not unique. His death joins a troubling pattern of similar tragedies linked to the UK’s welfare system. In the same year, Stephen Smith, a severely ill man weighing just 84 pounds, was declared “fit to work” and died soon after. An 81-year-old woman named Joy Worrall jumped into a quarry after the DWP froze her pension benefits. She had only $6 left and was too proud to ask for help. Another man, Martin John Counter, took his life after being wrongly accused of benefit fraud.

These are not isolated incidents. They are warnings. They are evidence that something is deeply broken. Phillip Herron did everything he could to stay afloat—for his kids, for his future. But the system failed him. His mother is now pleading with British authorities to make real changes. “If this doesn’t change,” she said, “he won’t be the last.”