Basic needs, each one of us have them and they should be the same. What is seen for a basic need for foster children is a good example. With us it's called the three B's. Those B's stand for Bread, Bed and Bath.
Bread is the food we need, Bed stands for a roof above your head and Bath(room) means being able to wash yourself, shower, hygiene (hygiene is an important part of being and staying health).
If it comes to those needs there might be a difference and it depends on where you live. With us, if it comes to the poverty, needing financial help, it depends on the government, the law but above all the functionary you meet what your needs are.
If you are, according to this servant, a lazy ass or always worked s/he might tell you you get no financial help, no home and you can drop dead. If you own a house, have some savings, you need to sell the house first and spend those savings. They tell you to come back once you have nothing left to sell.
If you play the pathetic one you might be lucky, have a home within one week plus money in your pocket.
Homeless? You can still receive money if you are willing to go to all the trouble of filling out papers, being checked out and... play dumb. The city gives you a postadres if you don't have one and you receive a few hundreds of euros a month. Euros you don't need to work for nor need to spend on paying rent, the gas and electricity bill, taxes, a health insurance and so on. If you have a smartphone and play it smart you sleep at different places with friends and buy beer and drugs for your money and if no one likes to have you around you pay 2 euro for a night at a shelter. If a bath (shower) is included isn't sure. Most likely not and these days (read years) it's hard to see a doctor and in the Netherlands you are not allowed to go to the first aid if your hands, ears it toes are frozen off. Hospitals, taking care of people their health is not part of the basic need although, we each person has to have a health insurance which at least will cost you 100 euros or more (the first 385 - 850 euros of medical help are on your account after that the health insurance will pay). Dentist and many medications are on your account as well. Like said a good health is not the priority of the government. It's up to you how to deal with it. Although the price for the insurances are raised every year, much pay but no longer visit a doctor (if you don't have the money you simply cannot afford it), and the insurance companies their piggy banks are plumped up, the government keeps telling the people there is no money for health care. Of course, there is. Many hospitals disappeared, nurses were no longer needed and there is a large group not paying for their health insurance and getting everything for free, dentist, shrink, physiotherapy, etc included.
Bread
"Give us our daily bread," people pray.
"Give the people bread and games," (2000 years ago Gajus Julius Caesar introduced the concept "Panem et Circensus". Free bread and games is a good way to control and distract.
It was Juvenalis who used the term bread and games in a sarcastic way. His intention was to show the Romans were blind for the end of the Roman empire. As long as the nation became free bread and could 'play' they were satisfied and didn't question anything.
It's two thousand years later. You won't find this principle back in the Netherlands. Today people are blindfolded by fake news, generations are raised to think and believe in exactly the way the government wants us to. We do not question even not if we lack those basic needs.
Bread... It is not the cheapest food and many do without breakfast and an evening meal. The poor are getting poorer and the extremely rich are getting richer. We still believe we are rich because it's what they made us believe. Over 80% of our income is for rent, had and electricity and taxes. If you are extremely rich it's peanuts but if you have a minimum salary or an income called "social help" you are in big need.
Bed
It's hard to find a home and some people manage to save money, take a loan and buy one. In the Netherlands, you pay off your house for over 30 years. Some even pay longer. You need a job to be able to get a loan and it depends on your income which house you are allowed to buy. It's not different if it comes to renting. You can not rent the house in an area of your choice if your income is too low or... too high. Indeed this means it's your income, not your intelligence or education that forces you to live in certain areas. If you studied for year's but have no income you will live between the uneducated, low educated. People you might have nothing in common with and to them you might be the intellect they want to get rid of because you are not the bird of the feather.
It's not easy to find a home. You need to sign in and collect points. The more points you have the bigger the chance you are asked. By the way, you can only refuse two houses offered. If you don't like the third one it's game over.
How to find a place as a young adult if you cannot buy? The only option is to stay with your parents and share the costs of living. Costs you cannot pay if you are jobless and you have to pay if your parents lose income for letting you stay.
Bath
Water is a basic need, a bathtub is not. Hygiene, strangely enough, is at a very low level. It is since the housewife stopped existing with us and flacons with sprays took it over. Most of them are not helpful and are an attack on your budget.
It's strange how a simple act like brushing teeth, washing hands, combing hair and washing yourself isn't a habit to many. I have noticed it with the foster children I had. They knew how to switch off the power but taking a shower and putting on clean underwear no one had taught them.
Basic needs... the television turns out to be one but internet is not. No one cares about those who cannot afford it although we are forced into living online.
A minister said food is way too cheap. Strange statement if you know nearly every place has its foodbank and those food banks do not have enough food for those in need if you know many cannot afford to buy three meals a day not even if it's bread.
Taxes are paid over what we buy. If it is seen as luxury, not a basic need, you pay more taxes.
Not a basic need is fruits, vegetables, products made out of milk (diaries), meat, fish, vitamins, minerals, juice, soda, cookies, chips, candies, et cetera et veteran and... water.
Why not water? Because you can drink water from your tap there's no need to buy it at the shop.
If you are satisfied with bread and water you can have a great life even if you don't have much to spend. Hopefully, you don't need a diet because if you need a gluten-free diet, are diabetics or... you will be ripped off.
In some ways our government in the USA is the very same way. Here you can buy a home without waiting 30 years to pay for it and without a loan.