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9 December, 2020 Open access

Number of people experiencing destitution rose by more than 50 per cent between 2017 and 2019, reports Joseph Rowntree Foundation

While COVID-19-related support measures have provided much-needed relief, JRF finds that for many the pandemic exacerbated the difficulties they were already facing

The number of people experiencing destitution rose by more than 50 per cent between 2017 and 2019, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has reported.

In its third Destitution in the UK study, the JRF presents findings from a quantitative survey carried out in autumn 2019, and 70 qualitative interviews undertaken in spring 2020 after the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Estimating that more than a million UK households were destitute at some point during 2019 - measured through lack of access to essentials (shelter, food, heating, lighting, clothing and footwear, and basic toiletries) and extremely low or no income - the JRF reports that this equates to 2.4 million people, of whom 550,000 were children.

Comparing the findings of the 2019 survey to the survey carried out in 2017, the JRF highlights that - 

Finding that contributory factors for the increase in destitution include the five-week wait for the initial payment of universal credit, and the progressive effects of freezing benefit rates and caps between 2015 and 2020, the JRF reports that, while measures introduced at the start of the COVID-19 crisis provided some much-needed relief, many interviewees found the pressures brought about by the pandemic exacerbated the difficulties they were already facing, and some struggled to access the support they required to meet their essential needs.

As a result, arguing for a more permanent solution to turn back the rising tide of destitution, the JRF recommends that the UK and devolved governments should - 

Introducing the report, Research Manager at the JRF Emma Wincup said - 

'The UK should be a country where everyone has the chance of a healthy, decent and secure life regardless of where they live. Instead, too many people are experiencing destitution. This means not being able to afford the absolute essentials that we all need to eat, stay warm and dry, and keep clean. This is simply not right.

This study, the third in the Destitution in the UK series, reveals that even before the COVID-19 outbreak destitution was rapidly growing in scale and intensity. Since 2017 many more households, including families with children, have been pushed to the brink. Their precarious existence offered little protection when the pressure of COVID-19 threatened to push them even deeper into destitution.

The UK and devolved governments quickly provided a series of temporary lifelines to help people weather the coronavirus storm. But we need more sustained efforts to keep afloat people who are already struggling, and to turn back the rising tide of destitution.'

For more information, see Destitution in the UK 2020 from jrf.org.uk