On his recent and much-publicised visit to the UK, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty drew on I-SPHERE research which estimated that over 1.5million people, including 365,000 children, were destitute in the UK at some point in 2017.
You can read the full statement at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23881&LangID=E,
You can find our more on our Destitution in the UK research for Joseph Rowntree Foundation at https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/destitution-uk-2018
Following the UN’s report, UK parliament’s work and pensions committee launched an inquiry “into the current state of the UK’s welfare safety net” and “ how effectively our welfare system works to protect against hardship and chronic deprivation”.
The enquiry is looking for evidence from organisations and individuals on a range of questions including: what we know about poverty and destitution, the trends, reasons and measurements; how well the welfare system is equipped to support people and prevent destitution. The enquiry also calls for ideas for improvements.
Be sure to have your say by 12th December at: