Understanding Poverty

1 in 5 people in the UK live in poverty in 2022, with an estimated 4.3 million of those being children – that’s 31% of all children. On top of that, 53% of all Black children live in poverty. Poverty isn’t a small issue – it affects millions of people across the country, and we want to help.

If you want to help those experiencing poverty, take some time to understand the issue and check out some small actions you can take to make a difference.

What causes poverty?

There’s rarely a single cause of poverty. Causes can include:

• High living costs

• Lack of work opportunities

• Poor pay 

• Lack of access to benefits

Once in poverty, it can be extremely difficult to break out of the cycle, and poverty can last across generations. Outside help is often needed to break the cycle, but a lack of resources means that most people don’t get the help they need. 

How are people affected? 

Living in poverty can have a detrimental effect on people’s health.

Those living in poverty have shorter life expectancies. Lack of access to medication, unsafe housing, less access to nutritious food, and less access to appropriate clothing (especially for cold weather) all contribute to this.

Poverty can also increase someone’s chances of suffering from mental health issues like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and addiction. On top of this, living in poverty can cause high stress levels, and prolonged feelings of stress can cause illnesses like heart disease.

Children growing up in poverty also have less access to opportunities than their peers do. Many have to work part-time jobs alongside school, which means they don’t get the same learning experience as students who don’t have to work. Likewise, growing up in poverty can affect children’s brain development, and increase the chances of health problems in future.

How does the future look?

The Resolution Foundation predicts that over 1 million more people will fall into poverty in 2023 due to the cost of living crisis (this will mean the UK’s deprivation levels are the highest they’ve been in over 2 decades).

On top of this, rising living costs will see those in poverty trapped there, with it becoming even more difficult to break the cycle. Those in poverty have less saved money that they can use as a buffer against rising prices; they’re going to experience the effect worse than anyone else.

To put it bluntly – things are looking pretty dire. So… 

What can you do to help?

It’s easy to feel helpless, especially when the cost of living crisis is leaving a lot of us with less disposable income than before. However, we’ve compiled some things you can do to make a difference for those in poverty. All of these pledges and missions can be found on the OnHand app, so check them out and do some good:

💛 Shoutout warm banks

Warm banks are free, public spaces where people who can’t afford to put their heating on can go to warm up. Check if there are any warm banks near you and spread the word!

💛 Donate to your local food or clothing bank

Making a donation will allow families living in poverty to get access to some of the essential food and household goods they need. Donating to a food or clothes bank is one of the best ways to make an impact in your local community. 

💛 Listen to bite-sized talks about poverty

We feature talks on the OnHand app to help you better understand some of the causes we’re supporting. We have talks like ‘Ending Homelessness with Crisis’ and ‘Understanding Homelessness with Beam founder’ that you can watch.

💛 £2 a day challenge

The estimated daily food budget for people living in poverty in the UK is under £2 a day. This pledge aims to open our eyes to how many people live. 

Don’t give up 👊

Sometimes it can feel impossible to make a difference against such a prevalent, widespread issue. However, the important thing is that we keep fighting! Individual impact does add up, and if we all take up a pledge to help with poverty, we’ll be able to make a difference in at least one person’s life.

If you want to do your part but aren’t yet part of the OnHand gang, reach out to us. We’d love to chat: https://www.beonhand.co.uk/book-a-demo.