Saint John of God Brothers

St. John of God Services With Over 200 Organisations Committed to Ending Poverty

SJOG stands with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) along with over 200 organisations who are committed to ending poverty, and have called on the people most likely to be the next prime minister to put tackling hardship at the top of their agenda from day one.

Frustrated by the ‘stark lack of focus’ from Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer during the campaign, the diverse network of organisations have placed their message that hardship must be at the top of the prime minister’s to-do list in national newspapers with one week to go until the election result.

The leaders of UK’s political parties have faced questions from the public on the campaign trail about levels of hardship in the UK, as JRF reveals the relentless reality of years-long hardship.  Their latest research finds:

7 million low-income families have gone without essentials like food, heating and adequate clothing in the last six months.

7 in 10 (71%) low-income households in the bottom 20% of incomes were going without essentials in May this year, the same as May last year.

Over the past five years, the number of people experiencing destitution more than doubled. Four million experienced destitution in 2022 including one million children and 2.4 million are people with a disability or limiting health condition. (Source: JRF Destitution in the UK 2023).

The letter signed by organisations including the Trussell Trust, Citizens Advice, Crisis, Age UK, Barnardo’s, Mencap, Scope, Mental Health Foundation and many more, says, “It is clear [the public] want to see action and commitments to turn this situation around so that no one is forced to go without the essentials or need a food bank to survive.”

To read the full press release from JRF click here: https://www.jrf.org.uk/news/hundreds-of-charities-push-for-hardship-to-be-top-of-prime-ministers-priorities-from-day-one

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27 June 2024

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