Charity Trussel Trust Reveals Shocking Levels Of Destitution In The UK

5 November 2019, 19:45

Charity chief told Eddie Mair that 94% of people who come to the daily food bank are acutely deprived and cannot afford shelter, clothes and food.

Sumi Rabindrakumar, who is Head of Policy and Research at Trussell Trust, found that 94% of people who come to food banks are destitute.

"It's not just poverty we're talking about," she said, "it's acute levels of deprivation. So that 94% - that's people who can't afford the core essentials that we need to get by, so shelter, clothes, food. That's 94% who come to food banks are in that position."

Rabindrakumar said daily she sees people who are struggling to pull themselves out of extreme poverty and facing "systems that aren't working."

A report by the Trussell Trust found that two thirds of people who'd been referred to food banks had experienced issues with their benefits.

Rabindrakumar said the charity wanted to see swifter payments to those in need, referencing the five week wait for Universal Credit, and a response to the four year benefit freeze which has seen an imbalance between financial allowance and the general cost of living.

It is essential for people to weather the storm of life events, such as divorce, which can tip people into financial crisis.

She said it should be there locally but too often resources will have depleted.