Report
Cost of living
Deep poverty and destitution
Preventing destitution: policy and practice in the UK
Last year more than 1.5 million people in the UK were pushed into destitution, going without the bare essentials and locked out of the chance of building a decent and secure life. This research examines how the policies and practice of public and third-sector bodies affect these people.
The research is based on interviews with frontline professionals in six areas across England, Wales and Scotland. It identifies factors pushing people into destitution and analyses current responses to destitution, suggesting two key solutions:
- Strengthen local responses and reform local practice.
- Reform DWP and local authority procedures to weaken the chronic and acute drivers of destitution.
This report is part of the cost of living topic.
Find out more about our work in this area.