Thursday, January 18, 2018

Food Bank Facts

According to recent reports from the Trussell Trust, food bank use has increased at least 13% in the last year. Around 14 million people in the UK are living in poverty and Universal Credit has had a huge impact on the lives of people with a low-income, with food banks experiencing an average 30% increase of demand in areas of full Universal Credit roll out.

As if the decision to visit a food bank wasn’t traumatic enough, people often experience a huge amount of stigma when they are facing a financial crisis. A Child Poverty Action Group report shows that people accepting help from a food bank felt that it was ‘shameful’ and ‘embarrassing,’ and that they had been driven to the food bank after exhausting all other possible avenues of support.

Mental and physical health are closely associated with poverty, with more than a quarter of adults in the poorest fifth of the population experiencing depression and anxiety. The stress of coping with the effects of poverty can certainly be detrimental to health. In reverse, those with poor physical or mental health are more likely to be affected by low income or income loss, therefore increasing the likelihood that they will need to depend on a food bank.

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