An individual or family is in poverty if they “[…] lack the resources to obtain the types of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged and approved, in the societies to which they belong.”
Townsend, P. (1979) Poverty in the United Kingdom, London, Allen Lane and Penguin Books
Our clients are those who are most disadvantaged and socially excluded.
They experience multiple and interlinked problems but the most prevalent issue defining their lives is poverty, and this has significantly worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Increasingly, our clients do not have the resources to meet their needs. Their lives are constrained and they have very restricted choices, and their physical health and well-being is likely to be compromised by lack of funds for food and heating.
Through our legal casework we can make a direct impact on poverty by:
Ignite
Our five-year programme of work to inspire the public sector to invest more in prevention and early intervention has been awarded funding for a further two years.
We’re using our learning to build a specific focus on poverty and poverty-informed service delivery for Coventry, beginning with children’s services as a flagship partner, with frontline staff understanding the impact of poverty and able to provide improved responses within their service offer.
Alongside very practical help we will seek to build alliances in Coventry that reframe attitudes, behaviours and practice around those suffering hardship and poverty.
Our vision is a city where organisations and structures recognise the signs of poverty, engage with its limiting effects on an individual’s abilities and choices, and provide help at the earliest moment to act on it.