Despite historically high employment rates, in-work poverty has been rising steadily in the UK for nearly two decades. This reality challenges the assumption that work alone is a reliable route out of poverty.
The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) has seen a significant increase in working individuals and families seeking support across England and Wales. Through our eleven regional centres and over 800 local volunteer groups, many in areas of high deprivation, the SVP provides essential frontline services. These include access to food, white goods, energy and debt advice, and help with transport costs, all tailored to local needs.
This report offers a unique and grounded perspective on in-work poverty, combining lived experience from the SVP’s grassroots network with national data and analysis. A survey of SVP members and advisers conducted over the past year reveals that in-work poverty is a complex and evolving issue. It disproportionately affects certain demographics such as part-time workers, single-parent families, and those in precarious or low-wage sectors like hospitality and support services.
Three key findings emerged from the SVP’s research:
1. While anyone can experience in-work poverty, the highest risk groups are households with children, single parents, and those relying solely on part-time work.
2. There is no single cause. Low pay, high living costs, childcare and caring responsibilities, health issues, housing costs, and insecure employment all contribute to in-work poverty.
3. Affected individuals often face stark daily choices between food, heating, and rent. Many fall behind on bills, rely on foodbanks, and suffer from poor mental health, even while employed. While the SVP’s work on the ground can mitigate some of the impacts, we recognise the importance of tackling the structural causes leading to in-work poverty.
The report concludes with practical, evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at creating lasting, preventative solutions to tackle in-work poverty across the UK.
As soon as you go into some parishes you become aware of the sense of community and the concern of people not just for other members of the parish community but for the entire local community – and often – those far beyond it. In others there seems to be very little parish life with people going along to Sunday mass but very little sense of people on a shared faith journey.
The LiveSimply award scheme is something that can really bring people in a parish together to not only worship together but to take action arising from their Catholic faith. It provides a way of working on both the environmental concerns expressed by Pope Francis in Laudato Si and how these are related to issues of poverty - which, again, was something that he highlighted in this encyclical.
The award scheme asks parishes to draw up an action plan that demonstrates the activities they are going to undertake to show how their parish will live more simply, live more sustainably and live more in solidarity with those experiencing poverty.
Because the parish themselves draw up the action plan, they can take account of the people they have in their parish and the land, buildings and other parish resources that are available to them. The plan can, and should, incorporate actions that enable individuals, parish group and the whole parish community to take part. Equally, because of the flexibility within the scheme, actions can be devised that appeal to all age groups and different
The garden at St Benedicts churchinterests in a parish. For instance, when St Benedict’s parish in Garforth worked to obtain the award they decided to use some spare land to develop a garden that grew both flowers and vegetables. The people who got involved in this work were not particularly involved in other church groups prior to this. Equally, the flowers are used in church and some of the vegetables produced are shared with a local charity working with older people – thus enabling the parish to contribute to the life of the local community as well.
The LiveSimply scheme is administered by CAFOD – but it goes far beyond the typical things that CAFOD does. In Settle, for example, the parish community there decided to show their solidarity with those experiencing poverty by taking part in the Syrian refugee resettlement scheme. Not that they have ignored the wider dimensions of poverty as this parish has always been a supporter of CAFOD both in its fundraising for those in the global South and in promoting CAFOD campaigns.
SS Mary & StMichael church, Settle, showing their solar arrayIn both Settle and Burley in Wharfedale the parishes have had solar panels installed on the church roof in order to help them be more sustainable.
Drawing up the action plan is something that should involve the whole parish. Working toward the award only really works if the parish take a synodal approach. SS John Fisher & Thomas More, Burley in Wharfedale, they undertook surveys across the whole parish to find out ideas from parishioners. In Burley in Wharfedale they received back over 400 suggestions.
What I have noticed is that parishes working towards or with the LiveSimply award are much more aware of how their faith relates to their everyday life and how working together as a parish community can help them achieve so much more than if they just work as individuals.
I think that, probably like many people, I have been a bit of a rabbit in headlights when it comes to things that Donald Trump and his coterie have been saying and doing since the end of January. When faced with such Orwellian ‘Newspeak’ I find myself scrambling to find the right way to respond.
A recent public letter from a parish priest in Ohio to his Bishop has helped me to put it all in perspective. It is so good that the rest of this article is some extended quotes from it.
Our new Secretary of State, the Catholic Mr. Marco Rubio, says that the United States is not in the business of doling out charity, that foreign aid demands a return on our investment, and that it should be given only to those who can increase our “security.” With the snap of a finger, we stop lifesaving food and medicine to millions of poor people around the world, so that we can be more secure. Mr. Rubio, let me say that doing charity is exactly what we should be about as a nation. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more,” (Lk. 12:48) Security? Mr. Rubio, you may want to read Jesus’ parable about building “bigger barns.” (Lk. 12: 16-21)
The entire issue of immigration and the treatment of disenfranchised people is a complicated one, balancing rights and responsibilities, common good and individual good. Certainly, the processes to enter this country seeking asylum and/or citizenship must be reviewed and perhaps totally reworked. But the scripture is abundantly clear: All people are created in the image and likeness of God. All are children of God and have an inherent dignity that comes solely from that and the fact that the Son of God died for each one of them. We are to pay special attention and care to the “widow, the orphan and the alien [immigrant].” What could be clearer? To label the bulk of these people as “murderers, thieves, rapists, nut cases,” as Mr. Trump regularly does, is simply untruthful and a despicable affront to humanity. Almost as despicable, is the Vice President, Mr. J. D. Vance, also a Roman Catholic, accusing the American bishops of caring about immigrants only because they (the bishops) “are in it for the money, the federal funds that come their way.” [cf. Mr. Vance’s interview on CBS Face the Nation, 01-26-25] Abominable.
I am aware that millions of Christians voted for Mr. Trump because he professes to be “pro-life.” A pretty shaky definition of “pro-life.” Would a “pro-life president” cut off programs aiding women and children living in poverty (one of the principal reasons troubled women reluctantly choose abortion)? Would a “pro-life president” advocate expanding the death penalty to include even more vast numbers of people, many of them suffering from mental illness? Would a “pro-life president” turn a blind eye to the catastrophic climate crisis facing our “Common Home” and in fact propose policies that will increasingly put our fragile planet in even greater, more precipitous danger? Would a “pro-life president” label immigrants fleeing poverty and oppression as “vermin, poisoning our blood”? (Perhaps 1930’s/40’s Germans would have considered Adolph Hitler to be “pro-life”—he stood for the same things.) And even the façade of being “anti-abortion” has fallen away as Mr. Trump now says he would veto a national ban on abortion. He is “pro-life” as long as there may be votes in it for him.
I find the argument that bishops, priests, religious women, the Church, should not get involved in “politics” to be specious at best. “Just talk about God and Jesus,” they tell us. “Exactly,” I say. And what does Jesus say about love, justice, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, solidarity, fraternity…? Proclaim it to the ends of the earth. Politics is life. It is people encountering people, and the Church must always be in the midst of those encounters. True, we do not support a single political “party,” but we must never shy away from proclaiming the human and spiritual values which must animate our political discourse, whatever the party.
This is just a portion of what this priest had to say, and it is reassuring in some measure to hear such voices coming from the USA.
“You are very lucky” said many a friend and relative to me. I recently returned home to my country of origin after a hectic and emotionally demanding year as an international student.
But it was only after this statement, did I realise how true this sentiment was. I was a man of two worlds. I was a working international student. I had to learn how to juggle both my studies, as well as my responsibilities towards my current occupation. It was difficult!
I still recall the shifts, where I could only rely on the copious amounts of caffeine from coffee (thanks to the generous privilege of my job) to get through the work shift, and stumble back to my accommodation to begin my studies and research.
“What sustained you?" many of you may ask. The answer I can only think of is kindness.
It’s no secret that in recent memory, both in the UK and the world at large, there has been a lack of kindness, last year’s “summer of violence” comes to mind, first a riot in a neighbouring town in Leeds and later the entire country was engulfed in such chaos after the horrific murder of three children.
Kindness is indeed powerful, its current lacking and absence in the world is proof of its power.
But indeed, I was very lucky, because on many occasions of the life I had carved in a country that is not my own, I experienced it.
My job, while physically demanding, never forced me to do anything beyond reason and the staff welcomed me with open arms. They helped me cross my comfort zone, they always looked for my best interest, and above all always made sure my person was safe and sound throughout every shift.
It restored my belief in the good of people.
In frank terms, kindness is difficult to locate. That is why, when we see it, it makes it all the more important to follow such leads and become an example of it.
As a foreigner with a great command of the English language, I will admit it has been disheartening to have experienced being unwelcomed for simply being foreign…and I can only shudder of what others might have experienced without this ability.
I would like to believe that I am wiser now than I had been that fateful year I arrived in this country. I have accomplished much; I now have my university degree (with a merit I may proudly add) and I can only thank the kindness of the community I know I belong to.
My university was kind to have let me freely pursue my studies and research to my heart’s content and my religious community in the Catholic Cathedral and Chaplaincy allowed me to feel welcome, know and create meaningful relationships with my fellow parishioners. Most of all, I am grateful to my job for welcoming me with open arms, as before I knew it, I had saved enough to fly back home to see my loved ones.
In these trying times of doubt and bleakness, what can we as Christians do one may ask.
The answer is simple and is as timeless as our lord and saviour’s teachings…let us be kind.
Let kindness be a testament, both to his teachings and our duty to our community.
Modern-day Slaves are significantly exploited by their employers. A high proportion are sex workers. Women are therefore more likely to be slaves than men. Charities working in this sector estimate that there are about 122,000 people currently living in the UK who are Modern-day Slaves.
The Government established a Care Workers Visa to enable workers from abroad to pay for visas to come here to work in what are often minimum wage jobs. Sadly, some employment agencies saw this as an opportunity to make lots of money and advertised Care Work jobs in the UK. Those applying did not realise that there could be times when no work would be available.
Visa holders cannot claim unemployment benefits or work for other employers. This gives their employers greater power. Significant numbers of these new Care Workers started to call the Modern-day Slavery Advice Lines due to the exploitation they suffered; forced to work long hours, pay for training/accommodation/uniform and to work anywhere.
The Visa rules have been changed each year to reduce the factors contributing to this exploitation. But the exploitation continues.
I know of one family where the mother got a Care Worker Visa, her husband and children got Dependent Visas. The family came expecting to be more financially secure than they had been in Africa. With both parents working full-time for the minimum wage the family could just about provide for themselves.
But the mother’s full-time care work soon stopped. Her agency could then provide her with only part-time work. Her sponsor offered her a temporary, full-time job 200 miles away. She had to take it to feed her family. When that job ended they offered part-time work in the same city. The family were desperate.
Her family will not be more secure until she finds a local employer who has a job in their own Care Home and who will pay to sponsor her. It is very difficult to find such jobs. Life in the UK is not what the family imagined. Their livelihood as insecure as it was in Africa.
In Hope, the Pope says
‘Every Christian is called upon to be an instrument of God for the liberation of all people and the advancement of the poor. This implies more than a few sporadic acts of generosity. It presumes a new mindset that thinks in terms of community.’
UK Slavery still happens. We know that as a country we do not have enough income to pay for all the services we expect. Poverty is a political choice. The Government are responsible for allocating their income for the good of all. Parties accept that the Care Sector is not working effectively.
Maybe in response to the Pope’s plea for a new mindset we should each think about (and talk about) what we consider to be fair share of the costs of our own care?
We must not be distracted by arguments about promises of no tax rises. There must be radical changes if the Care Sector is to become sustainable without the risk of Modern-day Slavery.
For more information:
ACAS have a good website that explains employee rights.
We are gathered here in Leeds City Square to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
Tomorrow will be the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland in 1945.
It’s estimated that more than a million people perished in Auschwitz during the Second World War. The vast majority were Jews. But there were also Roma and Sinti and Gays, all murdered just for who they were.
In all, it’s estimated that six million Jews were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust including around 1.5 million children.
The Nazi Holocaust destroyed a third of the global Jewish population, with centuries of culture and heritage lost forever.
And the world said: NEVER AGAIN. But genocide did happen again.
Which is why, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we are also encouraged to remember the victims of genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
None of these subsequent genocides detract from, or diminish, the magnitude of the Nazi Holocaust. And nor should they. The point of highlighting other genocides is not to draw equivalence with the Nazi Holocaust. Every genocide has been unique in its form, scale and execution. But they all share some common traits including collective discrimination, dehumanisation and the intent to exterminate (in whole or in part) a distinct people.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust encourages us to learn from past genocides so that we can, in its own words “take action for a better future”. A future in which “identity-based persecution and discrimination” comes to an end.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust takes its lead from the UK government in determining if a genocide has taken place. But what happens if our own government is itself implicated in a genocide? How do we then act for a better future?
We cannot always wait until courts and governments have reached a unanimous agreement on whether a genocidal atrocity is taking place. Too often, that only happens long after the horrors have ended and when there is nothing left to be done. And, as has become abundantly clear in these last 15 months, reaching such a consensus is a political decision as much as a legal or moral one.
This year the official organisers of Holocaust Memorial Day events, the HMD Trust, has shown its reluctance to acknowledge even the potential that a genocide has been taking place in Gaza. A genocide perpetrated by the State of Israel against the Palestinian people, but with the finance, weapons and diplomatic cover coming from
the United States, and with support from America’s Western European allies, including the United Kingdom.
The Trust has asked event organisers around the country, as well as teachers in schools, not to refer to what has been happening in Gaza since the 7th of October 2023. That includes the Hamas atrocities in Southern Israel which left nearly 1,000 Israeli civilians brutally murdered and 250 men, women and children kidnapped into Gaza.
I know some will want to frame the Hamas attack as anti-colonial resistance. Just as some will say that Israel was simply acting in self-defence when it launched its attacks on Gaza.
But if you are serious about the value of international law and a rules-based global order, then neither ‘anti-colonial resistance’ nor ‘self-defence’ can be used to justify mass atrocities.
At least 47,000 people, mostly civilians, including 18,000 children, have been killed by Israel using American-made and paid-for weapons. Independent health and humanitarian experts put the number of dead much higher than Hamas itself has done.
100s of thousands of Palestinians have been injured. Many of those injuries will be life-changing.
Homes, schools, universities, mosques and churches have been destroyed. Civil infrastructure, including access to water and healthcare, has been deliberately demolished. Agricultural land has been ruined. An already weak economy has been wrecked.
There has been mass hunger and the risk of mass starvation caused by Israeli political decisions.
Millions have been displaced. And in this fragile ceasefire, they find they have no home to return to, only rubble and the buried remains of children, mothers, fathers, and grandparents.
But the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust fears that talking about Gaza will politicise commemorations and detract from Holocaust remembrance.
We are gathered here today because we profoundly disagree with that thinking.
When the International Court of Justice has recognised that accusations of genocide against Israel are legitimate and must be investigated…
…when the judges at the International Criminal Court have issued warrants for the arrest of the Prime Minister of Israel…and Hamas leaders…
…when scholars of the Holocaust and genocide, including Jewish Israeli academics, have called Gaza a genocide…
…when Genocide Watch, a global organisation recognised as experts in genocide, has called Gaza a genocide…
…then refusing even to acknowledge that a potential genocide has happened, undermines the work and the moral authority of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
The Trust’s refusal to mark what has happened in Gaza is itself a deeply political act.
To place Gaza off limits when it comes to who we are allowed to grieve in the context of genocidal harm, does not honour those murdered in the Holocaust or subsequent genocides.
Nor does such a decision respect international law or its institutions.
Taking such a stand ignores the testimony of Palestinians in Gaza. It ignores the Palestinian journalists who have risked or lost their lives. It ignores the live-streamed images of indiscriminate, mass destruction we have watched on our phones for months on end.
We should not make decisions about genocides based on where our funding comes from. Or which national allies will be implicated or shamed. Nor should we create hierarchies of suffering in which the collective trauma of one group is used to suppress the suffering of another. That’s not how you address antisemitism or build societies that will fight racism and resist the politics that can lead to genocide.
That’s why we feel the need to hold this event today. Because we must say:
NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE.
We will spend our time here sharing readings and standing in silent vigil to mark the genocides of the past and the ones which have been taking place today.
We will recall the Nazi Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Sudan and Gaza. And we must also remember the genocidal acts which have been committed in recent years in China against the Uyghur Muslims, in Myanmar against the Rohingya Muslims, in Syria and Iraq against the Yazidi people, and the war crimes against civilians in Yemen and Eritrea.
Because there can be no hierarchies of remembrance and no exceptions to acknowledging genocides.
Today we grieve for all who have lost their lives through tribalism, nationalism and racism. And we commit ourselves to ending genocide wherever it takes place and whoever is the perpetrator.
NEVER AGAIN MUST MEAN NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE, ANYWHERE.
Thank you for being here.
On behalf of the organisers of today’s event, we thank you all for coming and for the respect you have shown for all those lives lost to the horrors of genocide.
We see with heavy hearts how Christians, Muslims, Jews, and people of other faiths and no faith, have been the victims of genocide and, tragically, also the perpetrators of genocide. No people or nation should consider themselves incapable of committing such atrocities.
We also recognise, that ‘starting the clock’ of genocide remembrance with the defeat of Hitler has obscured the atrocities committed by Western European nations through imperialism and colonialism in the earlier 20th century and in the centuries before. Failing to reckon with this past does not help us to build resilience against the politics of dehumanisation today or in the future.
Right now, we must keep our eyes, and our hearts focused on Gaza and on Sudan where genocide has been and still is taking place.
The world’s attention may move on. The political attempts at denial and normalisation (especially regarding Gaza) will no doubt continue. And those who dare to say the word ‘genocide’ about Gaza will go on being ostracised and vilified.
Our task is to keep saying:
NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE, ANYWHERE.
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