Summary
Over the past decade, an era of austerity-driven welfare cuts has prompted concern that destitution is increasing. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation recognised the urgent need for robust data to understand this marginalised population. They commissioned I-SPHERE (Heriot-Watt University) and Kantar Public to conduct the UK's most extensive study of destitution. This required the development of an innovative and inclusive approach which maximised participation among the hardest-to-reach communities.
This study revealed that even before COVID-19, destitution was rapidly growing in scale and intensity. Since 2017 many more, including families with children, have been pushed to the brink. In 2019 2.4...