Poverty, housing and welfare reform: Kathleen Kelly, Programme Manager, Joseph Rowntree Foundation Current and future JRF research

What is poverty?  When resources are not enough to meet your needs … income easiest to measure but not whole story  In income terms for (2011/12) 60% median income: o £128 pw for a single person with no children o £357 pw for couple with two children  Around 5 th UK population experience poverty in a given year  A tenth experience persistent poverty i.e. income below poverty line for 3 out of 4 years

Poverty, work and welfare reform  6.1 million people in poverty are in working households.  1 in 3 low paid workers are aged  Across UK around 20% of employees (5 million) earn less than the living wage  A ‘low pay, no pay cycle’ for many

Links between housing and poverty  Housing cost induced poverty has been growing for two decades  An extra 3.1 million people in the UK are in poverty after their housing costs have been paid.  Renters three times more likely to living in poverty  Housing efforts to reduce poverty = limiting rent costs maintaining good conditions

Ongoing relevant work: Housing and work incentives Landlords business plans and strategies International comparison of benefits systems for under 25s Trade-offs at the bottom of the market Housing and poverty programme Monitoring poverty and social exclusion Take up of benefits Welfare to work Universal credit Anti-Poverty Strategies for the UK Homelessness monitor Nature and extent of destitution Homelessness and Destitution

Impact on tenants … and implications

Impact on landlords … and implications

A word about the bedroom limit … potential reforms Poverty, housing and welfare reform

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