Poverty, housing and welfare reform:

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

2. 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: • £128 pw for a single person with no children • £357 pw for couple with two children • Around 5th 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

3. Poverty, work and welfare reform • 6.1 million people in poverty are in working households. • 1 in 3 low paid workers are aged 31-50 • Across UK around 20% of employees (5 million) earn less than the living wage • A ‘low pay, no pay cycle’ for many

4. 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

5. Ongoing relevant work:

6. Impact on tenants … and implications

7. Impact on landlords … and implications

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

9. For more information: www.jrf.org.uk @jrf_uk @theJRHT @jrfkathleen JosephRowntreeFoundation Kathleen.kelly@jrf.org.uk