Homelessness and poverty has devastated the UK
The most disadvantaged people in the United Kingdom are no better-off than they were 15 years ago, according to a new report, which finds a “yawning gap between those who can get by and those stuck at the bottom.”
The grim conclusion about inequality in one of the world’s richest economies comes from the Centre for Social Justice, an independent think tank whose earlier work led to reform of Britain’s welfare system and the introduction of Universal Credit, a monthly government payment for people on low incomes.
in modern Britain and argues that a lack of money is only one of several drivers of disadvantage. Family breakdown, addiction, joblessness, serious personal debt, and educational failure are cited as other key causes.

The study draws from a survey of 6,000 people, more than half of them from the poorest communities. The researchers also canvassed more than 350 small charities, social enterprises and experts, traveling to more than 20 towns and cities in the UK.
“For too many, Britain is broken and the gap between the haves and have-nots is in danger of becoming a chasm,” says the foreword to the report, signed by Mervyn King, a former Bank of England governor, among others.
It finds that average weekly wages in Britain have stagnated since the 2008 financial crisis, when adjusted for inflation. Wages at the bottom end remain low: as of September, 38% of people claiming Universal Credit are also in work, meaning that their earnings aren’t enough to get by.
Work is often insecure for these individuals and of poor quality, said Worringer. “The instability of the work available when compared to the stability of benefits makes the jump into work just not worth it for some.”
Pandemic lockdowns ‘catastrophic’
The report also finds that pandemic lockdowns exacerbated the key drivers of poverty and had a “catastrophic effect on the nation’s social fabric.”
During lockdowns, calls to domestic abuse helplines surged 700%; mental health problems in young people spread from one in nine to one in six; severe school absence jumped 134%; and 1.2 million more people received welfare payments.

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