A Closer Look at the Root Causes of Poverty in the UK
At The Okehampton Food Bank, we see the faces behind the statistics every day, families doing their best in a system that often works against them. Here’s what poverty looks like in our community, and why it’s happening.
Low Pay and Unstable Work
“I work two jobs, but it’s still not enough.”
Liam, a single dad, works long hours in retail and does evening shifts delivering takeaways. After rent, bills, and childcare, there’s often nothing left for food.
“Some weeks I skip meals so my daughter can eat.”
A Benefits System That Falls Short
“When my benefits were stopped, I had nothing.”
Sarah was sanctioned after missing a Universal Credit appointment while in hospital. She and her two young children went over a week with no income.
“If the food bank hadn’t helped, we wouldn’t have eaten.”
Housing That’s Hard to Afford
“We’re paying more for less.”
Mark and Leanne, with three children, live in a damp, one-bedroom flat. Most of their income goes to rent, but they can’t afford to move.
“The kids sleep in the living room. It’s not safe, but we don’t have a choice.”
Health and Wellbeing
“I chose between heating and eating.”
Maya, who has long-term health issues, couldn’t afford both her medication and her gas meter. She ended up in hospital with pneumonia last winter. “Nobody should have to choose like that.”
The Impact on Children
“My son cried because he couldn’t bring a snack to school.”
Ella’s child was embarrassed when he didn’t have anything for snack time, unlike his friends. “We’re not bad parents. We’re just struggling—and it’s heartbreaking.” We at the food bank were happy to supply snacks for school as part of her food donation.
What Can Be Done?
These stories are just a few among many. They remind us that poverty is not a personal failure—it’s a result of systems that leave people behind.
We believe everyone deserves dignity, stability, and access to the basics: food, housing, healthcare, and opportunity. Until that’s possible for everyone, food banks like ours will keep standing in the gap.
Help Us Make a Difference
Your support—whether it’s a food donation, a few volunteer hours, or simply spreading the word—can help people like Liam, Sarah, and Ella get through hard times.
Together, we can work toward a future where no one has to rely on a food bank.
The powerful stories shared by food bank users highlight the deep-rooted inequality and systemic issues contributing to poverty in the UK. Issues that stand in stark contrast to the high salaries of housing association CEOs.
While families like Liam’s, Sarah’s, and Ella’s struggle to afford basic necessities like food, heating, and safe housing, many CEOs of housing associations—organisations originally founded to support vulnerable people—earn salaries well into six figures, with some exceeding £400,000. Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has criticised these pay levels, arguing that they suggest a departure from the charitable mission these associations were meant to uphold.
The link between CEO pay and food bank dependency is found in the failure of systems meant to provide safety and support. When housing remains unaffordable or substandard, as in the case of Mark and Leanne’s damp, overcrowded flat, it raises serious questions about where public and charitable money is going and who is truly being served.
At a time when many rely on food banks to survive, it is reasonable to challenge whether such high executive pay is appropriate in organisations tasked with addressing basic human needs such as housing. Bridging this disconnect is essential if we are to create a society where people don’t have to choose between heating and eating, or feel ashamed for sending their children to school without food.