500,000 more children living in poverty!
Childhood poverty is a reality for more than 30% of children nationally with many homes making tough decisions between heating and eating, with 500,000 more children living in poverty than at the start of the decade. End Child Poverty have just released figures for 2019 indicating that in some areas more than 50% of children are living in poverty and this is becoming the norm for many families.
While poverty continues to rise rapidly in more impoverished areas the impact is starting to be seen in areas that are traditionally seen as being more affluent. End Child Poverty published its 2019 figures which revealed that 28.5% of all the youngsters in Suffolk were living in poverty, this is more than 50,000 children!
North Denes primary in Great Yarmouth has this week been branded the ‘Fourth Emergency Service’ having recently set up a food bank. When this proved invaluable to struggling families, the school offered to run a clothes washing service for those of them living in bed and breakfast accommodation. Now the school's librarian has turned hairdresser, cutting the locks of some pupils and de-licing children when required.
Research from around the world continues to show that those children in cold and damp houses are at increased risk of poorer health outcomes and reduced performance at school linked to their fuel poverty.
There are grants available to help home owners to help keep homes warmer and reduce heating bills. Grants for cavity wall and or loft insulation usually cover the full cost of works and can save homes up to £500 a year on heating bills!
Heating grants are available to help replace broken boilers and install new central heating, in some areas these grants will cover 100% of the cost of works. Having a modern heating system will make homes warmer and more comfortable.
For more information about grant funding and how we can help keep homes warmer please call us on 0800 5877795 or email info@arangroup.co.uk . Please share our details even if you have improved your home already as others may benefit from a warmer happier winter in 2019.
Source:
https://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/end-child-poverty-release-2019-data-for-suffolk-homes-1-6055506
https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2019-01-17/more-children-in-poverty-coming-from-working-families/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-48119099
Date : 19-05-2019