On 9th March we release our detailed study and review of poverty in Northampton, based on extensive fieldwork and interviews, hearing directly from people who have lived experience of what poverty means and feels like.
Its a searing study of marginalisation and destitution. The study was conducted semi-independently of Hope, led by Bishop Andrew Proud with research conducted by Emma Matthews, with much support from local community groups and their leaders.
There is significant poverty for a wide number of people on benefits or low wage jobs, with expensive housing, food and transport costs. But the report highlights what it calls ‘super poverty’: the lives of people completely excluded from benefits due to their status (notably those with No recourse To Public Funds or NRPF). There are people who struggle by on low incomes, but there are also those who literally have no income at all. They have no voice, and no one within the mainstream political or leadership structures apparently listens or cares about their needs.
We welcome the current production of a new report on poverty by the local council, WNC. We believe that this report identifies clear actions for the report to carry through and by which these problems can be alleviated. Hope of course is part of that alleviation, but we need the support and funding from others to really make a difference.