Poverty charities in Staffordshire brace for a surge in demand
It's after the Chancellor's recent announcements around cuts to welfare and benefits
There's a warning that welfare cuts in the Chancellor's spring statement could lead to towns being filled with poverty across our area.
An estimated 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, will be left in relative poverty after housing costs by the end of the decade as a result of the Government's squeeze on welfare, according to its own impact assessment.
The changes will affect about three million families on incapacity benefits, while 800,000 claimants will have reduced personal independence payments (Pip).
"That'd be a very sad figure. "said John Webbe, Chief Executive of Emmaus North Staffs.
"We support hundreds of families every year.
"In 2024 we supported over 400 children with bed bundles, for children who haven't got their own bed to sleep in. To think there's going to be even more on top of the thousands already in North Staffordshire, whose families can't even afford beds for them, is pretty heart-breaking.
"The demand over the last couple of years has been going up and up, it's almost impossible for us to meet even now."
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