3.8m in UK experienced destitution in 2022: report

Around 3.8 million people in the United Kingdom (UK), including one million kids, experienced destitution last year, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

The foundation, one of the best known charities in the UK, said in a report that the number is almost two-and-a-half times the number of destitute people in 2017, and nearly triple the number of children.

"There is an urgent need for action to tackle destitution in the UK," the report concluded.

The report said, "There has been a shameful increase in the level of destitution in the UK, with a growing number of people struggling to afford to meet their most basic physical needs to stay warm, dry, clean and fed."

"This has deep and profound impacts on health, mental health and people's prospects; it also puts strain on already overstretched services," it added.

The report noted that nearly three-quarters of people experiencing destitution are in receipt of social security payments, further evidence of benefit inadequacy.

Ad-hoc support from the British government, first during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now to help with the cost of living, has not halted the rising level of destitution, it said.

It recommends wider reforms to UK's social security system, and ensuring emergency financial assistance is available to address crushing debt, benefits and housing issues that keep people destitute.