Over half a million people in North facing hunger due to lack of income

A major report carried out by Trussell has revealed "concerning signs of hardship deepening and becoming normalised" in communities across the North.

Trussell is a charity that works to end the need for food banks. It supports a network of about 1,700 food bank centres to provide emergency food and compassionate, practical support to people in crisis, while campaigning for long-term change to the structural issues that lock people into poverty.

Titled ‘Hunger in the UK’ the report revealed more than half a million people in North facing hunger due to lack of income - the equivalent to over one in five households and more than the combined populations of Belfast, Derry and Lisburn.

It said: "On average, a household referred to a food bank in the Trussell community in Northern Ireland has just £171 a week to get by after paying their rent or mortgage. It’s not enough. In fact, it’s just 30% of what a typical household across Northern Ireland has left to spend after housing costs".

Foyle Network Foundation, which is part of the Trussell Network, sees the impact of poverty and hunger every day in Derry City.

Karen Mullan, Director of Foyle Network Foundation said: "Last year, our organisation faced our busiest year to date; supporting over 10,000 people by providing them with food and household essentials. Without The Executive taking proactive measures to end poverty, we worry that more people will not be able to afford the essentials.

“The draft anti-poverty strategy must be withdrawn. It fails to honour the work of the Co-Design Group, lacks any credible delivery plan, and offers no assurance to the families and communities it claims to serve.

“We call for the immediate reinstatement of the evidence-based recommendations, backed by a budget and timeline for implementation. Anything less is a betrayal of the promise of systemic reform.”

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"Foyle Network Foundation believes poverty is a political choice, not an individual failing, and that food banks are not inevitable. Poverty is indiscriminate, but it is evident that some groups in NI are most at risk of experiencing it:

• One in three (32%) children are growing up in households facing hunger in Northern Ireland. This is the highest proportion across all four parts of the UK.
• Single parent families are at the highest risk of needing to turn to a food bank for support. They make 4% of households in Northern Ireland, but represent 22% of households referred to food banks in the Trussell community.
• One in seven (15%) disabled people in Northern Ireland had turned to charitable food providers in the last year (five times the proportion of people who are not disabled – 3%)," said Ms Mullen.

 Alicia Mehaffey, a single mother who also works as a care assistant, said: "I have a paid job as a carer, but even though I work, my income is so low it still has to be topped by Universal Credit. And even then, isn’t enough to cover my bills.

“I started using the food bank while I was pregnant with my baby girl. Becoming a parent brings so many added pressures like the cost of baby food, nappies, and toiletries and the food bank was an absolute lifesaver. But they shouldn’t need to exist in the first place.

“After paying for car tax, fuel, and bills, I’m left with nothing. My daughter is my focus, and sometimes I’ve gone without meals so she can eat. The government needs to do more to support children like my daughter - every child deserves the best start in life."

"We need urgent and ambitious anti-poverty measures from both Stormont and Westminster if we are really to turn the tide of hunger and hardship for good."