Issues we work on: Poverty in the UK

More than 13.5 million people in Britain live in poverty. That's more than one in five without enough to live on, discriminated against, and with more barriers to achieving their potential than anyone else.

Many people can't afford essential clothing, or to heat their homes. Children go to school hungry, or to bed without enough food. It's no coincidence that people in poor communities are in poorer health, and have a shorter life expectancy.

What we're doing

Oxfam believes it's unacceptable that millions of people in the UK don't have enough to live on. Our work with partners on tackling poverty in the UK aims to:

Work with people in poverty to improve their lives

Using learning from Oxfam's international programme, we work with communities in the UK to enable them to identify and solve the issues they're facing. We:

Explore the whole experience of poverty, not just the level of income. We look at other factors - health or caring responsibilities, or the environment, for example - and treat low income as a symptom of poverty, not a cause.
Look at men and women differently, highlighting their different experiences of poverty, so that policy can be tailored accordingly.
Consider what people already have, rather than focus on what people don't have, and ask how assets such as skills, education, family support, community links and access to services can be best used to overcome poverty.

We do this work with partners such as the Fairbridge in Wales, part of The Prince's Trust, who enable young people to understand their environment and find out how they can use the skills and relationships they already have to overcome poverty and long term youth unemployment.

Addressing discrimination against women is also vital if we are to end UK poverty. So we work with women to help boost their skills and confidence to influence local, national, and international decision makers. With projects such as Routes to Solidarity, we support grassroots organisations to ensure that women - especially those from ethnic minority communities - know what their rights are and can stand up for them.

Work with policy makers to tackle the causes of poverty

Having effective social policies in place is essential if we are to end poverty in the UK. That's why we work with politicians to raise their awareness of poverty and its causes, and why we lobby to bring about change.

We campaign for the benefits system to be more flexible and better adapted to the way people actually live their lives, and for benefit levels to be raised so that people don't have to struggle to make ends meet.

But it's not just people without jobs who live in poverty in the UK. There are millions of people in paid work - many of them women - struggling to get by on low incomes. Care workers, classroom assistants, cleaners - people who make a huge contribution to society and deserve dignity and respect, but end up juggling two or three jobs just to make ends meet. That's why we lobby the government and campaign for greater protection of workers' rights.

We are also calling on the government to significantly increase the National Minimum Wage, and we're part of the Fair Pay Network, campaigning for business and local authorities to pay their employees a fair wage.

You may also be interested in:

UK Poverty Programme

Oxfam's work in the UK

UK Poverty blog

Read the UK Poverty Post blog for debate and analysis.

Support our Glasgow project

300 women, and 2,000 local people, will benefit from this project in Glasgow.

Other issues we work on

Food

We're working towards a world where everyone has enough to eat and the opportunity to earn a decent living.
Climate change

Oxfam is working to reduce the impact of global warming – now and in the future.
Health and education

Affordable health care and a quality education are the foundations for a brighter future for poor people.
Water

It's easy to forget what a miracle water is. With a water supply on tap, food can grow, and people can thrive.
Women's rights

Empowering women is vital to ending poverty. So we put women's rights at the heart of our work.
Money for aid and development

Good aid saves lives and helps poor people work their own way out of poverty.
Holding the powerful to account

We help people fight discrimination and demand their rights.
Conflicts and disasters

When conflicts or natural disasters – such as the drought in East Africa in July 2011 – strike, we get there fast.
Businesses and poverty

Good business is about more than making money. Companies can lift millions of people out of poverty.