A new report from anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRT) has found that half a million people in Scotland are currently living in “very deep poverty”. Women and ethnic minorities are particularly at risk, while housing costs are identified as a problem for working families. More than 300,000 people are classified as living in such poverty since JRT’s last report, published in March. Statistics indicate that 60% of children in poverty have at least one working parent.
The JRT State of the Nation report examines “relative poverty”, “very deep poverty” and “in-work poverty” across Scotland. While over a million people are living in relative poverty, defined as a household income after housing costs lower than 60% of the national average (median), the 490,000 people in very deep poverty account for about one in 10 people in Scotland.
This level of poverty is classified as having a household income below 40% of the median household income after housing costs. If a couple with two school age children has a weekly household income of less than £427 ($583), or an individual has a weekly income of less than £153, they are categorised as living in very deep poverty.
The report highlights the increasing incidence of in-work poverty, where a household contains employed individuals who still live in relative poverty. Almost three-quarters of such households contained people working in retail, hospitality, health and social work, administrative and support services and manufacturing.
Housing costs are identified as the primary factor pulling working families into poverty. Around 110,000 people are considered to have been forced into poverty as a result of housing costs. Poverty has a disproportionate effect on certain groups, such as people from ethnic minorities and women, particularly those that are single, are disabled, are carers or are single parents. These groups, along with children, have been identified as being most at risk of poverty
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