Food poverty in Wales: exposing the impact of the cost of living crisis on social housing tenants
For many people on lower incomes, including those living in housing association homes, shopping for essentials has led to worry and concern as the cost of food has continued to rise.
Overall food prices jumped by around 27% between November 2021 and November 2023, leading to many people being forced to cut back on their shopping, or skip meals entirely, as they tighten their budgets. Research from Bevan Foundation also showed that people who receive Universal Credit are five times as likely to sometimes, often, or always struggle to afford the basics.
These findings have been echoed in our own research and by other organisations throughout the past year too. Here, we have delved into the essential food research data which shows the impact of the cost of living crisis on social housing tenants in Wales.
Ends Won’t Meet
Through our Ends Won’t Meet research, which surveyed housing associations across Wales to find out how the cost of living crisis had impacted their tenants and services, we found that:
38% of not-for-profit housing associations said that tenants had approached them for urgent financial support to afford food between January and June 2023 alone. In fact, food was one of the top reasons why tenants approached their landlord for cost of living help during that time.
63% of housing associations in Wales are using their hardship funds to support tenants with food costs.
1,836 tenants were referred to food banks by their housing association between January and June 2023.
67% of Welsh housing associations have seen an increase in food bank referrals.
65% of housing associations also deliver and support other food security initiatives including community fridges, supermarket vouchers, budget cooking courses, collecting and distributing unused food from supermarkets, and local food partnerships
Read more on our Ends Won’t Meet report and find out about our calls to UK and Welsh Government to help people struggling with the cost of living crisis here.
The Trussell Trust
The Trussell Trust has also carried out research into the impact of the cost of living crisis on people in Wales, focusing on food parcel distribution in particular. It has found that:
Between April and September 2023, food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Wales distributed 88,518 food parcels. This is the highest number on record - 15% higher than for the equivalent period in 2022 and 77% higher than for the equivalent period in 2018.
Food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Wales provided 32,149 parcels for children in this period. This was the first time that these banks provided that level of parcels for children in a six month timeframe.
Four in ten (41%) of the families supported by food banks included children.
37,700 emergency food parcels were provided for families with three or more children in the first six months of 2023.
Ahead of the Autumn Statement, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) published a new summary of its ongoing research into how the cost of living crisis is impacting low-income households. Its tracker sets out the stark realities that low-income households are now living through. Data published by JRF in November 2023 showed:
One in six families across the UK have had to turn off their fridge or freezer because of rising energy costs.
7.3 million families in the UK went without essentials such as food, heat and adequate clothing.
Bevan Foundation
As part of its work to end poverty in Wales, Bevan Foundation published a snapshot which looked specifically at the extent of hardship caused by the cost of living crisis during winter at the start of 2023. Its key findings included:
In Wales, 14% of homes either sometimes, often or always did not have enough for all the basics.
One in four households were eating smaller meals or skipping meals completely.
One in 20 people in Wales said they had visited a foodbank.
21% of people living with a child said they had had to reduce their child’s meal size, or their child had skipped a meal completely.
44% of people on Universal Credit and 36% of people on legacy benefits cut down on the size of meals, or skipped meals for themselves.
Public Health Wales
Public Health Wales has looked into the immediate and longer term impact that the cost of living crisis is having on the health and wellbeing of children.
Published in September 2023, notable findings from this research include:
Nearly half (45%) of all seven to 11 year old children in Wales, and a quarter (26%) aged 12 to 18, are worried about having enough food to eat.
Children growing up with food insecurity are more likely to be obese.
Children living in the worst off areas in Wales are 76% more likely to be obese compared to children living in the best off areas (14% compared to 8%).
Furthermore, Public Health Wales’s national survey into the rising cost of living and its impact on health and wellbeing found that:
76% of people said their food buying habits had changed, most often switching to cheaper brands (57%).
20% of people surveyed were eating less food.
And 5% of people were using food banks.
Senedd Research
Looking broadly at other research, Senedd Research has shared the Equality and Social Justice Committee’s Unsustainable: debt fuelled by the rising cost of living report, which makes recommendations into how Welsh Government can chart a sustainable path out of the cost of living crisis and tackle the causes of poverty. Its key findings included:
Food price inflation was at a 45-year high in March 2023, with prices rising by 19.2% compared with a year before.
Between 2021-22 and 2022-23, Wales saw a 41% increase in the number of food parcels distributed, compared to 37% in England, 30% in Scotland and 29% in Northern Ireland.
Our call to Welsh Government
With so many people now struggling to afford essential food items, we are urging Welsh and UK governments to do more to support those who are in urgent need of financial help.
Below are our specific asks to UK and Welsh governments to ensure people can get support to access affordable essentials, including food. Read all our calls in our full Ends Won’t Meet research report.
We are calling on Welsh Government to:
Protect existing emergency funds and ensure that routes to support are accessible and targeted to those who most need it.
Continue to fund vital initiatives that target fuel and food poverty, and that support higher rates of benefit take up.
And we are calling on UK Government to:Support the Essentials Guarantee to ensure that the minimum level of support guarantees that people can pay for essentials, and implement calls made by Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trussell Trust.
Find out more about our Ends Won’t Meet report and read our full findings on how the cost of living crisis is impacting housing association tenants in Wales here.