The Joseph Rowntree Foundation on the challenges of deficit, demography and degraded public discourse.

1. Meeting the demands of poverty means
meeting the challenges of deficit,
demography and degraded public
discourse
Julia Unwin, Chief Executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and
Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust

2. What we do
search
influence
demonstrate

3. POVERTY Our work programmes and aims
Our aim:
To identify the root
AN AGEING
causes of poverty Our aim:
SOCIETY
and injustice To respond
positively to the
opportunities and
challenges of an
ageing society
PLACE
Our aim:
To support resilient
communities where
people thrive

4. Poverty across the UK
Trends and forecasts deeply troubling

5. Deficit
Reducing the deficit = spending cuts

6. Deficit
Child and working age poverty to 2020
© Sam Atkins

7. Deficit
Future of the UK Labour Market

8. Deficit
Minimum Income Standards

9. What do we do about this?
• Make sure benefits don’t fall behind
• Target existing resources on households
• Look at combined impact of benefits, taxes and
costs

10. Demography
An Ageing Society

11. Demography
• Increase in single person households
• Differences between working-age and pensioner
budgets
• Dementia
• Loneliness
• Regulation

12. Discourse
Public and media attitudes towards poverty

13. Conclusions
• Anti Poverty Strategies
• Focus on people and places in poverty
• Honesty about impact

14. www.jrf.org.uk
@jrf_uk
@juliaunwin
JosephRowntreeFoundation