Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)

📓 JRF's annual report on the state of #UKPoverty launched this morning, revealing some stark truths. 👇      📊 The latest analysis from our researchers shows a worsening picture of poverty in this country, with families in poverty now on average needing thousands to get out of poverty.   The average person in poverty has an income 29% below the poverty line, equating to a gap of £6,200 for a couple with two children under 14.   📈 With 14.4 million living in poverty in 2021/22, our politicians must take action on this vital issue.    🗳️ A general election is on the horizon, and we are demanding practical solutions from political parties to address this.    Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ebJWWJ_R

This summer, in the early days of a new government and amid serious concern about the rise of far-right populism, we set out to help reflect the hope and solidarity we know exists in communities all over the UK. 🤝 Following a huge response to a call out for ideas, we commissioned a diverse series of creative, hopeful events all over Britain – from community festivals to exhibitions of radical hope, celebrations of disabled joy to rituals for the autumn equinox. We learned a lot about what it takes to build hope. 🛠️ Together, we really can build better futures. We’d love to hear your examples of the hope you’re seeing in your communities too. Learn more about the projects and what we discovered 👇

This week has brought more woeful news to families on low incomes who are already struggling to keep pace with rising costs in the run up to Christmas. It has laid bare the challenges facing the UK economy and the Chancellor. Low-income families have been confronted with a series of poor economic indicators this week 🔽 - rising inflation - steeply rising rents - more expensive water bills on the horizon. People who can't put food on the table can't wait for growth. ❌ We need to see progress on tackling soaring private rents, which rose by 9.1%, or £110 per month across the country in the last year according to this week's figures. This must go hand in hand with fighting the rising costs of essentials and ensuring that people on Universal Credit can pay their bills. No single action will bring this country's living standards to where they should be or bring economic security, but without action the Prime Minister and Chancellor have no chance of meeting their milestones. The families struggling to get through Christmas need to see a new approach in 2025 📢

Are you an organisation that can help us plan, programme and deliver a two day free public event in our home city of York? The event will take place in summer 2025 in Homestead Park. 🌱 Our vision for the event is - a celebration of the park’s roots and its role in bringing people together - a moment to share our ambition for the park as a space for community and sustainability - a catalyst for local partnerships, showcasing York’s talent and creativity - a radically inclusive experience where everyone feels welcome. 🔎 Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ePqrTDgc

How we talk about homes matters. The second in our free webinar series - a partnership between Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), Nationwide Foundation and FrameWorks UK - will focus on building support for more social homes. Join us between 1pm and 2pm on Wednesday 15 January. Register: bit.ly/3VzDi4r

"Christmas is coming and that worries me" 🗣️ As the holidays approach, many families are having to make difficult decisions. For those worrying about affording essential items, the added stress of telling their families they won't see them over the period can be too much. In October, our Cost of Living tracker found that 7 million low income households were going without essentials in the last 6 months. 5.4 million experienced food insecurity in the previous 30 days. 🔎 Find our COL tracker: https://lnkd.in/eZw7ius9

Two new job roles in our Northern Ireland office 🚨 Are you passionate about delivering change? Do you have experience of working on antipoverty issues? Are you a team player who can work with colleagues across the sector in NI? Sounds like you? Apply for one of the jobs below 🔽 Role 1 📢 Senior Policy Adviser Salary - £54,163.20 Location - Belfast/Hybrid Do you have experience of working on antipoverty issues? Do you know the VCSE sector in NI well and collaborate instinctively? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eEKpgiUd 2/3 Role 2 📢 Senior Analyst Salary - £45,390.80 Location - Belfast/Hybrid Have strong analytical skills and want to turn them to solving poverty in NI? Team player who can work with colleagues across the sector? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eYzmen_9 3/3

We're recruiting for two new roles to lead our policy projects in housing and in work 📣 You will: - devise arguments and ideas - shape the scope of work and lead significant projects - influence policy change Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eHYnB2qi We’re running a webinar to share more information on these roles and to answer any questions on 18 December at 12pm. 💻 Link for the webinar is in the comments.

It's been yet another crazy year, leaving lots of us reeling for so many reasons.... so it's felt like a real privilege to steward some work for Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) on building belief in better futures... I feel VERY passionate about this in a time where so many of the messages we hear are that everything's F'd (and we know fatalism a blocker of civic engagement)... If we don't believe better futures are possible, how can we build them? In only ~7 months we helped bring hopeful happenings to over 20 communities up and down the country, helped support the brilliant team at Rubber Republic to launch Antidote (link in comments) and held a powerful enquiry around what it would really take longer term to counter fatalism with cultural + narrative strategies. It was a lottt of work and I need a big rest now, but I am taking many seeds of hope and possibility and gently germinating thoughts into a phase of winter hibernation and am curious to see what sprouts from them in the new year. One of the my favourite things about this has been putting together this beautiful zine celebrating all the place-based happenings and sharing what we discovered about building hope – I'd love you all to have a look 👇 and hope it might leave you with a wee bit more inspiration and confidence in all the hope and possibility out there in our communities. Huge appreciation to Heather Knight for GLORIOUS design work and Ruth Taylor for being an amazing partner in gleaning insights from all these gorgeous projects – and the biggest shout out to all the amazing practitioners who brought them all to life – many on a shoestring and extremely quickly! I will tag as many as I can in comments. And gratitude too to Paddy Loughman, Suzanne Dhaliwal, Ella Saltmarshe and Anna Spencer for wise wise counsel and Cassie Robinson and Sophia Parker for the trust. Signing off for 2024 now and hoping 2025 brings many more seeds of hope... we are going to need them 💪

It’s been yet another tumultuous year, one in which many people would understandably be left with feelings of resignation and powerlessness. 🤝 Yet there are also many examples of real hope and possibility: people and communities up and down the country rolling up their sleeves to build better futures, stand up to injustice and take care of each other and nature. This summer, in the early days of a new UK government and amid serious concern about the rise of far-right populism, we set out to help reflect the hope and solidarity we know exists in communities all over the UK. 🌱 We introduced Seeds of Hope: a series of hopeful events up and down the country, with community growing and nature connection at their heart. Find out 10 things we learned about growing hope this year from Iris Andrews 🔽