Ewan Aitken says that poverty is a poison which degrades every aspect of a person and a community
A recent report written by Professor Sir Michael Marmot shows how inequality has grown between the poorest parts of England, the impact being that life expectancy of those in the poorest areas has at best stalled and in some cases fallen.
We’ve known similar disparities in Scotland, with some of the most deprived parts of Glasgow having a life expectancy around 20 years less than the richest areas in the same city.
The very fabric of our communities is being ripped apart by austerity which, despite the warm words of some politicians, is alive and kicking.
Austerity is an ideological policy which is literally killing people. It’s eight years since I stood down as a councillor and 13 years since I was leader of the City of Edinburgh Council. Yet the budget I oversaw being set in 2007 was roughly the same size in cash terms as the one set last month. It need not be so but it is. It the consequence of austerity, and the consequences are becoming life and death for some of the most excluded of our fellow citizens.
Austerity is an ideological policy which is literally killing people
Ewan Aitken
Poverty is a strong background factor in routes into homelessness. It is, of course, not just because people can’t afford a home, but the wider impact – on physical and mental health, relationships, educational and employment prospects. As many have said over the years, poverty grinds the soul.
Poverty is a context when decisions which support human flourishing are often simply impossible to make. Poverty leads to desperate decisions or choices made under huge stress where relationships, which in other circumstances would be the source of support, come to feel like part of the problem.
Last month we launched our five year plan; laying out our priorities in our contribution to tackling homelessness, understanding that the current economic climate will inevitably create more people who need services like ours, and those of our sector.
We believe that building services based on our values and trusted relationships is the best place to start. We are committed to changing the way services operate so they centre on relationships and each person’s own ambitions and aspirations, and ensure that those suffering the consequences of widespread poverty are central to finding the solutions. Through this we’ll be able to build meaningful communities, supporting people before they reach crisis point bringing us closer to a society where everyone is valued.
I know that those we support will know this, but we need to begin with poverty. Homelessness is a systemic problem, with many solutions that involve all of us, from grassroots projects, to national policy decision makers. As a compassionate society we have a duty to prevent homelessness by changing the systems people live in and ensure that people have secure housing, a reliable income, and support when it’s needed.
If we want to end homelessness, we need to begin with ending poverty.
Ewan Aitken is chief executive of Cyrenians.
