Majority of food bank usage is from people on benefits

The demand on food banks across the UK is coming coming from households on benefits. Studies should that over 80% of the individuals that us the centres receive some form of government assistance, but the beneficiaries claim they are are not receiving enough money from the safety net and are turning to the foodbanks to fill the gap.

People are turning to the charity organisations that run this centres for food and groceries as they state the benefits they are receiving from the government are not enough to pay for their food and basic needs on their own. The concern of the Church of England and other not-for-profits and Mps is that the problem is getting worse and note better.

While 80 per cent of the usage is from low income households on some form of entitlement, the balance of the Trussell Trust food bank usage, or about 20%, is from people who had their benefits stopped or cut either because of fraud or maybe they broke the rules. So while this is a problem, it is not the biggest issue.

Non-profits and charities across the UK are concerned with the 80% number, as these are people who may have irregular jobs or are seeking a new one but just can’t afford to feed their families. With the continued focus on reducing benefits, flat wages, and transitioning people to the Universal Credit, the figure and usage of food banks will just continue to increase.

The study from the the Church of England, Oxfam, and also the Trussell Trust, shows that people are just trying to fill the gap in their household budget, as they do not have enough money for their rent, food, and other bills. The charities are doing the best to meet the needs of people facing poverty or that are on a low income, but it is a challenge as for every person assisted, someone else may have their benefit cheque cut.

Stagnant wages and lack of regular jobs leads to food bank usage

Many of the people that use a food bank, or even a soup kitchen, are faced with complex challenges and that is why they are on benefits. It can be due to stagnant wages, lack of a livable wage, or maybe they do not have the proper skills for the job market. A great majority of the 80% do not have regular jobs and therefore their income is not very high. They are using the centres to help fill gaps in the government’s social security safety net

The lack of regular employment may be the biggest factor of why people are turning to these food banks. The study showed that only around ten to twenty per cent of the people with a voucher for a food bank had regular employment, and the problem is nationwide as the survey took place in East London, Durham, and other towns and counties.

With the Department of Work and Pensions continuing to push for cut backs to benefits, without providing the other support such as free advice on budgeting or job training, this will cause this problem to grow. The employment market is changing, and people need new skills to gain a regular job and to maximise their income, and charities such as the Trussell Trust fear this will not occur.