Despite some positive policies put forward in party manifestos, the overwhelming issue of poverty and hardship that people are facing has been met largely with silence during this general election campaign.
As a food bank manager, I am seeing people with incomes that are so low that they can’t afford even the essentials like food, heating, and toiletries.
In 2018/19 we distributed 3,467 emergency food parcels, and this rose to 8,843 over the last year – that’s a 155% increase in the past five years, with no sign things are ever going to improve.
The cost of living is the issue that the public say is their biggest concern.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a real apathy from all political candidates concerning the levels of poverty in Northern Ireland. This is not a temporary issue we’re facing, food bank need in NI has increased by an enormous 143% in the last five years, more than any other nation in the UK.
There are solutions that, if implemented, would have a huge impact on poverty and hunger in Northern Ireland and take us closer to a future without the need for food banks.
These include reforming social security with the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee so Universal Credit goes further to cover the cost of essentials.
This would mean people would have the dignity of being able to purchase their own food and they would no longer be burdened with the relentless stress of an unexpected bill plunging them deeper into debt.
This would support the actions we hope to see from the NI Executive to ensure people on the lowest incomes are able to get by including improving job security, improving support for disabled people and carers, overhauling employment support and implementing a long-term strategy and funding for local crisis support.
There is so much MPs and MLAs can do to create positive change and lift people out of hardship.
No-one wants to visit a food bank, but for many people it is their only option.
Our team at Foyle Foodbank not only provide emergency food, we provide advice to help people access the financial support they’re eligible for.
We provide so much all in one place and ensure people know they’ve got somewhere they can turn to and trust.
However, charitable food aid is not the answer in the long term – we need the UK government to work alongside the Executive to end the need for food banks.
We need our next UK government, and all MPs, to take urgent action to turn back this tide.
We also need the Executive and MLAs to commit to building more social homes to tackle unaffordable rents that are leaving people unable to afford homes and providing more support for disabled people and improving access to disability benefits.
If these changes aren’t prioritised, poverty and hardship will continue to impact too many people’s lives.
It may seem now as though food banks are the new normal, but there is nothing normal about people not being able to afford something as essential as food.
We know what needs to change but we need the decision-makers to take action. And only when that happens will I be able to close the door of our food bank for good.
Our next UK government needs to give us hope.
