JRF: Families with no recourse to public funds are trapped in hardship
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 10th September
A Joseph Rowntree Foundation report has detailed the hardship facing low-income families who have 'no recourse to public funds'.
"Some migrants to the UK will have the condition ‘no recourse to public funds’ or ‘NRPF’ attached to their visa," the report explains, '[meaning] that they are unable to access most mainstream benefits and housing assistance."
While no single official figure is held, JRF estimate that as many as four million people could hold NRPF status. This lack of data means that the impact on the lives of these people and their families is also unclear.
JRF worked with a number of 'sample families' where at least one adult has NRPF status. They found that 8 in 10 of these families went without essentials like heating and suitable clothing, and 6 in 10 cut back or skipped meals.
Housing costs were another factor, with 66% living in private rental accommodation, and 77% of families spending more than 30% of their income on housing - a figure generally considered to be unaffordable.
JRF is calling for expanded eligibility for local crisis support, improving the process for lifting NRPF when people are destitute, and a child poverty strategy for all children.
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