Poverty and complex needs

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Bevan Foundation’s review of ‘what works’ to reduce poverty is generating some valuable ideas.  This article shares emerging findings about reducing poverty amongst people with complex needs.

The term ‘complex needs’ refers to the ways in which poverty is complicated by some people’s additional requirements for support with, for example, substance misuse, or the trauma associated with experiences of violence, abuse or neglect. It also includes people whose additional disadvantages are associated with legal status (for example, immigration status restricting employment or welfare rights).

It is very important to understand that poverty amongst these groups of people and their specific needs are two separate things.

Work undertaken to date suggests it is unlikely that poverty amongst people with complex needs will be reduced in the short term. Instead, the focus should be on reducing the additional disadvantages they face so that they are closer to the same position as other income groups, enabling them to access mainstream services and support.

Adults with complex needs

Some key findings have emerged so far:

• Adults often have overlapping complex needs (e.g. homelessness, substance misuse and a history of offending) which should be addressed in a holistic way rather than separately. This suggests that the Welsh Government should bring together these functions, currently located in three different portfolios, under a single Minister and be addressed in a single, ‘complex needs’ strategy.
• Approaches based on people’s assets are more effective than those based on their deficits – so approaches such as Housing First or recovery models of substance misuse are typically most effective. This suggests that the Welsh Government may wish to review and refresh its approaches.
• Community-based support is typically more effective than institutionally-based services. This suggests that the Welsh Government may wish to review its approaches and focus on community-based interventions.
• For a minority of people, intensive, personalised and open-ended support is required.

In the longer term, the close association between persistent family poverty and many complex needs such as substance misuse, living in a disadvantaged area and offending needs to be broken.  The most effective ‘primary’ prevention measure is to reduce poverty itself, especially amongst unemployed young men living in disadvantaged areas.  This suggests that the Welsh Government should target some future anti-poverty actions on young unemployed men.

Refugees and Asylum-seekers

Emerging proposals to reduce poverty amongst refugees and asylum-seekers include non-devolved issues such as changes to the asylum process and benefits eligibility. Areas of relevance to the Welsh Government include:

• Improved access to the labour market, so that refugees and asylum seekers can reduce the risk of poverty by working.
• Improved access to housing, particularly on transition from Home Office accommodation to the private rented sector.
• Access to ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) provision.
• Better access to health care services especially for pregnant women and access to rehabilitation and psychological support.

Work in ongoing on effective approaches for families with complex needs and domestic violence.

For the full report on the emerging findings, please visit our publications page.

To find out more about what we are doing on poverty, check our projects page.

To keep up-to-date with all our work, sign up to our monthly e-newsletter. 

Victoria Winckler is Director of the Bevan Foundation