Our plans for Challenge Poverty Week

Head of Policy Steffan Evans outlines what the Bevan Foundation will be up to during Challenge Poverty Week

As we near the end of September, there’s only a little over two weeks until Challenge Poverty Week. Challenge Poverty Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness of poverty and provides an opportunity for people and organisations to come together to call for action to end it.

Challenge Poverty Week will take place in the week of October 14^th this year in Wales. So what are the Bevan Foundation’s plans to mark it and how can you get involved?

Join our calls for Free School Meals

During Challenge Poverty Week the Bevan Foundation will be calling for Fair Free School Meals in Wales. In primary schools in Wales, the universal roll-out of free school meals means that no child goes hungry at lunchtime. This helps tackle child poverty and gives every child the fuel they need to learn.

In secondary schools, some children, whose parents have a no recourse to public funds (NRPF) restriction on their visa, are denied entitlement to free school meals, no matter how little money their families have to live on. It doesn’t matter what the child’s needs are, where they were born, or what their citizenship is. Free School Meals are not classed as a public fund for immigration purposes, and children in this situation are entitled to free school meals in England. In Wales, they have to rely on their local authority to decide whether or not they can eat. Keep an eye out on our website and social media pages to learn more about how you can join our calls for Fair Free School Meals in Wales

Join our free webinar

On Tuesday, October 15^th the Bevan Foundation will host a free webinar to share the findings of our latest work.

Money management apps are a new type of product that have been enabled by Open Banking. The apps offer a range of services that promise to make it easier for people to manage their money, build up their savings and to pay down debt. These apps have offered a potential lifeline for some, but with very little research undertaken into the sector not much is known about their potential harms and benefits for people on low incomes.

Join us to learn about these apps and to hear more about the potential benefits and harms for people on low incomes.

Share your thoughts

On Thursday, October 17^th we’ll be hosting an online roundtable on housing supply. The aim of the discussion will be to explore the barriers that are preventing the development of social and community housing, and to consider what are the solutions that could unlock current blockages.

Interested in learning more about why this work matters? Take a look at our recent report on temporary accommodation in Wales.

Spread the word about poverty

To mark Challenge Poverty Week the Bevan Foundation will be speaking at various events to raise awareness about poverty and to explore what actions we can take to end it. During the week we’ll be joining Cynon Taf Community Housing Group, Cardiff University’s Medical School, and a cost of living event organised by Heledd Fychan MS.

If you want to work to end poverty in your community, then why not contact us to see how we can work together?