furniture poverty

People affected by furniture poverty often get caught in a cycle; they're up against a wide range of barriers to securing stable income. Compared to rent, utilities, and food, furniture just isn't a priority. But the cost of going without it is great, too: it can lead to insecurity, social exclusion and isolation. Furniture poverty is more than a state of financial hardship – there's an emotional and physical toll that comes along with it.

2018 April 11, Brian Scudamore, “Donating used furniture can turn your 'junk' into a better future for someone in need”, in The Globe and Mail, Toronto, O.N.: The Woodbridge Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 01 Feb 2023

There are no official figures for the number of people living in furniture poverty, but research done before the pandemic by the charity Turn2us suggested 4.8 million were without at least one essential household appliance such as a cooker or a fridge, and the problem is getting worse.

2022 February 20, Hilary Osborne, “Furniture poverty: the price of moving in to an empty house”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 Mar 2022