Ways to take action – January campaigning update
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“We need to be increasingly committed to resolving the structural causes of poverty”
Pope Leo, Dilexi Te, no.94
We’re committed to calling for tangible, lasting change – change that enables people to transform their lives with dignity and live with hope.
These regular updates will keep you informed about campaigns and activities calling for change and let you know about ways you can join us in making a difference.
We hope you’ll feel inspired to actively participate and make a difference in your community.
We’d love to hear from you if you do, so get in touch and let us know what you’ve been up to.
In case you missed it…
Take a look back at the ways we shined a spotlight on the changes needed to help people transform their lives in 2025, and take a look at some of our influencing priorities for 2026.
We spent the year campaigning for change, and we were pleased to be able to highlight the experiences of many people accessing our services across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
We saw some significant successes in policy changes last year which will help improve the lives of many people, but there is still more work to be done. This year, we’ll continue to shout loudly and shine a spotlight on the reforms urgently needed to help people experiencing poverty, homelessness and disadvantage.
Responding to the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy
In December, the Government published their Child Poverty Strategy. Much of our campaigning this year has been focused around the measures we hoped to see in the strategy, and we have discussed it with MPs, councillors and at roundtables with Lords, MPs and other organisations.
We’re delighted that, as announced in the Government’s Budget in November, the two-child benefit limit will be lifted in full from April this year.
This policy change was one of our key campaigning asks, and it is a significant victory for us and the wider the anti-poverty sector.
You can read more about the measures we welcome in the Child Poverty Strategy here.
Overall, while the strategy is likely to prevent child poverty from increasing, these measures alone will not be enough to deliver the significant reductions that are urgently needed.
Therefore, we will continue to campaign for further action, including:
- An end to the benefit cap, which continues to keep many families in poverty
- Unfreezing Local Housing Allowance rates, as current rates make many privately rented homes unaffordable.
Read our response in full by clicking here now.
Responding to the Government’s Homelessness Strategy
Last month, the Government also published their new Homelessness Strategy. With homelessness and rough sleeping continuing to rise, both local and nationally, it is vital that action is taken to address this crisis.
We welcome the Government’s recognition of the scale of the issue and the strategy’s ambition to move towards prevention of homelessness rather than crisis response.
We’re also pleased to see a number of targets set, which help hold the Government to account, including a target to halve long-term rough sleeping by the end of this parliament.
In our report about child poverty, published last year, we called for there to be a duty on local authorities to notify schools when a family is placed in temporary accommodation. We’re pleased that this is going to be introduced, alongside a duty to notify GPs and health visitors. This change will improve the lives of families experiencing homelessness by helping ensure they are given the support they need.
However, the strategy falls short in addressing homelessness among people granted refugee status. We know that leaving the asylum system is a significant driver of homelessness, and although this is recognised in the strategy, there is a lack of investment to adequately address this.
Further, it’s crucial that Local Housing Allowance rates are unfrozen and set in line with local rents, and we’re disappointed not to see this in the strategy.
We’ll continue to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness through our services, and keep shouting loudly for the changes needed so that everyone can have a safe, secure place to call home.
Also in December, we were delighted that local MP Afzal Khan spoke in Parliament about our homelessness services, highlighting the need for long-term, sustainable funding. Support from decision makers is crucial in seeing policy change, and you can read more here.
Calling for a fair and humane asylum system
We’re a member of Together with Refugees, a coalition of more than 600 organisations calling for a fair and compassionate plan for refugees. The coalition has recently published new research which highlights the impact and potential savings of having a fair and humane asylum system, compared to the current approach.
The research demonstrates that the costs to the Government of having a fair system would be offset by the contributions refugees would be able to make to the economy and their communities as a result.
By processing asylum claims in six months, providing legal assistance with the application process and English language and employment support from the day of arrival, there would be numerous benefits to the public purse, including savings on accommodation, as well as increased contributions from refugees who are empowered to fully participate in society.
We believe that a fair and humane asylum system is essential because every person has inherent worth and dignity, regardless of economic contribution. At the same time, Catholic Social Teaching affirms the dignity of work and the importance of everyone being able to participate in society.
A just asylum system would uphold these values by allowing refugees to rebuild their lives and contribute to their communities. This is why we’ll continue to call for policies which treat refugees and people seeking asylum with compassion, justice and respect.
Read more about the changes we call for in our campaigning here.
To find out more about our campaigning work and ways you can get involved, click here now.
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