A Firm Foundation

The 2026 UK Poverty Report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation comes with the stark headline "Nothing’s changed? Everything’s changed. It’s worse". On the surface, statistics show little change and a stagnation of progress in reducing poverty at a national level, but digging deeper the situation continues to worsen as more households are trapped in deeper levels of poverty, which last over longer periods of time, increasing stress, illness, and locking away the potential for productivity and contribution to economic growth. A vicious cycle, both for the individuals involved and for the nation.

Reference: Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2026) UK Poverty 2026. You can read the full report here.

Christians Against Poverty campaigns on a national level, fighting to see an end to poverty in the UK by working with third-sector organisations, politicians, churches and campaigners to speak up on behalf of those being crushed under the weight of poverty and debt and help bring real and systematic change.

On a local level, debt centres like Ely and District CAP can bring change to the individuals behind the statistics. Through free debt help, we can help relieve the burden of debt, which can be a first step in lifting the weight of associated issues like isolation, lack of connectivity, stress, mental and physical health issues and many more. Through income maximisation we can help individuals make sure that they have all the income that they are entitled to. Through Money Coaching, we can help with the skills and knowledge to better manage that income through budgeting, improving understanding of income and expenditure and helping with skills to better proritise and manage finances.

But another thing that Christians Against Poverty do at national, local and individual levels is to ground this action in the love of God - the sure and firm foundation.

Psalm 18:1 - 2 (NIV)

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Matthew 7: 24 - 25 (MSG)

24-25 “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

Prayer

Please pray for all those suffering in the poverty trap, unable to see a way ahead and feeling isolated and rejected by society. Pray that they would know the actions of those charities and organisations that are there to help.

Pray for those who have reached out to CAP for help, that they would know the firm foundation of God's love for them as a strength for the path ahead.

Pray for the Ely and District CAP team, for the message of love that our debt coaches and visit team bring with them into the homes of our clients, and for the strength of God's love themselves to continue this work.

Pray for CAP head office, for the teams campaigning for change on a national level, and for those working on individual client cases to make a real charge to someone's life.

Pray for the new Money Coaching Course and all the ways that Ely and District CAP wants to support those suffering with debt and poverty in our communities in the year ahead, pray for guidance and support as these ideas are developed.