Hygiene poverty is impacting children
CHARITY SAYS SOME FAMILIES CANNOT AFFORD SOAP OR SHAMPOO
CHILDREN have been going to school dirty and unwashed as families struggling during the pandemic are too poor to pay for soap to stay clean.
A charity has said that many families are falling victim to “hygiene poverty” as they struggle to make ends meet. Keeping themselves and their homes clean has become impossible for some hit by job losses and falling wages during the coronavirus pandemic.
A Staffordshire charity says some youngsters have been going to school “not clean enough”, causing a risk to themselves and others of transmitting viruses such as Covid19.
The charity Hygiene Bank has said that huge numbers of people in the county are continuing to struggle with personal hygiene and keeping their homes clean due to the effects of the pandemic, as people cannot afford things like soap, shampoo and home cleaning products.
It says not being able to keep clean can have huge impact on people’s health and wellbeing.
The national charity, which has its Staffordshire base in Cannock, has said that people need to be more aware of the impact of hygiene poverty, especially as a result of the pandemic, and are asking for donations, which can be left at a drop-off point at the Boots store in Cannock.
One of the head volunteers, Carly Baldwin, 33, said: “I’ve been based in Cannock for just over a year now and I have seen the impact of the pandemic on people’s health and cleanliness.
“Hygiene poverty isn’t necessarily going to be the first thing you think about when you think of impacts of the pandemic, but it is just as real as not being able to afford food or a utility bill.
“Keeping the house clean is a proper long-term issue, and we have seen a sheer rise in demand in people falling on hard times.
“When you think of it, keeping a house clean is so important, especially when it comes to protecting yourselves from Covid.
“It is particularly concerning with families, as young children are going into schools having not been properly clean, which only exacerbates the virus spreading.”
It comes as more than 14 million people are living in poverty in the UK and many of these struggle to keep clean.
Hygiene Bank founder Lizzy Hall said: “The reality is there are over 14 million people living in poverty in the UK and if you’ve got no money to feed yourself then you’ve got no money to wash either.
“We’re asking everyone to do what they can to help those who are struggling to stay clean, safe and well by donating new, unused hygiene products to any one of our drop-off locations across the UK.”
Carly said that she has seen the impact of hygiene poverty and that people have been coming together to donate.
She added: “It is just families trying to exist. We have spoken to some of our community partners and there are certain things that people need to afford but simply cannot. This includes soap, deodorant, anti-bacterial spray and feminine hygiene products.
“It is definitely not just Cannock, I have seen it all across the area and Covid has definitely exacerbated this. “We know that people have fallen on hard times and are struggling in Staffordshire. We know that the impact of hygiene poverty is poor health. Often job prospects go amiss and just a general lack of cleanliness, which can not just have a physical impact but a mental one too.
“What we are trying to do is we are trying to raise awareness and we are making a difference to people’s lives. “Everyone knows how difficult the past year has been and I think it has harnessed a real desire to help each other out. “People have been really generous to donate products, just walking into the storage room in Cannock is really heartwarming. I feel like we are really making a difference.
Anyone who wants to donate hygiene products can do so at the Hygiene Bank drop off point at Boots at the Orbital Retail Park or in store on Church Street.
For more information on hygiene poverty people can visit the website.
We know that people have fallen on hard times and are struggling in Staffordshire.