CYP Now - The National Youth Agency: Empowerment - End Child Poverty campaign puts spotlight on poor housing

The next two years are critical for the campaign to End Child Poverty. If the government is to meet its targets to halve child poverty levels by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020, it will need to have adequately funded programmes in place by this time next year.

It is easy to underestimate the impact of child poverty in the UK. The following case study - provided by the campaign - is typical:

Young mum Sandra and her young sons live in an overcrowded ground floor flat that has severe damp and mould problems. An environmental health inspector has twice declared it unfit for habitation. Sandra said: "It's the smell that's the worst thing. It's so bad when you come into the flat." This is having a severe impact on her children's health, which is affecting their education as they are frequently off school. Their mental health is also suffering - Ben, 8, is teased at school because his clothes smell. Sandra added: "It's not right to be told that you smell. He's seeing a child psychologist because he has such low self-esteem."

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