Blog: I didn’t recognise poverty growing up – now I help challenge it in Scotland’s capital

Poverty is a word that likely conjures up something different in each person’s mind. For me, as a young man, quite a few years ago now, I pictured tragic images of starving children walking miles to collect water, just to survive. I did not clearly associate the term with my home nation, or even my own surroundings.  Many factors influence the way we interpret the term poverty, such as our education, upbringing, locality and so much more. My understanding was that poverty was something happening elsewhere, seeing our wealthy nation quite rightly holding fundraisers and events like comic relief to challenge its injustice.

As I grew, changed my career path, and gained experience working in youth work and the third sector, I soon learned that poverty was very much present here. Indeed, it was all around, and always had been – right there where I couldn’t see it. It may not present itself the same as in those countries I saw on TV growing up, but it became clear to me that the core element - lacking enough resources for a basic standard of living, was unquestionably and unfortunately a very grim reality for so many in Scotland, and the city of Edinburgh where I reside. It could be seen in supermarkets, where foodbank collection bins are now a normal sight, or the long queues forming outside jobcentres and council offices, amongst so much more.

In 2021, my understanding of poverty developed further when I started working with the End Poverty Edinburgh citizen group. Following the publication of the original Edinburgh Poverty Commission report in 2020, End Poverty Edinburgh (EPE) were formed to carry the baton in a movement to end poverty in the city. Each member of this group has lived experience of poverty, from a variety of perspectives. They share their experiences to better inform others of the reality and injustice of poverty, aiming to advise and influence services to better support those experiencing poverty, and prevent it for others altogether.

This Edinburgh Poverty Commission report set out calls to action needed to end poverty in Edinburgh by 2030. Around five years later in 2025 – the midway point to those 2030 targets - the Edinburgh Poverty Commission reconvened to assess progress, working as equal partners with EPE and published their update  Actions to End Poverty in Edinburgh. In this, they alarmingly share that ‘poverty rates in Edinburgh have remained largely unchanged in the past five years’, noting that ‘like Scotland as a whole, the city remains some way off meeting its 2030 poverty reduction targets’. The report highlights the growing complexity and depth of poverty in Edinburgh, evidenced by increasing destitution, homelessness, and the difficulty people experience in trying to escape from it. This is perhaps especially concerning to read with knowledge of the incredible amount of work done by so many throughout the city to try and address the poverty crisis.

We know there are solutions to poverty already in place within Edinburgh. The report suggests that the challenge for the next five years should be to build on these and accelerate progress. These include the social security system, where the Scottish Child Payment is helping keep families out of poverty, and local money advice teams who have helped low-income people achieve £100m of financial gains over the last 5 years. Or the increasing availability of fair work, with the proportion of people working for low pay halved. And the impact of people with lived experience of poverty to influence and drive decision making.

End Poverty Edinburgh will continue to do just that; share their experiences to better inform others and services, so that they may be better equipped to adapt and effectively address poverty. As the report says, ‘meeting Edinburgh’s poverty targets means lifting 36,000 people, including 8,000 children, out of poverty by 2030. It is becoming increasingly clear that Edinburgh’s challenges cannot be entirely solved on its own, and that new collaboration between governments is needed.

Indeed, as EPE have often said, poverty is everyone’s responsibility, and we have a shared interest to eradicate it. It was heartening to see this notion shared by thousands as they took to the streets of Edinburgh and show their shared commitment to ending poverty on October 25^th, 2025, for the Scotland Demands Better march and rally. This crucial message is further elaborated within that collaborative 2025 report, as it reads:

We remain convinced that Governments, the Council, public sector agencies, employers, investors, third sector organisations and citizens can ALL make choices now that will lead to an end in poverty in Edinburgh. The next five years offers an opportunity to make those choices and help thousands of people avoid a life in poverty in Scotland’s most affluent city.

Perhaps like my younger self, there are those who don’t yet see the reality of poverty all around them, even if they themselves are experiencing it. There are actions we can all take to help reduce poverty in our city though. Certainly, actions like raising awareness and sharing experiences all play a role in addressing poverty, in building support, and bringing those people on board like my younger self, helping to create a culture where we choose not to accept poverty, and where instead, we demand better.