Letter: New Carer Poverty Commission in Northern Ireland will gathering evidence to help Stormont tackle destitution among carers

Long-standing poverty and the impact of the cost of living crisis are having devastating consequences for those providing unpaid care for sick or disabled family members in Northern Ireland.

Research from Carers NI shows that one in three local carers are struggling to make ends meet and one in four are having to cut back on food, heating and other essentials to get by.

It is a scathing indictment of Northern Ireland that there are carers going hungry, sitting in the dark and having to rely on help from charities.

That’s why a new Carer Poverty Commission has been launched in NI. With input from unpaid carers and poverty experts from across the UK, the Commission will spend the next 12 months gathering evidence from households and designing recommendations for Stormont to help tackle destitution among carers.

Any unpaid carer who wants to get involved contact [email protected].

Craig Harrison, Policy Manager, Carers NI, 58 Howard Street, BT1