Voices at the “Rising Together Against Poverty Conference”

A panel of people with lived experience of poverty spoke eloquently at the ‘Rising Together Against Poverty: Building Hope, Demanding Action’ conference on 2 September 2025. This conference was organised by the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group and supported by NIAPN, Barnardo’s NI, Trussell, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, East Belfast Mission, Save the Children and Women’s Support Network.

Rachel Benson works at Atlas Women’s Centre in Lisburn as a Women’s Training & Project Development Worker. She speaks out on issues relating to poverty, women and inequality.

Hi my name is Rachel Benson I am delighted to be here with you all today for such an important cause!? 

I wanted to firstly give you guys just a bit of background as to who I am and why I am here today. 

Firstly, I am single mother of two children Fía Rose who’s 5 and I would beg to argue the sassiest red head on the island! Then my Saul who is 8 and apparently Messi is the goat! 

Secondly, I work at Atlas Women’s Centre in Lisburn as a Women’s Training & Project Development Worker and I myself have struggled at times. 

Due to unfortunate personal circumstances I had to make the move from private housing to social housing and at that period in my life I was suffering from poor mental, I had just had a baby and I was struggling to cope with an ex-partner griped by a serious gambling addiction. 

I felt so ashamed, so embarrassed by my situation. 

I like so many people in N.I have had to remain cautious as to how often the heating goes on at home or how long the shower runs. Counting up the price tags in your head as you go, wondering what the shopping bill might? Will I have enough when we get to the till? 

I have had to make many cutbacks in recent years, such as cheaper clothing items, cheaper grocery stores, more conscious spending … thinking where does this pound need to go? Saving from year to year just to cover Christmas and birthdays! Not to mention the school uniforms! 

Although it’s not just my circumstance, it’s not just me! In my role at Atlas women’s centre, I see women struggling first hand every single day. 

We meet mothers who are desperate for the basics: nappies, food, gas and electric top-ups, pre-loved clothes for themselves and their children, and in some cases even baby milk. These are not luxuries. These are essentials no family should ever have to beg for. 

So why am I here? Well; I had the pleasure of reading the governments new plan to tackle poverty in NI and after reading the consultation I cannot hide my feelings of disappointment. 

This is a document we have waited nearly two decades for 19 years of promises, delays, and expectation. And yet, what has finally been produced falls short of what children, families, and communities in Northern Ireland so desperately need.

The government is not unaware of poverty here. They have met with us. They have listened to our stories, and they have seen the reality that so many families live with day after day. Many of us have spent time explaining the daily hardships… the choices between heating or eating, the stress of debt, the constant worry of trying to provide a safe and stable childhood against impossible odds.

But in this consultation, those lived experiences have been set aside. They have been heard, yes but not acted upon. That is perhaps the greatest disappointment of all. Because recognition without action is not progress.

The government’s own research shows clearly why poverty persists in Northern Ireland. Structural barriers, lack of investment, underfunded services, and a benefits system that too often punishes instead of protects. These issues are well documented. And yet, the consultation does not reflect that knowledge. 

Instead, it offers continuations of what has already failed rather than bold, meaningful change.

If the government truly wants to abolish poverty, see child poverty eradicated , then they cannot continue on the same path. 

They must be willing to make different choices. Choices that invest in children, in those that are disabled, choices that strengthen families, and choices that give every person in Northern Ireland the opportunity to thrive not just survive.

We cannot afford another 19 years of waiting. 

People are living in poverty right now!! Childhoods are being shaped by deprivation, and those years cannot be given back. Every month that passes without action is another generation failed.

The government need to go back to this consultation and listen again not just to the statistics, but to the voices of families, the lived realities, and the solutions already being offered by communities on the ground. 

We need a strategy rooted in urgency, compassion, and real change.

Because children in Northern Ireland deserve better. 

Thank you folks! 

Rachel Benson works at Atlas Women’s Centre in Lisburn as a Women’s Training & Project Development Worker. She speaks out on issues relating to poverty, women and inequality. Recently, Rachel’s spoke about her experience on ‘The State of Us’ podcast.