A woman from Romford featured in a photo exhibition highlighting the experience of poverty in later life and calling on political parties across the UK to take action.
Susan has privately rented her current home for 12 years but was recently served a Section 21 ‘No Fault’ eviction. This has left her threatened with homelessness because she cannot afford anywhere in the local area, where her daughter and grandson live.
Susan said: “People think older renters don’t exist, but we do, and our number is growing. Worrying about being evicted is a horrible experience: renters of all ages need better protections. That’s why I’m pleased that my picture was used in the Independent Age photography exhibition, we need to talk about renting in later life.”
Independent Age’s conference, held on Wednesday 12 June 2024, included a photo exhibition of older people who live on a low income across the UK and several panel discussions about tackling poverty in later life, including an exploration of the reality of financial hardship in later life from people experiencing it and the stigma of poverty in older age.
Independent Age is the national charity supporting older people facing financial hardship.
The event also launched Independent Age’s new research projecting a dramatic rise in projected pensioner poverty by 2040, if current trends and policies stay the same. The new report, Keys to the future, predicts that in just over 15 years:
poverty among older people could increase from 17% to 23%, or from 2.1 million in 2022 to 3.9 million people by 2040;
poverty could increase more for older women than older men, going from 20% of older women currently in poverty to a forecast 26%.
poverty levels among older people with a disability could increase significantly from 18% to 29% which compares to a projected increase in poverty in the non-disabled older population from 17% to 19%.
Joanna Elson CBE, Chief Executive at Independent Age said: “We’re thrilled that Susan took part in our photography exhibition. As we work to tackle poverty in later life, hearing directly from older people on a low income is so important, and Susan’s role at the conference was invaluable. Together, by listening to the voices of older people and working together, we can make sure that we can all look forward to a later life with dignity.”
