A new report from End Furniture Poverty challenges why furniture poverty is not a secondary issue, but a driver of health, stability and financial pressure across the UK.
Furniture and household essentials are not typically regarded as urgent needs in the same way as food, energy and housing, but they shape how these needs are experienced. Without them, food becomes harder to prepare, energy costs can rise, and housing becomes difficult to live in.
Across the UK, millions of people are living without essential items required for a socially acceptable standard of living. End Furniture Poverty’s latest report, The Extent of Furniture Poverty 2026, frames this as a public health crisis, pointing to the severe impacts on physical and mental wellbeing.
Writing after meeting with End Furniture Poverty, MP Hannah Spencer took to Instagram to say:
“It feels absolutely unbelievable to be using terms like this, in one of the richest countries in the world… people trying to live but not having a bed, a table… How can we expect anyone to live a full and meaningful life if they can’t access the basics that many of us take for granted.”
The evidence from End Furniture Poverty, also observed through our frontline work at Quids in! Money Guidance, shows that furniture poverty is not just material deprivation. Without the essentials needed to make a house a home, people struggle with self-esteem and creating stability. In the report’s forward, Gordon Brown highlights that these conditions mean “families struggle to function in society, to maintain jobs, seek training opportunities to improve their employability, or maintain tenancies.”
It is, in effect, a public health crisis that policy and funding have yet to fully address.
What the data shows
The report shows both the scale of this issue and how it affects different groups. End Furniture Poverty estimates that around nine per cent of people in the UK are experiencing furniture poverty, with more than eight million essential household items missing from homes in 2025.
The impact is significant. More than a quarter of those affected report severe effects on their physical health, while nearly a third report severe impacts on their mental wellbeing. Among those in deeper furniture poverty (three or more missing items) 72 per cent report very negative impacts on their mental health compared to nine per cent who are just missing one.
Risk is concentrated among certain groups. Social renters are four times more likely to experience furniture poverty than homeowners, while households earning less than £1,000 a month are four times more likely to be affected than those earning over £2,500. People with disabilities and minoritised ethnic groups also face higher rates and are both twice as likely to experience furniture poverty.
Many households are also on the edge. Almost one in five cannot afford to replace broken electrical goods, and one in four could not afford to replace broken furniture, highlighting how quickly financial shocks can translate into material hardship. Our own Quids in! Cost of Living Survey from 2025 revealed that 24 per cent of social tenant respondents would do without an appliance costing around £300, like a washing machine, if it needed to be replaced.
More than missing items
The absence of essential household items shapes how people experience hardship.
Without a cooker or fridge, preparing and storing food becomes more difficult, often increasing reliance on more expensive or less nutritious options. The Turn2UsLiving Without Report reveals not having a washing machine can push households towards launderettes, where costs can be up to 2,500 per cent higher than washing at home. Faulty appliances can also add over £100 a year to energy bills.
These pressures sit alongside wider impacts on health and daily life. Limited access to basic equipment can affect diet, make routine tasks more difficult for people with disabilities, and reduce householders’ ability to maintain a safe and comfortable home environment.
Last year, Quids in! spoke with Andy Peers, CEO of the bed poverty charity Zarach, who highlighted the impact on children:
“Poor sleep can lead to health issues… such as a weakened immune system… high blood pressure, and slower growth and overall development.” We hear governments say they don’t want to borrow money for day-to-day spending, but they will borrow for infrastructure. 4.3 million children today ARE our infrastructure for tomorrow.
The effects are also emotional. Turn2us research also highlights lower life satisfaction, increased anxiety and a reduced sense of self-worth among those living without essential items.
Voices from those affected
Quids in! reached out to service users who have recently moved into empty or partially furnished homes, often following periods of instability.
Nathan, 34, moved into an unfurnished property after a period of mental health challenges and housing instability. With very little in place, the cost of furnishing his home quickly became a barrier to meeting everyday needs. “You have to furnish an empty place and get carpets and flooring and everything,” Nathan told us. “All I had was a camping chair and a bed and a table. It was just grim.” Despite receiving benefits, the need to furnish his home was “constantly diminishing my ability to pay for basics.”
Support through Quids in! helped him access grants, vouchers and practical guidance, easing some of that pressure and allowing him to improve his living conditions. This had an immediate effect on his wellbeing: “it relieved a lot of stress… it has been nice having a warm place and lots of nice food.” With greater stability, he feels more settled and able to look ahead, and is now considering returning to activities he enjoys, including trying stand-up at open mic nights.
Naomi, a single mother seeking asylum, had been staying with her sister before moving into a new home with her children. While she had secured a tenancy, the property was unfurnished, and she lacked essential items needed to make it liveable. With support from Zarach, she was able to access beds, but still needed key white goods, including a refrigerator and washing machine.
Through Quids in! Money Guidance, she received budgeting support and was helped to secure a grant from the National Benevolent Charity to obtain these items. This support made a clear difference to her wellbeing: “My mental health is much better now… I feel more relaxed.”
Others wrote to us anonymously to express their gratitude. One client described crying with relief after receiving help to improve their home: “I am so grateful to you for getting that grant for flooring for me. It’s going to make such a difference to my life.”
After receiving a cooker and fridge freezer, another client said their Quids in! support worker “has been amazing and changed my life. It means a lot to know great people are still out there fighting the good fight for those who truly need it.”
These experiences highlight not only the impact of furniture poverty, but the role that timely, practical support can play in stabilising households.
However, access to this kind of support is not universally available.
Rethinking a liveable home
Furniture poverty remains largely absent from mainstream discussions of hardship, despite clear evidence of its impact. Current provision for furniture and household essentials varies significantly between local areas. While some support exists through crisis funding and local welfare schemes, it falls short of the scale and consistency required to meet demand. For example, End Furniture Poverty reports that over a third of local authorities used none of the 2024/25 Household Support Fund on furniture and appliances.
A home without essential items limits more than comfort. It affects health, increases costs and restricts stability. Recognising furniture as part of a basic standard of living would mark a shift in how need is understood and how support is designed. Without that shift, a significant driver of poor health and financial pressure will remain hidden in plain sight.
In March 2026, Quids in! hosted a webinar to explore themes around stigma and why communities often express disaffection about services and policy. Providing an unfurnished home, often without even carpets, is another way people experience a lack of compassion. They feel alienated as their dignity is undermined. Find out more about the ‘Changing the Conversation’ webinar here.
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