Charities say they are "busier than ever" helping people living in furniture poverty. BBC South spoke to people and organisations affected in Hampshire after national charity End Furniture Poverty said about six million in the UK were living without essentials such as beds, cookers and fridges. And a group of MPs is calling on the government to develop a national strategy to address the problem.
They said they believed that a safe, secure and sustainable home should include access to the basic furniture necessary for everyday living. The government said it was already taking action to support households. Among those who have needed help is Yana Osibchuk, who moved to the UK from Ukraine after the war began with her son, her dog and two suitcases - and was placed into social housing.
"It was absolutely empty - no furniture, no cooker, no fridge, nothing and no flooring," she said. Yana was referred to charity Southampton City and Region Action to Combat Hardship (Scratch). "It's really changed my life," she said.
But Yana's situation is not unusual. The overwhelming majority of social housing is let unfurnished. Scratch has been running for 27 years and its managing director Mike Taylor said the charity was "busier now than it's ever been".
"We are always chock-a-block, our diaries are full every week," he said. He said household budget pressure were a factor but that there were lots of reasons people found themselves needing help. "It could be that they've had a crisis in their life, they've had to flee a relationship or flee domestic violence and they've ended up somehow in a property with no furniture," he said.
"They may have children with them. They haven't got disposable income. They just don't have the facilities or the money to get going again." Scratch relies on donations and grants from the council.
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