Church of England

==Social work==

===Church Urban Fund===
{{Main|Church Urban Fund}}
The Church of England set up the [[Church Urban Fund]] in the 1980s to tackle poverty and [[Social deprivation|deprivation]]. It sees poverty as trapping individuals and communities with some people in urgent need, leading to [[Dependant|dependency]], [[homelessness]], [[hunger]], [[social isolation|isolation]], [[low income]], [[mental health]] problems, [[social exclusion]] and violence. They feel that poverty reduces confidence and [[life expectancy]] and that people born in poor conditions have difficulty escaping their disadvantaged circumstances.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cuf.org.uk/about|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214051036/http://www.cuf.org.uk/about|url-status=dead|title=About Church Urban Fund|archive-date=14 December 2013}}</ref>

====Child poverty====
In parts of [[Liverpool]], Manchester and [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] two-thirds of babies are born to poverty and have poorer life chances, also a life expectancy 15 years lower than babies born in the best-off fortunate communities.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18137739|title=Church Urban Fund finds 'poorest' in north-west England|work=BBC News|date=21 May 2012}}</ref>
{{blockquote|The deep-rooted unfairness in our society is highlighted by these stark statistics. Children being born in this country, just a few miles apart, couldn't witness a more wildly differing start to life. In child poverty terms, we live in one of the most unequal countries in the western world. We want people to understand where their own community sits alongside neighbouring communities. The disparity is often shocking but it's crucial that, through greater awareness, people from all backgrounds come together to think about what could be done to support those born into poverty. [Paul Hackwood, the Chair of Trustees at Church Urban Fund]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2012/09/child-poverty-in-the-uk.aspx|title=Child poverty in the UK|work=Church of England News}}</ref>}}

===Action on hunger===
Many prominent people in the Church of England have spoken out against poverty and welfare cuts in the United Kingdom. Twenty-seven bishops are among 43 Christian leaders who signed a letter which urged [[David Cameron]] to make sure people [[Poverty#Hunger|have enough to eat]].
{{blockquote|We often hear talk of hard choices. Surely few can be harder than that faced by the tens of thousands of older people who must 'heat or eat' each winter, harder than those faced by families whose wages have stayed flat while [[food prices]] have gone up 30% in just five years. Yet beyond even this we must, as a society, face up to the fact that over half of people using food banks have been put in that situation by cutbacks to and failures in the benefit system, whether it be payment delays or punitive sanctions.<ref name="BBC20/02/14">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-26261700|title=Bishops demand action over hunger|work=BBC News|date=20 February 2014}}</ref>}}

Thousands of UK citizens use [[food bank]]s. The church's campaign to end hunger considers this "truly shocking" and called for a national day of [[fasting]] on 4 April 2014.<ref name="BBC20/02/14"/>