I found it a strange question to ask someone who has lived on a very low income for years, ‘What does the phrase the right use of money mean to you?’. My first thought was that I would need to have more than just barely enough money to meet the basics of life before I could begin to think of right and wrong uses of money.

I use money to survive, to exist and to fight for the right to have more in order to be able to do more. As a member of the human rights-based, anti-poverty organisation ATD Fourth World, my children and I have been given support for 14 years. This has enabled me to face the struggle against poverty and social exclusion knowing that I have others alongside me. It has given me strength to fight for my family and the opportunities to see that fight in the context of personal responsibility and social policy. I have the opportunity of meeting often with others who also struggle in their daily lives, to analyse our situations and find how this relates to government policies and local initiatives.

There is a lot of public debate at present about the reality of poverty as experienced by families in Britain, or if in fact poverty exists in Britain at all. One of the most frequently heard phrases is, “It is not just about lack of money”, and, of course, this is absolutely true. The families who are involved with ATD Fourth World say all the time that it is about how one feels treated; about respect and recognition of one's effort and struggles. It is also true that if you can afford to look, dress, act and speak like someone who can afford to be confident in life, you get treated with respect automatically. So perhaps the role of income inadequacy in keeping people in lifelong poverty must not be underestimated.