As Director of Policy, Research and Impact at the UK’s biggest food bank charity, the Trussell Trust, Helen Barnard sees firsthand the levels of poverty and destitution thousands of people in the UK are experiencing on a daily basis.

Food bank use is currently at a record high. And with another tough winter approaching, support provided in the upcoming autumn budget is going to be crucial to the prospects of many – and a test of the Labour government’s commitment to tackling poverty.

In this exclusive interview, Helen talks to HQM editor Jon Land about the trust’s vital work, the changes to welfare policy that are desperately needed, the intrinsic link between poor housing and poverty, and why housing associations need to step up as decent landlords and do more for their struggling tenants.

Read the full interview here.