Today The Press launches a campaign to help stamp out poverty.

We are launching the campaign in the wake of our tragic story yesterday on the plight of young mother Kia Stone, whose 11-month-old baby Telan Carlton died after spending all her life in a damp and overcrowded flat in York.

Kia was made homeless through no fault of her own and her story mirrors hundreds of others across the country as the recession and public sector cuts make daily lives a struggle for vulnerable families.

The York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation is carrying out widespread research into the effects of poverty on the UK today and The Press will be reporting on its findings as part of this campaign.

Over the coming weeks and months, we will be highlighting the impact of the recession on ordinary families and examining ways in which more people can be brought out of poverty.

We will also be calling on the government and local authorities to urgently speed up social housing programmes and to ensure that no one has to live in an unhealthy environment.

Our campaign has already won the support of The Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Chief executive, Julia Unwin CBE said: "I am very pleased that The Press has showed community leadership in launching such a campaign. It is vital that we continue to shine a bright light on the extent of poverty, understand its causes and offer some solutions.

“That’s what JRF has been doing for the past century, we welcome another voice to what is becoming an increasingly important cause.”

We want you to join in the debate and let us know your ideas for tackling poverty and the housing crisis.

We have created a special section on our website that we will be adding to as the campaign gathers momentum.

With your help we can make a difference.