Entries by Jamie Leeming

The “Sickening Increase” Of Homelessness In Bristol

The scale of youth homelessness in Bristol is revealed in new figures – with family breakdown the most likely cause. The latest figures for the most recent quarter – the three months of July, August and September 2017 – show a rise in the number of people being officially accepted as a new homeless person […]

The Scale Of The Housing Crisis Exposed

As many as four million homes are needed to meet burgeoning demand, it was claimed, as new research reveals the “epic” scale of the housing crisis facing England. The estimate, calculated for the National Housing Federation and the charity Crisis, takes a comprehensive view of how many people do not have a place to call […]

Liverpool City Region Gets £7.7 Million To Pilot Housing First

Three areas in England are set to launch new pilot projects to support rough sleepers with complex needs get off the streets into stable and affordable accommodation. The projects in Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands Combined Authority, will offer individuals intensive support to recover from complex health issues, such as alcohol […]

Rough Sleeper Rejects Royal Wedding Protest

A long-time rough sleeper has dismissed protesters planning to line the royal wedding route in sleeping bags as “anarchists” intent on causing trouble. William “Bill” Watson, who has lived in the borough for four months, said planned homeless solidarity events were an excuse for people to “cause a riot”. The 50-year-old, originally from Harlington, west […]

Young People Not Getting The Housing Help They Need

More than half of all young homeless people, or those facing homelessness, who sought help from councils last year did not receive any meaningful support, according to new research. The research, conducted by the homeless charity Centrepoint and based on Freedom of Information responses, found that at least 86,000 young people in the UK are […]

New Start: The Unconventional Journey Of A Refugee

Following last week’s story about how proud we are to be supporting refugee families from Syria, our colleague at New Start, Gerard O’Connor, tells the tale of how one person escaped from the war. Syrian, Shadi Kanjo, speaks candidly about his experience as a refugee, asylum seeker and UK citizen. The Syrian conflict has torn […]

Dickensian Housing? It’s Worse Today!

The state of the housing crisis is now so bad it is ‘unfair’ to compare it to the Victorian era, says a leading historian. David Olusoga has described housing in the UK as “worse than the Victorian era”. Calling the housing crisis “the greatest injustice of the 21st century”, Olusoga said the problems are severe. […]

Liverpool’s Business Community To Help Tackle Homelessness

Businesses in Liverpool are being invited to a summit in May to get involved in helping the city’s homeless people. As part of its Always Room Inside campaign, the city council is hosting a Rough Sleeping and Business Summit with the aim of bringing private sector resources to bear on a very public problem. The […]

Low-Income Homeowners “At Risk” From Cuts To Mortgage Interest Help

Thousands of homeowners may be at risk of homelessness after new figures suggested cuts to mortgage interest help were hitting the working poor and pensioners. Support with mortgage interest has been in place for homeowners since 1948 and the Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) scheme was designed to protect claimants on qualifying benefits from repossession […]