Child ‘Very Angry” At Prime Minister Over Homelessness

A video of a five-year-old girl chastising the Prime Minister, Theresa May, over the treatment of the homeless has gone viral on social media.

Brooke Blair, from Coventry, says in the video that she has seen “hundreds and millions” of homeless people on the streets and that the PM should be distributing biscuits and hot chocolate, or even building houses for them.

The youngster begins: “My name is Brooke Blair and I’m five years old. I’ve got something to say to you, Theresa May. Yesterday night I was out on the streets and I saw hundreds and millions of homeless people. I saw one with floppy ears, I saw loads. You should be out there, Theresa May, you should be … biscuits, hot chocolate, sandwiches, building houses.”

She continues: “Look, I’m only five years old, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m saving up money and there’ll never be enough. You’ve got the pot of money, spend some and help people. That’s what you’ve got to do, because we’ve had lots of wars in this country and I do not like that, Theresa May. I’m very angry.”

The video was first posted on YouTube by Brooke’s mother, Holly Matthews, before it was also shared on Facebook. So far, more than 900,000 people have viewed the video on Facebook and more than 17,000 on YouTube. Many of those who commented on the video praised the passion with which Brooke delivered her 53-second diatribe, with some even suggesting she could be a future prime minister.

Brooke’s mum said in a post on her blog that homelessness had been troubling her daughter for some time. “When she saw homeless people, she asked me why they didn’t have a home,” she wrote. She went on to say that she explained some reasons for homelessness in “a child-friendly way”. When Brooke then asked why her mother could not buy houses for the homeless people herself, Ms. Matthews explained she would not have the money to do so.

“She asked (logically), ‘Well who does? Who’s in charge? The Queen?’ I explained we have a prime minister and she asked their name,” said Ms. Matthews. “From there she has had a major bee in her bonnet. She and her younger sister are saving any money they get, to buy presents for homeless people at Christmas this year. They even sold a slice of birthday cake they got to their dad for 50p to put in their pot.”

If you haven’t already seen it (or even if you have) you can watch the video here https://youtu.be/Xt0u77VD21Y

Good Samaritan Helps Homeless Person Refused A Cup Of Water in McDonalds

When a customer queuing in a Cardiff McDonald’s saw a homeless woman in front of him being refused a cup of hot water, he decided to step in and help.

That customer, Jonathon Pengelly, posted the story on Facebook, saying: “The member of staff told her no. I don’t know what was going through their mind but a lady, clearly homeless, was asking for a basic human right and for a multi-billion pound company to say no is disgusting!”

Now, his Facebook post has been shared thousands of times. He says: “I couldn’t help but notice the lady in front me, all she asked for was a cup of hot water. My heart was shattered! So I spoke to her and told her to order what she wanted, expecting her to order everything. I was so shocked. She asked for a single cheeseburger and that was it. We bought as much as we could carry so I knew she wasn’t going to be hungry.”

After speaking to the woman and hearing her story, Jonathon decided to help even more by letting Polly and her friend stay at his house and cooked them a meal. He said: “When I got to speak to them I was genuinely shocked at their story and how educated they were! So full of life and enthusiasm and they literally have nothing!”

“Polly and her mate have had showers, brushed their teeth and they both said they have never felt so appreciated in their life. I’m no saint, but this small act of kindness cost me about £20. It costs nothing to be kind, and I genuinely hope people share this to raise awareness of homelessness throughout the UK!”

A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “There is no McDonald’s policy to ban homeless people from our stores and the vast majority of such requests are granted by our restaurant teams.”

Thousands Made Homeless As Rents Rise And Housing Benefits Fall

Thousands of families are being made homeless because they can’t afford a suitable place to live after being evicted by private landlords.

According to a report in The Guardian, the end of an assured short-hold tenancy (AST) was cited by nearly a third of the 15,170 households in England who were classed as homeless in the three months to June – a number that was up 10% on the same period last year. The end of an AST has quickly become the single biggest cause of homelessness in recent years, triggered by rising rents and cuts to housing benefit support.

The government’s statistical release says: “Affordability [of housing] is an increasingly significant issue, as more households facing the end of a private tenancy are unable to find an alternative without assistance.” The statistics also reveal a sharp rise in the number of homeless households with children who had been unlawfully resident in unsuitable temporary bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks.

Because of chronic shortages of affordable houses, local authorities are forced to use B&Bs in their areas – this shortage is caused, in part, by government cuts to housing benefits. The figures show that 73,120 households were in temporary accommodation, up 9% on the previous year. Although councils are required to ensure families do not stay in B&B accommodation for longer than 42 days, 1,140 households found themselves in this position in the three months to June, up 29% on the same period last year and the highest recorded number since 2003.

Tory MP Bob Blackman has drawn up a private member’s bill seeking to require councils to do more to help households at risk of losing their homes. His Homelessness Reduction Bill to the Commons for debate on October 28th.

The Bill will impose a duty on local authorities to help prevent people at risk of losing their homes from becoming homeless and it is likely to need Government support to become law. Mr. Blackman said: “It is a contribution to helping people that are facing homelessness. I think it sits with Theresa May’s social agenda so that everyone benefits from the economic situation of the country, which is very positive.”

“It is a national disgrace when we have the highest number of people in employment ever, we have a low rate of unemployment, that we still have people sleeping rough. Goodness knows what will happen if there is a recession,” he added.

Those who are homeless, or threatened with homelessness, can ask their local authority for assistance. This is granted if they are considered as being unintentionally homeless and in priority need, such as having dependent children.

The homelessness charity Crisis called on MPs to support Blackman’s bill, which has cross-party support. The chief executive of Crisis, Jon Sparkes, said: “It isn’t enough to help people at crisis point. We need to prevent them from losing their home in the first place.”

“We need a change in the law to prevent more people from losing their home and to make sure all homeless people can get the help they need, while councils need the funding to make this work. Prevention has already been shown to work in Wales where it has dramatically reduced the need for people to be rehoused.”

Offensive Anti-begging Posters ‘Reinforced Negative Stereotypes’

 

Nottingham City Council has caused outrage with a series of posters designed to persuade people to stop giving money to beggars. The posters featured messages such as “Begging: Watch your money go to a fraud” and “Begging funds the misuse of alcohol.”

Critics said the posters were offensive because they implied all homeless people are involved in criminal activity. The Canaan Trust homeless charity, based in Nottingham, said that Nottingham City Council is “reinforcing social prejudices” towards the homeless, with posters urging people not to give them money. The posters have now been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) because they implied all homeless people are criminals and frauds.

The ASA said the posters “portrayed all beggars as disingenuous and undeserving individuals that would use direct donations for irresponsible means.” It added: “We further considered the ads reinforced negative stereotypes of a group of individuals, most of whom were likely to be considered as vulnerable, who faced a multitude of issues and required specialist support. On that basis we concluded [four of the ads] were likely to cause serious or widespread offence.”

Nottingham City Council said its campaign was not anti-homeless but designed to discourage members of the public from giving money to beggars. Council leader Jon Collins said: “Begging harms those who do it because it provides a ready supply of cash to be spent on life-threatening addictions.”

“Also, local people have clearly told us that begging is their number one anti-social behaviour concern in the city centre. The ASA has made a decision based on just seven complaints from people who thought the campaign targeted homeless people. It wasn’t about homelessness and made no reference to it,” Councillor Collins added.

Government figures published on Wednesday show there has been a record 10-percent rise in homelessness in the last year, as 15,170 households were forced onto the streets.

Homelessness charity Crisis said the termination of private tenancy was the leading cause of homelessness in the UK. Crisis chief executive, Jon Sparkes, said: “We need a change in the law to prevent more people from losing their home and to make sure all homeless people can get help when they need it, while councils need the funding to make this work.”

Nottingham City Council is considering appealing the ASA’s verdict.

Musicians Against Homelessness

Musicians Against Homelessness gig takes place this weekend…mah

Cuts To Housing Benefit Adds To Mental Health Problems

Housing benefit cuts have led to a 10% increase in people from low-income households reporting mental health problems, says an influential report. It has also propelled an additional 26,000 people into depression, researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University of Oxford and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have found.

The report, published in the esteemed American Journal of Epidemiology, looks at the mental health effects of the UK government’s April 2011 reduction in financial support to low-income households renting from the private sector. Over 179,000 private tenants were surveyed, comparing those who received of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to those who didn’t, between 2009 and 2013. LHA changes came into effect on 1 April 2011 and, by following these people over time, the researchers were able to measure the impact of the cuts on those affected.

Government changes to LHA reduced the amount people on low incomes could claim from 50% of the average rate in their local area to 30%, as well as placing a cap on how much an individual could claim per week depending on the number of bedrooms. The Institute of Fiscal Studies estimates that the average loss of income for recipients was £1,220 per year, affecting about 1.35 million individuals and potentially tipping 27,000-54,000 children into severe poverty.

Of the 1.5 million people receiving housing benefit in the private rented sector in March 2010, around a fifth were recorded as experiencing depression. After April 2011, researchers found this figure increased by 10% meaning that approximately 26,000 additional people receiving housing benefits reported symptoms after the cuts came in. And this was not a short-term shock – the increase in depressive symptoms being reported remained for up to two years after the reform.

Aaron Reeves, Associate Professorial Research Fellow in Poverty and Inequality at LSE’s International Inequality Institute and lead author of the report, said: “Housing provides shelter and security, protecting health and well-being. But when that security becomes uncertain, health, and mental health in particular, is undermined.”

“The government’s reduction in housing benefit in April 2011 created uncertainty in the lives of some low-income by making their housing less affordable. This reduction in financial support increased the risk of depressive symptoms among those claiming housing benefit over and above other people in the private rented sector.”

Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “At a time when the NHS, and the mental health service in particular, is facing unprecedented pressure, and when NHS leaders are highlighting the need to reduce preventable illness, it is incredible that other government policies are adding to that pressure”.

There are three key issues that must be considered by policy makers when considering future changes to housing support, the researchers argue. First, the findings highlight the health effects of welfare reform on economically vulnerable groups, showing that policies that increase precariousness and expose individuals to greater insecurity and potential homelessness can lead to an increase in mental health problems being experienced.

Second, these reforms counteract policy initiatives in other areas that are seeking to reduce reliance on disability benefits by reducing the generosity of incapacity benefit. In future, policymakers should attend more carefully to the spill-over effects of policy interventions that are implemented simultaneously.

Third, as part of the July 2015 budget the Conservative government outlined plans to remove eligibility for housing benefit from those aged 18-21. This policy change will increase the risk of depressive symptoms among this group even further, potentially harming their chances in the labour market and having a long term scarring effect on their mental health.

You can read the full report here ‘Reductions in housing benefit increases symptoms of depression in low-income UK households

We’re Lovin’ It – McDonald’s Monopoly Tickets Feed The Homeless!

Fast-food chain McDonalds have launched a new competition where certain menu items come with game tickets – some of which lead to instant wins or vouchers that customers can use to redeem free food. But one enterprising man has started a craze on Facebook of redeeming the food and giving it to homeless people.

Matt Lawson, a photographer from Melbourne, Australia, shared a photo on Facebook of a ticket he received from McDonald’s Monopoly game. Mr. Lawson called on people through Facebook to collect the instant wins they receive and give them to homeless people or shelters.

“While it is junk food, a person that hasn’t eaten for days will appreciate it, and it makes people aware of the homeless issue and teaches them to give,” Lawson told The Metro.

The idea took off on the social media site, and it’s had an impact already. “I’ve been hearing about schools and workplaces putting jars in their offices encouraging students and employees to give up their unused vouchers,” he told The Huffington Post. “Others are going in to the city in groups and handing theirs out to those in need.”

Mr. Lawson explained to Metro UK that he felt compelled to share his idea after finding his instant win ticket and seeing a homeless man who’d been a banker in the past but had fallen on hard times. He gave the man his voucher and later on shared his idea with his social network.

The response has been incredible, the he told HuffPost, and he’s found that many people are more than willing to give back. “It seems that a lot of the 25-35 year olds want to help out, but just needed a way to do it,” he said.

Initially, his idea was met with resistance from McDonald’s, as he was told the tickets are non-transferrable, but it now seems the fast food giant has warmed up to the idea. “We admire Matt’s efforts and it’s up to customers how they use their tickets. We’ll honour any ticket presented in restaurant,” the company said in a statement.

Homeless People In Dublin Have An Average Lifespan Of Just 42

A new report into the deaths of homeless people in Dublin concludes that the average age of death among those living on the streets is 42 years. Among homeless women, the mean age of death is even lower, at just 38. Among homeless men, the mean age of death is 44. Of 140 deaths among the homeless population over a four-year period, 16 occurred on the streets.

The relatively young age at which many of those living on the streets die is in contrast to average life expectancy among the general population – 75 years for men and 80 for women. The percentage of homeless people who die as a result of drug and alcohol addiction is also far higher than in the general population, at 30% compared to approximately 7%.

One of the study authors, Dr. Joe Barry, said it was widely acknowledged that the issue of addiction among the homeless needs to be addressed. Dr Barry and his colleague Dr. Jo-Hanna Ivers of the Institute of Public Health, Trinity College Dublin, collaborated with Bernie O’Donoghue Hynes of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive in conducting the study, ‘Mortality Amongst the Homeless Population in the Dublin Region’.

Through visits to homeless hostels, the coroners’ offices and homeless agencies, the researchers drew together data that showed:

  • 140 deaths among homeless between 2011 and 2014.
  • Nine deaths among homeless people aged 18 to 24 — seven men and two women.
  • 12 deaths among over 65s who were homeless
  • 16 died on the streets; 67 in hospital; and 41 in homeless services.

Dr. Barry said the report contains draft recommendations, including the need for better recording of deaths among the homeless population not just in Dublin, but nationwide.

Figures from the Department of Housing reveal that there were 4,248 homeless adults in August this year, whilst a recent city centre headcount by the Dublin Simon Community found 168 people slept outside in doorways, shop fronts, streets and parks.

Giving The Homeless Of Liverpool The Red Card

The experience of Liverpool’s homeless people at the hands of Chief Superintendent Mark Wiggins and his unique approach to policing is raising more than a few eyebrows, writes Francis McMenamin in The Big Issue North.

But the Chief Superintendent’s scheme, that allows officers to issue on-the-spot yellow and red cards to homeless people adjudged to be engaged in ‘antisocial behaviour’, may prove controversial. A yellow card warns that continued antisocial behaviour could result in a temporary exclusion from the city centre or arrest. A red card means that action is to be taken following previous warnings.

The initiative, backed by the city council, Business Improvement District company and some in Merseyside’s business community will, claims Wiggins, ensure homeless people move on with their lives by seeking support elsewhere. The cards provide information on how to seek help. But some fear Wiggins’ street purge will mark out unresponsive homeless people for punishment.

Liam Moore, director of social justice choir Voice in the City, said: “The issue is where will it stop. Does it open the floodgates to intimidation? Anyone who commits antisocial behaviour should be prosecuted, but we need solutions. Each person on the street is an individual and has their own story. Handing out a red card like the football referee Howard Webb doesn’t solve people’s problems.”

The ‘two-strikes-and-you’re-out’ strategy will open up police to charges of pandering to genteel society’s prejudices and revulsion at the sight of the dispossessed. There’s an implied threat in his statement: “If some individuals don’t take offers of support and continue to commit antisocial behaviour, then as a partnership we can take further action.” What form this “further action” takes remains unclear.

Spare a thought too for homeless outreach organisations, operating on a shoestring, slapped with an extra layer of red and yellow-flavoured bureaucracy to sink their teeth into. They must be tickled pink.

The colour of money bankrolling homeless Liverpudlians’ next meal overrides any colour-coding police top brass may impose. As for the volatile hardcore, far from curbing antisocial behaviour the opposite may prove the case. Cards stacked against them and dealt a hand-to-mouth existence punctuated by drug and alcohol problems with only a cardboard mattress to their name – what have they left to lose?

That Merseyside has more than its share of homeless people is not in dispute. How this issue is addressed as humanely as possible is another matter.

Francis McMenamin is a former magazine editor and a regular contributor to publications.

Source: http://www.bigissuenorth.com/2016/09/why-dont-we-just-treat-the-homeless-humanely/20712

Government Issue Statement On Funding For Supported Housing

A new funding model for the provision of supported housing (which includes women’s refuges, homeless shelters and housing for those leaving care) has been outlined by the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP).

Supported housing will continue to be exempt from the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) cap until 2019. From then the new funding model will protect the sector from the cap with a top up of additional ring-fenced funding. The amount of top-up funding will be set on the basis of current projections of future need.

According to the DWP the new ring-fenced money will give local authorities greater flexibility to commission services in line with local needs. The government will be consulting with the supported housing sector over the details of the funding model in the coming months. The government also announced that benefit claimants in supported accommodation will be exempt from the lower shared accommodation rate, in recognition of the vulnerable nature of many of their residents.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Damian Green, said: “We know the valuable role that these organisations play in communities across Britain. Women’s refuges or housing for young people with learning disabilities are important parts of the support system for vulnerable people.

“The new model will mean Housing Benefit and the housing element of Universal Credit will focus on paying for core housing costs, while still ensuring the sector is protected from the Local Housing Allowance cap.”

All well and good.

However, also included in the statement is confirmation of the government’s determination to press ahead with an annual, rolling 1% reduction in the rent payments for three years. Supported accommodation services are mostly funded by housing benefit payments and the DWP would cut the rent that supported housing providers can claim back from the benefits system.

Howard Sinclair, the chief executive of St Mungo’s, told The Independent the cut would leave the homeless charity with £3 million a year less to spend on services. “The rent reduction will threaten the financial viability of some of our hostels and other supported housing schemes and offers no direct benefit to vulnerable tenants who mostly rely on housing benefit to cover their housing costs,” he said.

“We urge ministers to honour their commitments to ensure the sustainability of supported housing provision and protect services for vulnerable individuals by taking the rent reduction off the table. There should be no rent cuts imposed for supported housing services in the run up to the new funding regime.”

Damian Green said in the statement that charities had to make “efficiency savings”. “It is important that providers can continue to provide high-quality and cost-effective supported housing to meet the needs of their tenants. However, it is also important that supported housing should make efficiency savings in the same way as the rest of the social sector.”

You can read the full statement here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-09-15/HCWS154/