Homeless People Could Face Prosecution For Sleeping On The Street

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In a truly bizarre move, a council is considering whether to fine homeless people up to £1,000 for sleeping in a tent in the city centre.

The council at Stoke-on-Trent is considering imposing a public space protection order (PSPO) that will make it an offence for a person to “assemble, erect, occupy or use” a tent unless part of a council-sanctioned activity such as a music festival. Under such a scheme anyone who fails to pay their £100 on-the-spot penalty notice can be prosecuted and could be fined up to £1,000 in court.

According to a report in The Guardian, the PSPO is supported by many businesses in Stoke. Jonathan Bellamy, the chair of the City Centre Partnership, told the Stoke Sentinel: “In recent weeks I have personally witnessed in the city centre: two bottles of vodka smashed on the pavements; a drunken woman clearly out of her mind and damaging the front door of a building in Cheapside while children walked by; and a man urinating outside an empty shop in the Cultural Quarter at two in the afternoon.”

“Millions of pounds has been invested in the city centre in recent years by the council and private businesses and thousands of livelihoods depend on this vital piece of our local economy. That should not be undermined by the ill-disciplined, destructive behaviour of a few people.”

But the GMB union urged members of the public in Stoke to write to the council to oppose the measure, which is designed to stamp out antisocial behaviour. The council is consulting on the proposal until 15 December and says it is a response to requests from local business people, shoppers and visitors. It would also criminalise sleeping in public toilets as well as “begging in a manner that is reasonably perceived to be intimidating or a nuisance”.

Stuart Richards, senior organiser at GMB, said: “Cuts to benefits, council funding and a lack of affordable housing have led to a massive increase in the number of people affected by homelessness across the West Midlands. We’re not going to solve the issues or causes around this by criminalising or punishing those who end up sleeping on our streets. GMB is asking the people of Stoke to take part in the council’s consultation to help to force a change in this proposal.”

Gareth Snell, the MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, said: “Stoke-on-Trent’s approach to the homeless is seriously flawed. Fining those who have nowhere to go is unacceptable. But to compound the problem, they now plan to cut support for homelessness services in Stoke-on-Trent by £1m as a result of budget cuts. They are failing the very people we should be helping most.”

However, a spokesman for Stoke-on-Trent city council said: “No one is being fined for sleeping in a tent. This is a consultation only at this stage, under national public space protection order legislation – powers which a number of authorities up and down the country are already using. A number of options are being considered, aimed at addressing issues of aggressive begging and the kind of antisocial behaviour that all cities face. We’re looking at options because businesses and visitors to the city centre have asked us to. We encourage all feedback before the consultation ends on 15 December.”

“There is a range of support in place to help homeless people in the city. The city council has given one of its buildings to be used as the Macari Centre for homeless people, alongside work in partnership with organisations including Brighter Futures, Salvation Army, YMCA, Voices. We work closely with churches and have launched street chaplains teams to work in the city centre.”

Venus Get On Their Bikes To Raise Money

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Our lovely colleagues at Venus are undertaking a sponsored static bike ride at Our Place to raise some much-needed funds to keep this project going.

David, who coordinates the project, said: “Over the last four years the Sefton Care Levers Centre “Our Place” have been fortunate enough through funding to offer support to some of the most vulnerable but WONDERFUL young people in Sefton. The project is currently in between funding and we have been thinking of ways we can bridge the gap whilst we wait to hear from the many funding applications we have submitted so that we can continue the project.”

A group of amazing young people who are involved with Our Place are tenaciously not giving up and have insisted that something can be done to help achieve the continuation of the project. The young people have all received support from the service and know first hand the difference the project makes to young people with care experience facing uncertain futures and troubled pasts.

Through service user led meetings and wide ranging consultation, the group have decided to raise funds, but the question was how? “What could they do?!” Maybe a bucket collection, or bag packing at local supermarkets, possibly a car wash or, as one young person suggested, plain old begging in the street.

Well these young people are not scared of a challenge because they have been challenged in life and have strength and determination to succeed at anything put in front of them. So no! They would not settle for the “Norm” or traditional methods when it comes to raising money for Our Place. These young people have faced and overcome more challenge than most people will ever be faced with, these young people raise the bar just to exist on a daily basis, so given the opportunity to think of a challenge to complete to raise funds, well they didn’t go home, they went BIG!

A static bike ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End, a distance of over 700 miles and a quest that many a brave soul have attempted and failed at in the past, a true test of “man (or woman) and machine” to coin a phrase! This is a massive undertaking and not to be taken lightly. Through support from Our Place staff and local agencies, a fund raising drive is coming together which will promote, recruit and monitor the successes, trials and tribulations of this mammoth challenge.

You can help by going to https://mydonate.bt.com/events/seftoncareleavers/451247

So get in touch with Venus, follow the link to donate, call David on 0151 928 1380, email on david.fairclough@ourplacesefton, inbox on facey, DM on Twitter, or drop in and see them.

Benefits and Tax Credits payment dates – Christmas 2017

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Important information for the festive period from our lovely friends at Welfare Weekly.

Need to know if you will be paid state benefits and/or tax credits early over the festive season? We have the official dates here.

If you are expecting benefits or tax credit payments over Christmas bank holiday and New Year you may receive it earlier than expected. Check below to see if you will be affected.

Tax Credits

  • Tax credits due to be paid on Monday 25 December should be received on Friday 22 December.
  • Tax credits due to be paid on Tuesday 26 December should be received on Friday 22 December.
  • Tax credits due to be paid on Wednesday 27 December should be received on Friday 22 December.
  • Tax credits due to be paid on Thursday 28 December should be received on Wednesday 27 December (England, Scotland and Wales only).
  • Tax credits due to be paid on Monday 1 January 2018 should be received on Friday 29 December.
  • Tax credits due to be paid on Tuesday 2 January 2018 should be received on Friday 29 December.
  • Tax credits due to be paid on Wednesday 3 January 2018 should be received on Tuesday 2 January 2018 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland only).

Universal Credit

  • Universal Credit is typically paid on the same day each month, but if you are expecting a payment on the 25th, 26th or 27th of December you should receive it on Friday 22nd December.
  • Universal Credit payments expected on the 1st or 2nd of January 2018 should be paid on Friday 29 December 2017.
  • Universal Credit payments expected on the 3rd January 2018 may also be paid early – ask your local Jobcentre office or advice centre for clarification.

Child Benefit

  • Child Benefit payments expected on 25 December 2017 should be paid on 21 December 2017.
  • Child Benefit payments due on 26 December 2017 should be paid on 22 December 2017.
  • Child Benefit payments due on 1 January 2018 should be paid on 29 December 2017.
  • All other dates should be unaffected.

JSA and ESA

These benefits are usually paid every two weeks, but if you’re expecting a payment on 25th or 26th December 2017 you should receive it on Friday 22 December 2017. The official dates haven’t yet been released – we will update this page once they are.

DLA and PIP

If you are expecting either of these disability benefits to be paid on either a Christmas or New Year bank holiday, they should be paid on the last working day before expected payment. So for Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 December 2017, you should receive payment on Friday 22 December 2017.

Carer’s Allowance

Carer’s Allowance payments expected on a Christmas or New Year bank holiday should be received on the last working day before these dates. So for Monday 25 or Tuesday 26 December 2017, you should be paid on Friday 22 December 2017.

All Others

Payments should be received on the last working day before the bank holiday you are expecting to be paid. Please check with the relevant office (Jobcentre Plus or HMRC) for clarification.

Disclaimer: All payment dates listed above are for your guidance only and Welfare Weekly accepts no liability for sudden changes or late payments. Please contact Jobcentre Plus or HMRC if you need a more definite guide.

For more information, go to www.welfareweekly.com

Wrap Up Warm This Winter

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A British charity is aiming to collect 21,000 coats in a bid to keep rough sleepers living in the UK warm during the cold winter months.

According to a report in The Independent, Human Appeal, a Muslim faith-based charity, will donate the clothing to homeless people living on the streets of Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow as part of their Wrap Up Campaign. Coats will also be donated to rough sleepers in London via the organisation Hands On London, who launched the annual Wrap Up campaigns, starting in London. The organisation has now partnered with Human Appeal, which also provides coats to charities who help the elderly in crisis, children in poverty and refugees, to launch similar campaigns in other UK cities.

More than 300,000 people in Britain – one in every 200 – are officially recorded as homeless or living in inadequate homes, according to recent figures by the charity Shelter. Freezing winter temperatures, as well as wind, rain and snow, leave those with nowhere warm to stay in a life-threatening situation, at risk of exposure and hypothermia.

Othman Moqbel, Human Appeal’s chief executive, said: “The winter months can be unforgiving for those sleeping rough or unable to afford a winter coat. We, in Human Appeal, want to not only offer a hand to those in desperate need of humanitarian aid, but to wrap an arm around those in desperate need of warmth. We aim to help people in need all across the world regardless of their race, religion, gender or location.”

Coats are being collected at several Safestore Self Storage sites across London until Friday 24 November: Chiswick, Clapham, Notting Hill and Kings Cross. Manchester Safestore collection points can be found in Old Trafford, Worsley, Altrincham, Stockport Bryant and Oldham. People can also donate coats at the Birmingham South and Glasgow Southside Safestore sites.

Excel Have A New Website!

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Our lovely colleagues at Excel Housing Solutions (EHS) have revamped their website, and it’s fab!

EHS provides high-quality accommodation and support within shared properties in the Merseyside area. They offer housing options for individuals who have a history of tenancy breakdowns and may also have a range of support issues such as substance misuse, mental health, offending behaviour and poor life skills.

​​The staff at EHS will work with clients to address any underlying issues they may have, to enable them to successfully sustain their own tenancies in the future. EHS works closely with Local Authority Homeless Teams, Merseyside Probation Trust, Crisis, Women’s Services, ISIS Kirkdale, and providers of other support services within the borough. Clients are encouraged to work together to provide a safe secure environment that is facilitated by EHS staff through a series of house meetings and workshops.

As well as providing supported accommodation for both men and women, EHS also provides a range of more specialised services on offer. For example, the FAITH Programme offers a bespoke family accommodation and support programme, which tackles the main issues through person centred support, Physiological Informed Support, and Cognitive Analytic Therapy, with the main aim of keeping families together.

This programme is for families that are at risk of eviction or are homeless due to anti-social behaviour, rent arrears and other support issues, working with our tenants to keep properties well maintained and homes happy.

This programme is also suitable for parents including single parents, who are homeless, and working towards access to their children.

EHS also has five units of shared accommodation for veterans across Liverpool and Sefton. All properties are fully furnished to a high specification.

Support staff are available for clients, to help them reintegrate into the community and to work with them across a range of issues such as debt advice and budgeting, health and wellbeing, resolving disputes and, ultimately, to fond permanent independent accommodation. They are currently working closely with Liverpool Veterans HQ, ​​who provide specialist support, and are developing close links with other organisations.

Check out their website here www.excelhousingsolutions.com

Forces Veterans Forced Onto The Street

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A leading military health expert has warned of a “ticking time bomb” of homelessness for armed forces veterans.

John Harrison, RAF chaplain and former Army nursing officer, told The Big Issue that aftershocks of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are still to be felt. “There has always been something of a correlation between veterans and homelessness,” said Harrison, a lecturer at The Liverpool John Moores University and Ministry of Defence.

“The numbers are not as bad as they used to be. However, the country was at war for 12 years and a lot of long-term mental ealth problems, such as PTSD, depression and anxiety, manifest themselves long after veterans have left the service. The problem is a ticking time bomb. A lot of servicemen are used to looking after themselves while they are in the service. I was virtually ‘homeless’ for eight months while I was serving in Iraq.”

According to Harrison, there are an estimated 7,000 homeless ex-service personnel now – compared with 9,000 in 2013 – and the aftershocks of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are still to be felt. The Combined Homelessness And Information Network (CHAIN) reported that 285 veterans across London were known to be living on the streets between April and June this year. And partner charity St Mungo’s found that around 50 out of nearly 2,000 of their clients were from an ex-forces background – a proportion of two per cent, according to their client survey.

A proportion of ex-service personnel turn to The Big Issue when they become homeless: between eight and 12% of their vendors are known to have served with the military.

The Armed Forces Covenant – the pledge from the nation to veterans, which includes a vow on housing that has produced schemes such as Forces Help to Buy – has had a positive impact, said Harrison. All 407 local authorities in Great Britain and four in Northern Ireland have signed up to the covenant, as well as more than 1,500 other organisations, since it was introduced in 2000. But he added that more research is urgently needed.

“We certainly need more research in the area as a lot of the figures are London-centric, although there is a pull to London for many homeless ex-services personnel, so they tend to gravitate to there,” he said. “The Armed Forces Covenant has certainly been a big help and, as a serving Army reservist, it has helped me to get some of my guys housed. Campaigns such as the Houses for Heroes in Scotland and The Independent’s Homeless Veterans Appeal have also helped.”

Homelessness Goes “Under The Radar” Say Researchers

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A new study reveals as many as one in 25 people are classed as homeless in the worst-affected areas of England.

Homeless charity Shelter said more than 268,000 people across England are homeless, although the number is a “conservative estimate”, with many more expected to be going unrecorded. It said the leading cause was the loss of a private tenancy, with three in 10 cases coming as a result. Meanwhile, Shelter has launched an urgent appeal to raise money for front-line services.

The definition of homelessness under law includes rough sleepers, single people in hostels and those in temporary accommodation. Under these criteria, say Shelter, at least one in 206 people in England are classed as being homeless. Broken down, this results in around 4,100 people sleeping on the streets and at least 242,000 in temporary accommodation. A further 21,000 are either in hostels or being housed temporarily by social services.

London has the highest proportion of homelessness in the country, accounting for 31 of the worst hotspots – with the borough of Newham recording one in 25 people as homeless. The number of temporary accommodation households has risen from 35,850 in 2011 to 54,280 at the start of 2017. Shelter believes at least 35% of those households will still be in unreliable homes in a year’s time, showing little end in sight for many. This is partly down to the number of people losing private tenancies, which the charity says has soared since cuts to housing benefits started in 2011.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, is calling for an “ambitious new direction” from the government to tackle the issue, saying: “On a daily basis, we speak to hundreds of people and families who are desperately trying to escape the devastating trap of homelessness. [It is] a trap that is tightening thanks to decades of failure to build enough affordable homes and the impact of welfare cuts.

According to the BBC Reality Check, homelessness has been rising rapidly since 2010, but it’s difficult to know exactly how many people don’t have anywhere to live. Estimates of rough sleepers are calculated by counting people on a single night, and potentially millions of “sofa surfers” go under the radar.

Shelter, has pieced together various data sources to arrive at their figure. They used official data on how many households are living in temporary accommodation to calculate how many individual people that equates to. They looked at hostel bed occupancy to include people who turn up without being referred by the council, often paying a fee to stay, who don’t appear in official figures. And they asked councils how many homeless families they were accommodating, giving a much higher figure than the 78,180 homeless households usually quoted.

The government said it was “determined to tackle all forms of homelessness”.

Government Announce New Strategy For Funding Supported Housing

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After Theresa May announced last week that the LHA cap would not apply to supported housing, the government has conceded that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach won’t work for the funding of supported housing, either.

Outlining a new approach, the government acknowledges local areas don’t have sufficient control or oversight of provision – with it “not always possible” to ensure value for money for tenants or the taxpayer. The government says its ‘fit for the future’ funding model confirmed today addresses concerns raised by the social housing sector and other key stakeholders.

Sheltered housing and extra care will continue to be funded in the welfare system with a flexible funding approach that includes:

  • A ‘Sheltered Rent’ scheme from April 2020.
  • Short-term supported housing having a new ring-fenced grant available to councils in England.
  • The amount of short term supported housing grant funding set on the basis of current projections of future need – in Wales and Scotland, an equivalent amount will be provided for those administrations to decide on allocation.
  • Improved local planning for supported housing and commissioning across service areas with proposals for a ‘National Statement of Expectation’ to underpin the new funding regime.

The government describes ‘sheltered rent’ “a type of social rent that recognises the vital role that these homes play in supporting older and vulnerable people”. It adds that the new rent model “acknowledges the higher costs of these types of housing compared to general needs housing.

“This will see gross eligible rent (rent inclusive of eligible service charges) regulated by the social housing regulator. We will set appropriate rates for sheltered and extra care housing costs, established in consultation with the sector.”

DCLG minister Marcus Jones said the “important and necessary” changes would take time to implement – warning that it was “crucial” support provided is not interrupted or put in doubt. “Which is why these changes will now commence from April 2020 rather than April 2019. It is our aim through making these changes to provide funding security to providers by allowing them to make long term investment decisions and therefore secure future supply,” he said.

Jones said government had also considered the role of refuges and calls from some of the sector to nationalise the funding and commissioning of this. He cited the government’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy saying a local approach would ensure the best outcomes for vulnerable renters in crisis and emergency supported housing – with local authorities best placed to understand and meet local needs, and to take a holistic view on both housing and support provision.

The Government, he said, has already committed (in the 2016/20 Violence Against Woman and Girls Strategy) to review the current approach to refuge provision in England by November next year.

“We will need to pay particular attention to the funding of care and support costs as we do this, and will continue to work closely with this sector to make good our commitment. It is vital that we continue to support the most vulnerable in our society, and have a sustainable supported housing sector which is fit for the future, providing value for money for those that pay for it and, most importantly, positive outcomes for those who call it home,” he said.

A Random Act Of Kindness Goes Viral

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A man who gave his “favourite” £120 trainers to a barefoot homeless man says the act has inspired other good deeds after his story was shared around the world.

Craig Wells ran out of a restaurant in Nottingham after seeing the homeless man, Mark, walk past wearing no shoes. “He then started to cry and gave me the biggest hug saying how nobody has ever been so kind. He then went around the corner out of sight and put the trainers on and re-emerged still crying,” Mr Wells wrote.

Mr Wells shared a photo on Facebook to encourage other people to “pass it on” and help someone in need. “There is nothing worse than self-praise and I certainly don’t want it”, wrote Mr Wells, from Chesterfield. “If someone is encouraged to step out and help someone in need by this message then Love wins!!!”

Since then, the photo has been shared more than 4,000 times and liked more than 9,000 times. Mr Wells said it resulted in “hundreds of private messages” from people “all over the world”.

One man, from Jakarta in Indonesia, told Mr Wells he had gone out and bought lunch for a homeless person. “It may sound a bit fluffy but love really does make a difference in a world,” said Mr Wells.

He said he had also heard from several members of Mark’s family who thanked him for “being so kind”. Mr Wells, who describes himself as a “committed Christian” and attends Christian Life Church in Chesterfield, said he simply wants to “open people’s eyes and offer hope to the homeless and other people in need”.

Women Who Urinated And Set Fire To Homeless Man’s belongings Jailed

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A woman who urinated on a homeless man’s belongings before her friend set them on fire has been jailed.

Nicola King, 23, handed a lighter to 25-year-old Jerely Evans so she could burn bedding in the doorway of a closed shop in Portsmouth. King, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to arson at an earlier hearing. Evans, of Havant, previously pleaded guilty to arson and criminal damage and served a four-month jail sentence.

Jailing her for four months at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court, Judge Anthony Callaway said it was “a cruel act on a vulnerable and isolated man”. King, who claimed in court that she had only a minor role in the attack, wept as the sentence was passed.

CCTV captured King relieving herself before the pair started the fire in Commercial Road at about 07:00 BST on 9 April. Fire fighters, alerted by customers in a nearby restaurant, managed to put out the blaze before it could spread inside the building, although the heat cracked several shop windows.

In a statement the victim, named Roy, said: “Everything I own was in the entrance of that doorway. I can’t stress how gutted and sad I am for this loss. I have literally lost everything.”

Addressing King, who wept in the dock, judge Mr Callaway said: “You and the co-defendant both approached Mr Ransom. It was you who abused him, it was you who urinated on his property, it was you who put items of his in a bin, on not one but two occasions.”

“As far as the arson is concerned it’s perfectly obvious to me that both of you, both of you, have perpetrated that cruel act on a vulnerable, isolated gentleman.”