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RECENT TWEETS
News in brief written by Jake Cudsi.
Grim record
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates 726 homeless people died in England and Wales in 2018, the most in a single year on record. The grim figures represent a 22% rise on the number of deaths in 2017. This is also the biggest annual increase since data started being collected in 2013.
Drug related deaths increased by 55% from 2017 to 2018, by far the biggest increase among causes. Overall there were 294 deaths associated with drug abuse, with 131 of those attributed to opiate poisoning. In Birmingham 23 people died – this was the highest number of deaths recorded by a local authority.
Pavement says: Living on the streets can be fatal. With a million people on council house waiting lists where are the homes that people need? That’s why there’s a growing call for the Government to start house building again. In Scotland Housing First has just passed its first milestone (see p6). While TV presenter George Clarke – who fronted C4’s Council House Scandal - is campaigning for 100,000 new council houses to be built every year for the next 30 years.
Sign the petition on:
• www.councilhousescandal.co.uk
Bad photo
Parliament has apologised to a group of people sleeping rough close to the Palace of Westminster in September, for taking individual photos of them while they were asleep. The photos were taken by a cleaning contractor employed by the parliamentary estate, according to the Guardian. A House of Commons spokesperson refused to explain why the pictures were being taken, although they did apologise for “any distress caused” adding that the practice “has been immediately stopped.”
Tooth care: November is Mouth Cancer Awareness Month. Visit a dentist if
you have an ulcer that hasn’t healed after two weeks or you see a red/white
patch in your mouth or you have pain/difficulty when swallowing.
© Gettysburgsmiles.com
Housing firsts
In Scotland, 120 previously homeless people have now been housed under the groundbreaking Housing First program begun in 2018 writes Jack Hanington. The pathfinder policy aims to provide stable housing as a first step, rather than a last step, in the process of overcoming homelessness. The Scottish Government, working with Social Bite, local authorities, third sector and housing providers, is trying to make Scotland the third country to attempt a nationwide roll out of the Housing First program. Currently it is run in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling. By 2021, Housing First aims to provide 830 people with their own home.
• https://social-bite.co.uk/housing-first-qas/
No UC evictions
Living Rent, Scotland’s Tenants
Union, is launching a new Glasgow
city-wide campaign calling on
Housing Associations (HAs) to halt
evictions arising from Universal
Credit (UC) writes Jack Hanington.
Following the Tenants Union’s
summer actions against Serco
and Mears Group in solidarity with
300 eviction-threatened asylum
seekers and refugees, Living Rent will
organise across Glasgow to pressure
HAs to commit to a No UC Evictions
policy. Research from the National
Housing Federation showed last year
that nearly three-quarters (73%)
of tenants on UC are in debt. In
2018/19, evictions of UC claimants
from council houses in the UK
reached an all-time high.
• www.livingrent.org
Landlords' excuses
Readers of the Pavement will be all too familiar with the difficulties of accessing affordable housing. Our July/August 2019 issue noted Shelter’s report on the rift between councils and social landlords, who weren’t taking on homeless people as prospective tenants. Then in September the Chartered Institute of Housing released a report confirming that social landlords don’t want homeless people as tenants. The study reveals social landlords routinely exclude homeless people from accommodation due to fears over the reliability of universal credit, unmet support needs and a presumption that prospective tenants would find themselves in rent arrears.
New Hackney hostel
Dalston, London, is set to welcome
a new hostel for homeless families.
Blue Chip Trading Ltd and property
developer Hezi Zakai have had plans
for the purpose-built 292-room
hostel approved and work will start
imminently. The hostel looks set to
house more than 600 people, and
offer 24-hour security, as well as free
wi-fi and a launderette. Rooms will
come fitted with workstations too,
according to the Hackney Citizen.
The plan has its detractors, with
some councillors arguing this is not
‘temporary’ accommodation as
tenants may stay for years in housing
not fit for permanent residence.
Hackney council will manage the site
once work is complete.
October – November 2024 : Change
CONTENTS
BACK ISSUES
- Issue 152 : October – November 2024 : Change
- Issue 151 : August – September 2024 : Being Heard
- Issue 150 : June – July 2024 : Reflections
- Issue 149 : April – May 2024 : Compassion
- Issue 148 : February – March 2024 : The little things
- Issue 147 : December 2023 – January 2024 : Next steps
- Issue 146 : October 2023 – November 2023 : Kind acts
- Issue 145 : August 2023 – September 2023 : Mental health
- Issue 144 : June 2023 – July 2023 : Community
- Issue 143 : April 2023 - May 2023 : Hope springs
- Issue 142 : February 2023 - March 2023 : New Beginnings
- Issue 141 : December 2022 - January 2023 : Winter Homeless
- Issue 140 : October - November 2022 : Resolve
- Issue 139 : August - September 2022 : Creativity
- Issue 138 : June - July 2022 : Practical advice
- Issue 137 : April - May 2022 : Connection
- Issue 136 : February - March 2022 : RESPECT
- Issue 135 : Dec 2021 - Jan 2022 : OPPORTUNITY
- Issue 134 : September-October 2021 : Losses and gains
- Issue 133 : July-August 2021 : Know Your Rights
- Issue 132 : May-June 2021 : Access to Healthcare
- Issue 131 : Mar-Apr 2021 : SOLUTIONS
- Issue 130 : Jan-Feb 2021 : CHANGE
- Issue 129 : Nov-Dec 2020 : UNBELIEVABLE
- Issue 128 : Sep-Oct 2020 : COPING
- Issue 127 : Jul-Aug 2020 : HOPE
- Issue 126 : Health & Wellbeing in a Crisis
- Issue 125 : Mar-Apr 2020 : MOVING ON
- Issue 124 : Jan-Feb 2020 : STREET FOOD
- Issue 123 : Nov-Dec 2019 : HOSTELS
- Issue 122 : Sep 2019 : DEATH ON THE STREETS
- Issue 121 : July-Aug 2019 : INVISIBLE YOUTH
- Issue 120 : May-June 2019 : RECOVERY
- Issue 119 : Mar-Apr 2019 : WELLBEING
- Issue 118 : Jan-Feb 2019 : WORKING HOMELESS
- Issue 117 : Nov-Dec 2018 : HER STORY
- Issue 116 : Sept-Oct 2018 : TOILET TALK
- Issue 115 : July-Aug 2018 : HIDDEN HOMELESS
- Issue 114 : May-Jun 2018 : REBUILD YOUR LIFE
- Issue 113 : Mar–Apr 2018 : REMEMBRANCE
- Issue 112 : Jan-Feb 2018
- Issue 111 : Nov-Dec 2017
- Issue 110 : Sept-Oct 2017
- Issue 109 : July-Aug 2017
- Issue 108 : Apr-May 2017
- Issue 107 : Feb-Mar 2017
- Issue 106 : Dec 2016 - Jan 2017
- Issue 105 : Oct-Nov 2016
- Issue 104 : Aug-Sept 2016
- Issue 103 : May-June 2016
- Issue 102 : Mar-Apr 2016
- Issue 101 : Jan-Feb 2016
- Issue 100 : Nov-Dec 2015
- Issue 99 : Sept-Oct 2015
- Issue 98 : July-Aug 2015
- Issue 97 : May-Jun 2015
- Issue 96 : April 2015 [Mini Issue]
- Issue 95 : March 2015
- Issue 94 : February 2015
- Issue 93 : December 2014
- Issue 92 : November 2014
- Issue 91 : October 2014
- Issue 90 : September 2014
- Issue 89 : July 2014
- Issue 88 : June 2014
- Issue 87 : May 2014
- Issue 86 : April 2014
- Issue 85 : March 2014
- Issue 84 : February 2014
- Issue 83 : December 2013
- Issue 82 : November 2013
- Issue 81 : October 2013
- Issue 80 : September 2013
- Issue 79 : June 2013
- Issue 78 : 78
- Issue 77 : 77
- Issue 76 : 76
- Issue 75 : 75
- Issue 74 : 74
- Issue 73 : 73
- Issue 72 : 72
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- Issue 50 : 50
- Issue 49 : 49
- Issue 48 : 48
- Issue 47 : 47
- Issue 46 : 46
- Issue 45 : 45
- Issue 44 : 44
- Issue 43 : 43
- Issue 42 : 42
- Issue 5 : 05
- Issue 4 : 04
- Issue 2 : 02
- Issue 1 : 01
- Issue 41 : 41
- Issue 40 : 40
- Issue 39 : 39
- Issue 38 : 38
- Issue 37 : 37
- Issue 36 : 36
- Issue 35 : 35
- Issue 34 : 34
- Issue 33 : 33
- Issue 10 : 10
- Issue 9 : 09
- Issue 6 : 06
- Issue 3 : 03
- Issue 32 : 32
- Issue 31 : 31
- Issue 30 : 30
- Issue 29 : 29
- Issue 11 : 11
- Issue 12 : 12
- Issue 13 : 13
- Issue 14 : 14
- Issue 15 : 15
- Issue 16 : 16
- Issue 17 : 17
- Issue 18 : 18
- Issue 19 : 19
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- Issue 21 : 21
- Issue 22 : 22
- Issue 23 : 23
- Issue 24 : 24
- Issue 25 : 25
- Issue 8 : 08
- Issue 7 : 07
- Issue 26 : 26
- Issue 27 : 27
- Issue 28 : 28
- Issue 1 : 01