Jo Siedlecka – Independent Catholic News

There has been a dramatic increase in homelessness in England in the past year. At the same time, latest data shows there has been a huge rise in the number of empty properties. Campaign group Action on Empty Homes estimate that the proportion of long-term empty homes – vacant for six months or more – hit a record 248,633 in 2022, over 11,000 more than the previous year.

BBC Report – Most Empty Homes in London since 2010

In London, some 34,327 properties are described as “long-term vacant”, meaning that they had not been lived in for more than six months and were “substantially unfurnished”, as of March 31, 2022.

Between April and September 2022, 5,712 people were sleeping rough in London, a 21% increase compared to previous year – Shelter reports.

The number of individuals sleeping rough across the country is 74% higher than it was in 2010, when the data started being collected. These figures are likely to be an underestimate of rough sleeping, as people spending the night in less visible locations like parks and buses are often missed.

During the ‘Everyone In’ scheme during the Covid pandemic, nearly all rough sleepers in towns and cities across the country were brought from the cold and housed in hotels and hostels. But very few were offered permanent accommodation. Once the pandemic ended, people were forced back on the streets.

While the number of single people sleeping rough continues to grow, many more families are also struggling to find accommodation. The government’s latest statutory homelessness figures, which show the number of households who approached their local council between July and September 2022 and were found to be homeless or at risk of homelessness within the next eight weeks, reveal:

– 72,320 households in England became homeless or were at imminent risk of becoming homeless – a 4% annual rise on the same period last year.

– In the same period, 25,570 families with children faced homelessness – an 8% annual rise on the same period last year. Many of these families will end up in unstable and poor-quality temporary accommodation, including hostels and B&Bs.

Fr Dominic Robinson, SJ, Parish Priest at Farm Street Church, Mayfair, and Chair of Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace Commission, told ICN: “These staggering statistics are not just extremely worrying but should be a wake-up call to those who can make a difference to work with charitable agencies and faith groups more closely to address the housing crisis in the capital.

“Our volunteers are seeing every day how the issue of ‘homelessness’ is not just more serious than ever but more complex than traditional rough sleeping and we need to realise that.

“Appalling housing conditions, sofa surfing, living on and off of night buses is a daily reality and it is getting worse. Surely this outrageous revelation of the amount of empty property in London represents an opportunity to do something about this.

“But it is not the only solution of course. Affordable housing, community integration and above all treating those in desperate need more humanely must be at the heart of policy decisions both locally and nationally.”

BBC Report – Most Empty Homes in London since 2010

Source: Jo Siedlecka April 21st 2023 Westminster Justice & Peace, Caritas Westminster

Homeless campaigners have expressed concern at the government’s proposal to replace the archaic Vagrancy Act, with legislation that could punish homeless people even more. Under the 1824 Vagrancy Act, it is a crime to sleep in a doorway or beg. Currently anyone convicted under the law faces a fine of up to £1,000 and a two-year criminal record. People who can’t afford to pay fines are often sent to prison.

Although the government pledged to scrap the Act in 2021, since then more than 1,000 homeless people have been arrested for sleeping rough or begging. On 26 March this year, the government unveiled their new ‘anti social behaviour plan’ – but rather than offer support to homeless people – it consists of a raft of proposals to replace the Vagrancy Act with new powers for local authorities and the police to move, or issue more fines, to homeless people “causing nuisance.”

Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, Chair of Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace Commission told ICN: “The government’s proposals to replace the archaic Vagrancy Act with yet more punitive measures against those forced by abject poverty to sleep rough or in temporary and substandard accommodation is an affront to civilised society.

“This policy will exacerbate the vicious circle the poor find themselves in. The ever increasing destitute currently being helped to regain their dignity through so many charitable services which provide shelter, food and other basic necessities, are now being demonised as criminals and so driven still further onto the forgotten margins of society.

“The dignity of every human person, and especially those desperately trying to survive in an increasingly cruel world, should surely be the starting point for trying to eradicate rough sleeping.

“We all want to solve this problem and make our streets safe too but charities, faith groups and government need to work much more closely together on this. Arrests, fines and moving people on will not help this. Those working in the sector, including the large number of faith groups, know the homeless situation is far more complex than knee-jerk solutions will resolve. Rather this will only contribute to the hostile environment towards anyone on the peripheries of our fake notion of civilised society”.

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis homeless charity commented: “We must not find ourselves in a situation where we finally abolish one destructive law only for it to be replaced with another.”

Instead, he called on the government to build genuinely affordable homes, invest in proper support services and ensure that housing benefit covers people’s rents to end homelessness.

In a statement echoing this, Caritas Westminster said: “As we approach the Coronation of King Charles III, we urge the authorities to work closely with homeless services to ensure that those experiencing street homelessness are not simply asked to move on, as part of a ‘clean-up’, but are instead provided with longer term support to help them to move off the streets, like we experienced during the ‘everyone -in’ campaign in the pandemic.

“80% of people currently sleeping rough have complex health and social needs due to difficulties in their past, often caused through no fault of their own. Some may have resorted to alcohol and drugs in order to supress the cold, the pain and the worry. Addictions and past traumas cannot be addressed purely by the provision of accommodation. There is an urgent need for mental health and addiction support, and most importantly lots of time and patience. These are complex responses, that require specialist intervention from commissioned homeless services. Church communities can provide food, welcome and befriending support alongside these partners, and advocate for social change.

“At Caritas Westminster, we support parishes to reach out and support those most in need in our communities. We encourage Catholics to look to those who are street homeless without judgement, but with love and kindness; to be present for them and to listen to them. We have previously asked ‘Should we give money to beggars’, see our response here

We also encourage Catholic parishes and schools to consider the hidden homeless, such as families and young people living in temporary accommodation; in hostels, sofa surfing and in B&Bs. News reports this week have highlighted how many children are living in overcrowded accommodation, not able to sleep properly due to sharing beds with other family members and with no space to do their homework.

Friendships formed through strong Church or School communities can provide a social safety net for people going through tough times, helping to prevent homelessness. Elizabeth Wills, the Caritas Westminster lead for homelessness in the Diocese of Westminster, has been listening to those affected as part of a project with the Cardinal Hume Centre and Justlife in conjunction with local services. She speaks to young families living in crowded accommodation, with inappropriate sleeping arrangements. She has met families with several young and older children sharing mattresses on the floor, without carpets, often in rooms with little ventilation, rising damp and mould that leads to respiratory conditions. Others live in unsafe streets, and with broken doors, windows and appliances that never get fixed, despite frequent complaints. She is helping those affected to advocate for change.

As the country comes together to celebrate the Coronation of our new monarch, so we can come together to demand that those in authority do more to ensure everyone has a decent home.”