18/09/2012

A future that works


EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO A HOME
We note the outcry prompted by Cardiff Retail Partnerships' reported call for the police use the 1824 Vagrancy Act to detain homeless people; “so that visitors to Cardiff were not given the wrong impression during the Olympics”.
The prospect of further 40% capital cuts to the Welsh Government budget endangers existing provision whilst threatening many more with destitution and homelessness. With these cuts hitting existing grants it is difficult to see how many projects will survive. The way to deal with rough sleepers is increasing and improving help to assist into safe, supported homes; not invoking some punitive hangover from the 19th century.
In Austerity Britain many are only one paycheque away from homelessness. Research conducted on behalf of Unite suggests two-thirds of working people have to borrow money ahead of payday and almost half of young people already need financial assistance in order to avoid being forced onto the streets. One opinion poll suggests over three quarters of people would not be confident of surviving on the current rate of Jobseekers Allowance.
Currently there are 45,000 jobseekers in South East Wales chasing 7,000 available jobs. Others are in part-time or temporary work, and subsist on less than a living wage. The demonization of benefit claimants is routine. Disability benefits are under attack with £1.4 billion cuts to Disability Living Allowance ,while the £26,000 cap on welfare payments threatens a further 40,000 families with homelessness, yet in the wake of the Olympics, rather than helping the homeless, authorities have unleashed ‘public order crackdowns’
As the government criminalises squatting, the number of empty domestic properties in Cardiff exceeds 7.000. Across the UK, the empty homes statistics group estimate almost a million empty homes. Today there are 1.8 million families on council housing waiting lists, representing over 4 million people, while Data analysts SSentif’s research shows that 50,290 families and individuals were already classed as homeless in 2011/12.
The government has failed to build new council housing providing provision for those currently denied the basic right of shelter granted under the UN Charter, yet a systematic construction scheme could create jobs, reduce unemployment, and boost the economy. It would end housing benefit subsidising the lifestyle of wealthy landlords.
The most positive thing emerging from this attack on the homeless is the opposition voiced by so many people; both on the streets and via social media suggesting a strong feeling of solidarity with people in difficult circumstances. We now need to build on this to respond to any future attacks on the homeless, and link the fight for dignity for homeless people with the wider struggle against austerity; such as World Homelessness Day (10/10/2012), and the TUC sponsored event in London (20/10/2012). Then we can strive to ensure we all have ‘A Future That Works’.

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