ali smack Posted January 16, 2017 #1 Share Posted January 16, 2017 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/social-cleansing-one-londons-richest-9632220 I think this is dreadful. They should be trying to help the homeless, not remove them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Area Posted January 16, 2017 #2 Share Posted January 16, 2017 3 minutes ago, ali smack said: They should be trying to help the homeless, not remove them. Please, they are helping them, they are getting a house, just not in central London. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlitterRose Posted January 16, 2017 #3 Share Posted January 16, 2017 It looks like they're just trying to find places with affordable rent, and they have to look outside the city. But outlining plans to move some homeless families into private rents - rather than leaving them on the social housing waiting list - he warned: "Difficult choices are inescapable. "While we always try to provide accommodation for homeless people in Westminster, like many other boroughs of all political persuasions we have to look at identifying suitable homes beyond the City’s boundaries. "The lack of affordable properties in Westminster and London means that many of these private rented offers will have to be outside London." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlitterRose Posted January 16, 2017 #4 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Now, there could be gentrification going on, and not enough social housing being built. But there are multiple factors involved in something like that. The homeless need places to live, and if there aren't any that are affordable in that area...well, that's why they have to look elsewhere. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyuk Posted January 16, 2017 #5 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Just my opinion here but London isn't the friendliest place to live and getting anyone a home away from there is a step up from no home 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplybill Posted January 16, 2017 #6 Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) 47 minutes ago, ali smack said: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/social-cleansing-one-londons-richest-9632220 I think this is dreadful. They should be trying to help the homeless, not remove them. "But outlining plans to move some homeless families into private rents - rather than leaving them on the social housing waiting list - he warned: "Difficult choices are inescapable." I don't understand the above quote. Who is faced with making "difficult choices"? The homeless families? The boroughs? "Social cleansing" seems a bit inflammatory. That phrase has been used to describe genocide. Finding homes for homeless families is a charitable endeavor. I don't get it. Edited January 16, 2017 by simplybill 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlitterRose Posted January 16, 2017 #7 Share Posted January 16, 2017 One could certainly argue if there is gentrification going on that there is not enough affordable housing. But that said, the homeless need places to live now. Certainly argue about affordable housing in London at some point, but not while they're freezing to death. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashotep Posted January 16, 2017 #8 Share Posted January 16, 2017 What they are doing might not be the perfect plan but at least they are trying to find them housing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+and-then Posted January 16, 2017 #9 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Apparently, Alismack is doing what I've been known to do also - post something without really READING it all. It happens ..... If these people are homeless the I assume they are unemployed also, maybe I'm wrong. IF they have no work then having a roof over their head an hour outside of one of the most expensive cities on earth is probably a good thing. It's better than being homeless in NYC, Paris or Moscow, I'm pretty sure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LV-426 Posted January 16, 2017 #10 Share Posted January 16, 2017 It's probably worth making a few points for those outside the U.K. to better understand the problems we have here. Firstly, London is a bubble. Property prices are ten times that of other parts of the country. A pokey flat in Central London might cost the same as a detached house in the countryside once you head north, or out to parts of Wales, etc. Secondly, being a geographically small nation with a 65 million plus population, land is at a premium. This is especially true in areas such as London, where redevelopment is pretty much the only option. Swathes of the capital are bought up by investors, largely foreign investors, who are redeveloping formerly affordable family homes into high-end, luxury homes for the wealthy, and accomodation for middle-class workers, many of which work in London during the week and have main properties elsewhere. Britain, due to its generous health and social care has a massive target painted on it when it comes to immigration. With the open borders policy of the EU, even outside the Schengen Zone, we're a nation at breaking point. The Red Cross recently declared that there is a "humanitarian crisis" in its hospitals in England. So, while Central London and its more affluent boroughs have massive investment, elsewhere in the nation the overflow of migrants get packed into HMO's (Houses of Multiple Occupancy) in less affluent areas, where local councils are already under huge pressure, and have had to deal with massive budget cuts, cutting services left, right and centre. This is what many do not realize when it comes to Brexit. They'd rather believe that 52% of the British population are xenophobic bigots, rather than seeing the truth of the situation here. I can't find the link now, but in a report commissioned by Mr. EU himself, David Cameron, one school in Yorkshire was listed as having an intake increase of immigrant pupils from 100 to 2,500. It's not racism. It's mathematics. Anyway... I'm getting off the subject. Hope that makes the situation in London clearer for some. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sees Posted January 16, 2017 #11 Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) It's also the homeless, i.e. not just homeless families http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/westminster-council-in-plan-to-move-homeless-people-out-of-london-a3438756.html and, yes, it smacks of social cleansing to me! Did they ask the homeless if they wanted to be moved? Ha! There may be some truth in that link, i.e. some might be amenable to getting a job but (I am sure most of us know now) a large percentage of the homeless constitute those with addiction and/or mental health problems. Doesn't take a genius to look beyond the flimsy PR facade. FURTHERMORE, Westminster has a reputation for dealing badly with those homeless in their borough. For example, placing metal spikes around Westminster cathedral to stop the homeless sleeping there (which have since been removed due to public protest). Look what they also tried to do.... https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/nov/02/westminster-council-homeless-soup Clearly they are embarassed by the increasing number of homeless in their borough (and elsewhere) - can't let the tourists see too much reality now, can we? Disgraceful! Edited January 16, 2017 by sees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyuk Posted January 17, 2017 #12 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) Sometimes people who are working are made homeless because private landlords sell the rental properties or hike the rent way to high This can and does result in working families being rehoused so far away from work that they lose their jobs as well as their homes It also results in people becoming isolated on benefits in towns many miles from other family members To addinsult to injury the people are offered a choice of up to 3 rented property in a town sometimes 100 miles or more away and if they refuse to take it the council in London effectively washes their hands of the problem saying they've offered suitable accommodation but its been refused Note suitable only really means number of bedrooms required in legal terms Also there is a cap on housing benefit payments to both working or non working claimants. Remember some claimants are unable to work due to ill health and some who can work only have zero hour contracts and are supposed to be topped up via benefits Also benefit payments can be delayed or reduced/sanctioned which drives people into rent arrears and debt which can also result in working families becoming homeless Edited January 17, 2017 by nyuk new info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essan Posted January 17, 2017 #13 Share Posted January 17, 2017 So you are homeless and jobless Would you be better off sleeping on the streets of Westminster? Or living in a house somewhere else? Seriously?! I think this is a great idea that could genuinely help people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Wellington Posted January 17, 2017 #14 Share Posted January 17, 2017 On 16/01/2017 at 5:51 PM, ali smack said: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/social-cleansing-one-londons-richest-9632220 I think this is dreadful. They should be trying to help the homeless, not remove them. So the tax payer has to pay £180 per night instead of £60 to house them in a B&B? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sees Posted January 17, 2017 #15 Share Posted January 17, 2017 34 minutes ago, Essan said: So you are homeless and jobless Would you be better off sleeping on the streets of Westminster? Or living in a house somewhere else? Seriously?! I think this is a great idea that could genuinely help people Er...I don't think it works like that. Homeless families are being rehoused elsewhere...as for the homeless, yes they are moved but, given Westminster's past history with them (see my post above # 11), it's largely a case of 'don't believe the hype!' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyuk Posted January 17, 2017 #16 Share Posted January 17, 2017 2 hours ago, Essan said: So you are homeless and jobless Would you be better off sleeping on the streets of Westminster? Or living in a house somewhere else? Seriously?! I think this is a great idea that could genuinely help people Thankfully I'm not. Nor do I live in London but many people are and being forced to move away from an area where many were born Also if people are homeless and jobless through no fault of their own I don't agree it is fair that they are often forced to leave the area Another kicker is its extremely difficult for some homeless people to actually claim benefits without a home address Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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