A recent report on the South East news, of a homeless man who ended up in a garbage truck because he slept in a dumpster, struck a chord with me. This story left me asking a lot of questions. In particular, why are there so many homeless people in this country?
Affordable housing – where is it?
Nobody wakes up in the morning with a plan to become homeless, but it does happen. When you try to rent a property, there are certain things that you have to prove before you sign an agreement. This is self-explanatory, not everybody in this world is trustworthy. But if you don’t earn a certain amount and you don’t have a guarantor, you are basically left without a place to live. This annoys me to no end. There is such a thing as housing for low income earners, but there’s no assurance that you will get a property in the area that you need to live in. So if you have no means of transport, and children who attend school, this may be problematic.
Interested in the future of social housing? We’re launching a national conversation, and we want to hear from you ? https://t.co/gYfQk98y4Z pic.twitter.com/hfw2SIbR52
— Shelter (@Shelter) 24 January 2018
In 2017 the Government released plans to increase funding for affordable home by £2 billion. The funding will supply around 25,000 more houses with long term rental agreements and also support councils and housing associations where the pressure is intense. Meanwhile, who can you turn to?
Shelter is a national organisation and they provide help from training to legal advice. They’re available to offer support either face to face or on their 24/7 helpline. If you check out the website there is a plethora of information to help you with your housing queries. It’s not just homelessness that they combat, these guys can help you with everything from repairs and disrepairs, including reluctant landlords.
Shelter believe everybody has the right to a safe and affordable home and spend countless hours campaigning and fundraising to make it possible. In fact, Shelter have been fighting for affordable housing for fifty years now and with a little help hopefully they’ll be around indefinitely.
Vertical Rush March 15, 2018
Climbing 932 steps – that’s 42 flights of stairs, doesn’t thrill me at all, but if you were able to raise a pound for each step, that’s £932 towards helping Shelter build a better future for somebody. So if you fancy a tour of Tower 42’s stairwell in the gleaming city of London, then get involved. It’s not too late to enter and the cause is a good one. There are tips for training on the Shelter website and all of the information that you need to enter.
Of course, the Vertical Rush challenge isn’t the only way you can get help out. There are several other physical events as well as campaigns on the website, or you might just want to do something as simple as donating unwanted clothing to one of their charity shops. However small you think the deed might be, you’d be surprised how much it helps.
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