Homeless Not Worthless

Article written by Tessa Warrington.

The three-night sleep-out outlined in this article is ongoing and campaigners are still camped on the doorstep of the Town Hall (May 1). Please do go and along and show your support!

Michael is homeless. I’m talking to him at the three night sleep-out organised by the homeless action group Streetlife in front of the Town Hall (between 24-27 April) as part of their ongoing campaign protesting the proposed cut of a third of the budget for homelessness. This cut — £2.2 mil — by the overwhelming majority Labour Leicester City Council includes plans to close two hostels and turn a third into an ‘assessment’ centre, all told a loss of over 200 beds.

It comes at the same time as the bedroom tax and cuts to council tax benefit (an unprecidented 20%, above and beyond that of even Tory councils!) are hitting those in council and social housing, the horrific reality of which will be eviction and a resulting RISE in homelessness!

So what excuse is our Labour city council giving for cutting provision for the homeless? That hostel beds are not being filled.

Michael, a Leicester-born lad, tells me he’s only been back in the country a few weeks, having been living abroad. Tragically, after serving in the armed forces as a medic on the front line in Bazrah, he developed Gulf War syndrome. At the time this was still unrecognised in the UK as a medical condition, so he settled in Germany and had a family whilst receiving the equivalent of DLA (Disability Living Allowance).

When he separated from his wife he moved to Spain due to further deterioration of his health. However, recently the status of his condition has been changed, disqualifying him from disability benefits. This has forced him to return to the UK to work in order to continue receiving benefits, most of which goes to support his children in Germany.

When he came back, Michael had nowhere to live. His mother, still a Leicester resident, is disabled and living in a one-bed bungalow. However, when he went to the Housing Options he was told he did not ‘fit the criteria’ in order to qualify for a bed. Without a nomination from Housing Options he was unable to get a place in any of Leicester’s hostels and had no choice but to sleep rough for an entire week.

Eventually reaching a stage of such physical and mental exhaustion he went and sat through the night on the steps of the Dawn Centre, Leicester’s most central hostel and base for the Streetlife group. When an outreach volunteer finally took pity and arranged for provision of a bed, Michael found that in a dorm of ten, seven beds were empty.

He tells me that from even his limited experience, this is a regular occurrence. People are being denied the chance of a bed by the Housing Options before they can even get to the hostels, all due to their not ‘fitting criteria’. No wonder the hostels aren’t ‘full’! Sadly Leicester’s street corners are, with the increasing number of victims of this and previous governments’ and disgusting treatment of the poorest and most vulnerable in society.

The homeless of Leicester and their supporters will not stand for it. Following the well-attended lobby of the council’s budget-setting meeting and the one night sleep-out in bitter weather on the Town Hall steps in March, this three night sleep-out marks a step forward in the campaign. Not only does it show the growing momentum and support locally for this campaign (with the potential for linking up with other groups and hostels) but also the progression and determination of its aims.

These people are no longer merely fighting AGAINST the cuts to the homelessness budget, but FOR the provision of decent services and facilities for ALL who need them. They are fighting to be seen as homeless, not worthless, and Michael is one of a growing number joining the fight to show this disgrace of a Labour council that when they don’t stand up for the people, the people are going to stand up for themselves!