Letter: Homeless in Wem
Tuesday 23rd August 2011, 6:32AM BST.
Letter: I have been homeless for 19 months and noticed if you don’t work you get more. If they are a 16 to 25-year-old unmarried mother, they get a house straight away, even though they are living with their family who have the room.
There is a house in Wem that is empty most of the time because the person stays with his girlfriend. The system is all wrong.
If you are 40 to 60, they don’t want to know you if a relationship breaks down, and the ones that do work with young children, can’t live in Wem.
One young person who was born and bred in Wem had to go and live six miles out of Wem because she can drive.
Where I work in Wem there are young women there with children and they aren’t workshy.
Also in Wem, one family with three children (two boys and a girl) both work and the daughter has to sleep in their room. How can that be right?
Then you get people from other counties who should be on the transfer list and not allocated local houses.
I know one lady who is coming up to 70. She puts these youngsters to shame and works all the hours. She has just started to take weekends off.
This system needs sorting fast, and if you talk to a councillor they pass the buck. All they seem interested in is a town square which nobody wants, instead of looking at the housing issues.
And if you go for private housing, you are robbed blind with all the fees which landlords are cashing in on – also, some estate agents (not all). Then they won’t allow pets, especially dogs. No wonder all these poor animals are in homes, and we are meant to be animal lovers. What a joke.
Susan Scriven
Wem
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Far to many assumptions in this letter, however a few spot on ones the unmarried single teenage mother is a major problem , self responsibility is needed with this group possibly we need to take a long hard look at that issue and this group of people.
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I disagree Andrew, seems pretty factual to me and I would suggest that she probably has a far more detailed knowledge of this subject than you or I. It is a complicated field though with too few resources available to investigate abuses of the system and too little flexibility to facilitate sensible solutions. Homelessness is one of the most miserable conditions conceivable.
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Possibly Bob, but what business is it of the writer what a tenant does? as long as it is within his/her agreement the guy could actually have to work away during the week.
She has a point with the un realistic private tenant rents.
It is my view councils should be able to cap these as in many parts of europe. we have proof that many of these private rents are being funded by H-BENEFIT via THE WORKING TENANT possibly more of a scandal than H-BENEFIT being paid to the unemployed.
we should not be lining the pockets of greedy landlords.
we could actually learn a lot from europe with regards the rental market here in the uk and make it a little more tenant family friendly , although i do not smoke it makes me smile when i see house to rent £950 non smokers,no children,no pets , how on earth do they enforce the smoking bit ? with out calling in every now and again un announced far to much empasis in favor of the land lord.
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“how on earth do they enforce the smoking bit?” Simple, ban ashtrays ! (have I missed something?)
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Ban an ash tray in a tenants house?? unfurnished property , so now you want the tenants privat e items checked?, what next no tesco shoppers.
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They can’t enforce it, hence I smoke in my private rented flat. I shall of course repaint when the time comes at my own cost!
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This situation is widespread across the county. Many councils have a priority system that favours unmarried mothers, those from other boroughs and immigrants. A recent report showed that only 17% of all tenants in social housing are British whilst a staggering 80% are Somali. This issue seriously needs addressing and I only hope this lady finds a roof over her head asap.
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Other way around – 80% of Somalis living in Britain live in social housing compared to 17% British born
http://www.migrationwatchuk.org/briefingPaper/document/236
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Any chance of a link to that report?
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Rather than wait for a reply I Googled it – and found a report stating that 80% of UK Somalis live in social housing.
Not quite the same thing as your “17% of all tenants in social housing are British whilst a staggering 80% are Somali”.
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Indeed not but, for some people, little things like the facts are of no consequence when there is lazy, reflexive prejudice waiting to be expressed.
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Simple, If they are to lazy to work and support their family’s just send them back to their own country.
If you have not payed into the system you should not get anything out.
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@John Jones, could you possibly clarify the relevance of that uninformed little piece of spite?
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John,
For all you know many of the people you criticise are indeed working, but in low-paid jobs – hence the need for social housing. Social housing is not the sole prerogative of the unemployed in our increasingly sweatshop employment market.
In your post you’ve simply shown that your disapproval of these people is based purely upon their race.
Disgusting prejudice as usual…
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I am aware of Sue’s situation, and I agree that it is disgusting that she is being treated in such an appalling manner.
Sue became homeless through no fault of her own, and yet she seems to be continually put to the back of the housing list just because she’s honest, hard-working, and not a benefits scrounger.
I can totally understand why Sue feels let down. Umpteen times homes suitable for Sue and her family have been given to single mothers on benefits, people who aren’t even from Shropshire let alone Wem, etc etc.
It’s about time the housing system worked for the benefit of EVERYONE, regardless of whether they do or don’t have children, jobs, pets, etc.
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Gaynor,
The reason single mothers score more highly in the systems for allocating housing is that they have children. Whether they are single or married is not a factor.
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What happend to sex education.
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The level playing field went out with Mr Blair and Brown, they knew which side their bread was buttered.
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The level paying field you refer to, went when Margaret decided to sell council houses in exchange for working class votes. This country inevitably reaps what it sows.
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I concur. Also the same Margaret that abolished the Fair Rent system, despite much rebellion in the House of Lords. This caused Britain to become one of the most expensive countries in the world for private rents. Young people cannot afford to buy or rent. Many workers pay more than half their salary to a landlord. Perhaps these inequalities are worth considering when talking about homelessness, single parents and “benefit scroungers”.
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Robert and Shropshire Biker,
Hit the nail on the head there – people have such short memories.
A fact that Iron Flag, John Jones and others will never point out is that the vast majority of housing benefit goes not to the regular tabloid whipping boys of ‘dole scroungers’ or ‘immigrants’, but to people in employment on or around the minimum wage.
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Peter, ” the vast majority of housing benefit goes to people in employment on or around the minimum wage” Where does the rest go? To pay the rent on mansions in London for the immigrants perhaps as reported in the Guardian.
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Its refreshing to see someone is on the ball and not making up threads like so many on the blog.
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Sue should try the Shropshire Housing Alliance, they were brill and helped me loads when I found myself homeless:
http://www.shalliance.org.uk/ha.aspx
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@ Peter – you forgot to mention, some of them are even (ssshhh!) public sector workers!!!!!!
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Kath,
I’m afraid that if we are to believe the ramblings of a number of the less well-informed contributors to these forums, all public sector workers are on at least £30k per annum…
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I do not think people, not in the public sector think all are on just above average wage or more ,but that the public sector many posters refer to are, they have no interest in the ones on low pay as most of these will not be affected by many of the changes. In fact id say most low paid in the pss most of the low paid in the public sector.
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See you all complain there’s not enough social housing or its going to the wrong people but when they want to build a new affordable housing development everyone is up in arms about it, you can’t have it both ways!
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Interesting comments, some good points, a number of inaccuracies and assumptions.Homelessness and its causes is a complicated subject, and rural homelessness is a particularly difficult situation to be in and I totally sympathise.The first attempt by Govt to pass legislation specifically to force LAs to tackle homelessness was in 1977,and there has been subsequent legislation since.Part of the problem has been caused by the demise of council housing due largely to the Right to Buy,tinkering with the Housing Benefit system, Rent Acts covering the private sector, and a lack of joined up thinking by successive Govts.The legislation sets out who are to be considered Priority Need and anyone with dependant children, whether married or single are in this group, as are pregnant women , those fleeing domestic violence, single persons are generally non priority need , you really cant blame local authorities , they have to follow the law.Just as an aside, in Wales you are in priority need if you are a prison leaver, no matter how many times you offend !! Good old Welsh Assembly…..I had to work with this system and fully understand the frustration felt by many seeking decent settled accomodation, but dont blame Councils or hard pressed Homeless Officers.
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