In 2009, I was homeless. I sofa-surfed and slept rough one night – things not all 18-year-olds can imagine. In Labour’s Britain I became a youth homeless statistic, one of the thousands of young people who were homeless and not seen as a priority because they were a year too old. It may be surprising to learn that I am now a Conservative housing campaigner.
People frequently ask how I can be a Conservative and a housing campaigner, often pointing to the 169% increase in homelessness since austerity began. The answer? This wasn’t the fault of evil Tories: after every recession in the UK there has been a rise in homelessness.
We need to remember that the Conservatives were in opposition at the time of the 2008 financial crash. A range of austerity measures were needed to tackle the economic downturn, including cuts to local authorities’ budgets that have meant cuts to frontline homelessness services.
The Conservatives did not come to power intending to destroy people’s lives or make them homeless. They were elected to help fix things.
That’s why, six months after running as an independent candidate in Hackney, London, in 2017, wining 50 votes, I joined the Conservative party. As someone who wasn’t entitled to priority assistance for housing at the age of 18, I was proud to join the party that proposed the Homelessness Reduction Act. This new law raises the duty on local authorities to prevent homelessness for their residents from 28 days to 56 days and to provide advice and guidance on options for the individual or family at risk of becoming homeless.
I was also proud to be part of the party that announced its commitment to three housing first programmes in the 2017 budget, when no other party has done so, and the party that has committed to end rough sleeping by 2027. These policies tell me that the Conservatives are getting more serious on homelessness.
Conservatives are not all the same. My own campaigns on homelessness show this. I campaigned to renovate empty properties above shops in Hackney. I have successfully campaigned for a homelessness forum to be set up with agencies who work with homeless people in Worcester, and challenged Worcester City council on its homelessness policy.
I’m a housing campaigner and a Tory. For me, there is no contradiction. I will continue fighting with the knowledge of what it’s like to be a young homeless person. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, political friend or foe.
