Charles Dickens was born in 1812 into a country divided by great wealth and poverty. I wonder if in 2018 we are heading back there, when I see how we are treating the poor. One night recently I was walking home when I saw someone standing in the doorway of his home; one of a row of flats that have just been refurbished by the council for homeless families staying in B&Bs. I’m a local councillor (but not in the majority party) and asked him if he needed anything for his new place. He took me in and I saw he was sleeping on the floor, while his daughter was in a cot with no mattress. The house had no cooker, beds, fridge ... nothing. I organised a donation through Facebook and people contributed everything from cleaning products and toiletries, welcome cards and £120 in cash, to a new bed, upgraded cot and fridge. A local homeless charity collected and delivered the furniture. It was a really nice story. But since then I have found seven of his neighbouring families in the same position. Over the past year our council has been overwhelmed by increasing homelessness, and forced to put them up in B&Bs and sheltered accommodation, at great expense. Now it has rehoused them, but support for the families has completely stopped. These families were moved into bare properties, then left to repair their lives on their own. When I asked the council’s housing manager what the council does to help people after they move in, I was told: “Nothing.” Why are councils still treating the poor – especially the children – like second-class citizens? Why is there no joined-up approach to helping homeless families rebuild their lives?
This is a very sad situation and unfortunately, it’s not uncommon. Furniture poverty is a growing issue among low income families. Research by Poverty and Social Exclusion predicts that in 2012, 12 million people could not afford one or more essential household items. So you are right to be concerned. Not having essential white goods such as a cooker, fridge or washing machine can dramatically affect people’s lives. As Luke Evans, digital media editor at the Turn2us charity, which fights to alleviate UK poverty, says: “Not having essential items can mean going hungry, because you have no fridge to store food, or appliances to cook with, but can’t afford a takeaway; it can mean sending a child to school in dirty clothes because you have no washing machine.”
Some families end up taking out credit at very high interest rates to cover their costs, which exacerbates the cycle of poverty. Grants for these sorts of essentials have all but disappeared, as have many interest-free loans previously provided by local councils. However, there are charitable grants. These are no replacement for long-term, sustainable financial support, but Evans points out: “While benefits can sometimes take months to kick in, grants can be received within a week or two of applying.” Many are tailored to specific circumstances, and Turn2Us has a handy search tool available that lets you filter for this demographic information - such as gender, age and occupation - making searching easier.
These practical changes will hopefully make a difference for the families you have come across. But you are right to question the fairness of their situation, too. Families in short-term, temporary accommodation can be some of the most vulnerable, and it’s not right that they should lose out. You have already proven your ability to bring a community together in the work you have done so far. Could you use that same drive to put public pressure on the council? I wonder whether the people who chipped in to your very successful Facebook appeal would also be willing to write to the council to express their concern – or even better, to come together to present a petition at full council. Maybe some of the families you have met would be willing to give the council a piece of their mind publicly, too. You have set out on a mission to make sure these families feel remembered. It’s time to make sure the council doesn’t forget.
What do you think? Or have you got a question for Poppy and readers to consider? Post your responses below or email them to in.it.together@guardian.co.uk
