This is the first time Brent Hayward has found himself homeless and it is also the first time he has registered to vote. “Something is telling me to vote,” says Hayward, 52, sitting in a Salvation Army-run hostel in Birmingham. “Something is telling me to do it.
“I am not keen on politicians but every four years the same people come in and out of power and promise you the world and nothing happens,” he adds. “But the NHS needs help, people like us here [need help]. It’s the first time I’ve been in a hostel but the people here are brilliant.”
It’s teatime at the Salvation Army William Booth centre Lifehouse, and talk has turned to politics. The charity Crisis is running a pop-up event encouraging homeless people to register so they can have their say in the upcoming election.
Crisis and other charities have been making a concerted effort to help those without a permanent address exert their democratic right. Advice desks, such as this one in Birmingham, have been set up and outreach workers have been helping homeless people register to vote across the country.
Those without a fixed address can register at a place where they spend a lot of time or have some link through a “declaration of local connection” form. Homeless people can also register the address of a night or day shelter.
Despite this, data indicates the numbers of homeless voters is low. Figures from the Electoral Commission found that 2,963 individuals registered under “declaration of local connection” in 2016, the only year data was recorded. This is a fraction of the estimated 320,000 homeless population.
The problem of homelessness has come into increasing focus. Rough sleeping has continued to rise in London and other big cities; 726 homeless people died in England and Wales last year on the streets and in temporary accommodation.
Last week, two homeless people died: one man who was found next to a Hilton hotel in Nottingham city centre, and another man who was found dead in a tent in West Yorkshire. Despite this, the issue has not been a priority for leading parties in their election pledges.
In Birmingham, a man on crutches walks past the Crisis stand and a leaflet that says: “Your Vote Matters”. He has not voted for a long time, he says, but after a brief chat decides to register his name.
Amy Fleming, the public affairs officer at St Mungo’s, says: “The most important thing is going out to where clients are and going into services and trying to encourage them to register to vote but also having general chats about the election.
“You are not going to immediately get someone to register but once you give them the space and opportunity to talk about politics, you find out their opinions and let them know their opinions are valued, that can help.
“The expectation is that it will be a long process but if someone is staying in temporary accommodation they can use that address to register and then they only need their date of birth and national insurance number.”
Charities say there appears to be high engagement this year. “My sense is that this year there is an increased appetite to vote,” says Steve Lee, senior campaigns officer for Crisis. “It could be because things have come to such a point – things are so bad now, they are beyond ignoring. People’s individual experiences tells them something has to change and homelessness cannot continue to rise as has done and homeless services cannot be cut as they have been.”
Fleming says: “I do feel homeless people are quite engaged. Maybe not at first, when you first go in, there is often ‘Oh not again [another election]’. There is a sense from clients sometimes things won’t change and they feel let down by the system and it isn’t working for them. But if we do get into debates and conversations about it there is definitely interest.”
Last month, it was leaked that the Conservatives planned to make showing ID such as driving licences or passports at the ballot box a requirement. Charities are worried about its impact on voters without an address.
“It could make it harder for homeless people and … obviously a lot of our clients don’t have ID and that is one of the things people are pleased about when you go to register,” says Fleming.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive at Crisis, says: “It is very difficult for anyone to keep documents safe when they have no fixed address. They can often be stolen or lost and are costly and difficult to replace. Many of our clients struggle to keep hold of identification, claim benefits, access healthcare or open a bank account as a result.”
In Birmingham, Brent leans back in his chair as he explains how he became homeless. He said he had health problems and has found it hard to get work. “I became homeless due to a lack of help,” he says.
“I am a skilled bloke, a top skilled welder. There is nothing I don’t know about cars, but I broke my neck around 20 years ago. They said I would only walk for 10 years but I have been walking for 20. I have chronic pain.”
He will decide who to vote for by watching politicians on TV but the main issues for him are homelessness and the NHS. ”We need more help. If I was a nurse I would not be happy with the money I get given for the stuff they have to do. The level of abuse they face now, people moan at nurses but the reality is they don’t have the funds to do anything.”
It is austerity, not Brexit, that appears to be at the front of many homeless people’s minds ahead of December’s vote. A stone’s throw from parliament in Kensington and Chelsea, Niall, not his real name, hugs a radiator the moment he escapes the biting November cold inside a church where he will spend the night.
His message for the next prime minister: “Sort the homeless people out. It’s not even the young homeless, get the old homeless people off the street. It’s a disgrace. People that have fought in wars for this country, people who have worked in factories for this country, lying out on the street.
“Nobody has solved the issue. All you hear is Brexit, Brexit, Brexit. Bullshit. The country has crumbled from the inside out, it wasn’t Europe. Britain was crumbling from the inside out for years.”
