The Sea Cat
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Edited Jul 13, 2010, 11:20
Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 11:18
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/13/housing-labour-failure-now-gets-worse
I work for a Homeless charity, and this article is depressingly accurate.
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Merrick
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Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 11:29
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"Anyone out of work for over a year will lose another 10% in housing benefit on top"
Another attack, blaming the unemployed for their circumstances.
There are 2.47 million people unemployed.
The government said recent budget will cause the loss of a further 1.3 million jobs.
The government's new tests are recategorising 68% of people on Incapacity Benefit as fit to work. This will add 1.77 million to the unemployed.
Add these three groups together and we're looking at 5.54 million people unemployed.
There are less than half a million job vacancies.
That's more than eleven people per job available. Penalising them for not getting jobs that don't exist is obscene.
The cut in housing benefit will lead to evictions, which means moving people into temporary accommodation, which is far more expensive to the state than the housing benefit.
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The Sea Cat
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Edited Jul 13, 2010, 12:25
Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 11:55
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The number of referrals and direct access applications where I work is noticeably rising as is the sheer anxiety and distress for the genuine majority of residents who are in receipt of incapacity and disablity benefits. Many are having their benefits frozen whilst their claims are investigated, and so our applications for food packs from the local church run charity is increasing. In a 'civilised' society, food packs that are reliant on the kind donations of others, not the state, whilst you are kept penniless through no fault of your own. Think about it. This is also happening in the wider community as well. The homeless community has unfortunately always had a stereotypical image. This will soon be changing drastically as more and more people who felt relatively secure three months ago now face the genuine prospect of redundancy and homelessness through no fault of their own, courtesy of a completely unnecessary and destructive economic policy which is social engineering, pure and simple. It is utterly disgraceful and shameful. I can only take solace in the certainty that when the full social impact of this malevolent Government's policies are felt, it will be their utter undoing. Even the previously core bedrock vote of 'I'm all right Jacks' will have their bite.
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drewbhoy
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Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 12:08
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Agreed Mr Seacat, but they seem to be taking advantage of most of the insecure people e.g. disabled, homeless, carers etc, etc Fortunately up here we are saved from this Tory shambles by the government in Edinburgh. (tho they get it wrong as well!)
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The Sea Cat
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Edited Jul 13, 2010, 12:16
Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 12:15
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Whislt second home owners continue to enjoy tax breaks, and the biggest scroungers of them all, the monarchy, continue to be funded. At least you can enjoy the view of the private helicopters going to and fro from Canary Wharf from your cardboard box in a shop doorway, eh ?
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Merrick
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Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 14:36
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the persistence with Trident replacement is one of the major shockers for me. How can they possibly talk about wasted public money with a straight face if they're going to blow billions on something that has no purpose?
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The Sea Cat
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Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 15:12
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Exactly. What really makes my hackles rise is this vile 'we're all in it together' shite. The vulnerable and those in need should always be exempt.
It is the moral duty of the better off to make sure of this. If I was extremely wealthy, I would expect to pay more tax than others and would gladly do so, and I wouldn't mind paying slightly more ( miniscule really in personal expendable income terms) either on my standard earnings to ensure those that needed to be protected, were. It's entirely cynical, punitive and disgraceful. The needy are a burden it seems.
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pooley
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Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 15:42
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The Sea Cat wrote: Whislt second home owners continue to enjoy tax breaks, and the biggest scroungers of them all, the monarchy, continue to be funded. At least you can enjoy the view of the private helicopters going to and fro from Canary Wharf from your cardboard box in a shop doorway, eh ?
As a second home owner, i am grateful for the tax breaks
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The Sea Cat
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Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 15:45
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Of course you would be, that's understandable, but I don't think its fair, and in some cases it's very detrimental to rural economies, although I am not in anyway suggesting that is the case with you Pooley.
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handofdave
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Re: Homelessness Surge
Jul 13, 2010, 15:48
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The Republicans here in America insist that the unemployed are all just 'lazy' and unwilling to look for work.
No doubt some ride out their benefits as long as they can, but the truth is that there just really aren't enough jobs to go around.
Bit by bit, the west is reverting back to the bad old days of total corporate power, and the great unwashed buy it hook, line, and sinker.
All you have to do is whittle away at people's security, then tell them they can have it back if they merely throw all their rights away. Hence the anti-union stance held by so many people who are barely making ends meet.... they have been trained to blame others in their own economic class (or lower) for their troubles.
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