On Christmas Eve, we featured the tragic story of Knightsbridge’s Brompton Road morphing into a ‘tent city’ for the homeless and now with a nationwide lockdown this January with ‘Lockup 3.0,’ it has become even more essential that these unfortunate people are given more help.
This morning, for once, came good news in the Guardian in a report about the government telling councils to “redouble their efforts to house all rough sleepers, and make sure they are registered with a GP to enable them to receive a Covid vaccine over the next few weeks.”
In addition to £10 million extra in funding as well, with the extension of the ban on evictions in all but the most extreme cases until at least 21st February also, for once, Robert Jenrick, the controversial communities secretary, has finally done something right.
Two stories to keep beside you
Lockup Lunacy
Matthew Steeples condemns the government’s slapdash decision to lockup most of Britain (other than estate agents) once again as ludicrous.
Vanquish The Vagrancy Act
Matthew Steeples joins those calling for the Vagrancy Act to be urgently repealed; homeless people need help and not hate News that a 31-year-old homeless man was found dead in sub-zero temperatures last week in Birmingham is shocking enough, but that 34% of local authorities in England and Wales are continuing to use the […]
Of the decision, Jenrick remarked:
“At the start of this pandemic we made sure that the most vulnerable in society were protected. This winter, we are continuing in this vein and redoubling our efforts to help those most in need.”
Rightly acknowledged as a step in the right direction, in response, Jon Sparkes, CEO of the homeless charity Crisis, called the move a “lifesaving intervention [at the] most dangerous moment of the pandemic for those without a home.”
As we said in December, remember this: One in three families are only one pay cheque away from losing their home; don’t think it couldn’t be you. Please be kind and considerate to the homeless and please join all urging this government to do more for such people during this dark, depressing, bleak winter.
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Readers have their say
4 comments
Don’t think the Tories are doing this out of the goodness of their 💓 remove them from office now
As I live in Knightsbridge, i have been watching the situation develop, and always try to help the genuine homeless and there are many . But one thing that is negatively affecting the predicament of those genuine unfortunate people in need, are the professional thieving gyspsy or other beggars in middle eastern attire ,( although from Romania or Albania, ) who are pestering everyone round Harrods , and occupy pavements and shop entrances. They have also been seen trying to kick out homeless from their spots ..
It has been reported that they have tricked Westminster council in giving me free hotel accommodation as homeless , although they should have been deported. The Council was considering paying their trip back to Romania. But they come back , at least up to now.
So precious resources are used for dealing with illegal migrants criminal gangs , where those funds should go to homeless instead
You are quite right M-A about the gang controlled people and they should be stopped, but further down towards Brompton Oratory, where there are even less people than normal wandering about, they’re mostly old people, Irish, Europeans, etc. I took them food at Christmas and chatted with them. They are decent people who’ve fallen on hard times and at this time, they’re sadly likely to succumb to the cold if not the coronavirus.
The Councils are allegedly frittering money way to non essential causes where those funds should help the homeless as a priority . There should be question of introducing a special solidarity tax on Knightsbridge and Kensington home owners who are neither resident or UK tax payers and keep the flats empty all year round and such funds raised could help the homeless