Town hall protest over council’s ‘cruel bullying’

More than 150 members of the housing campaign group HASL yesterday (29 October) protested outside Lambeth council’s housing office against “cruel new bullying tactics”.

People from Lambeth who have been housed in temporary accommodation outside the borough were joined by other families from Westminster, Enfield, Haringey, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Waltham Forest, Islington, Croydon, Lewisham, Hounslow, Greenwich, Dartford, and Southwark – all facing the same stressful circumstances.

“The council’s response to our presence was to shut down the office and they refused to accept our large letter that we were trying to deliver,” said HASL – Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth.

Responding to the protest, the council said the cost of housing homeless families has risen to more than £100m a year and 2,900 homeless households have now been in “temporary” accommodation for more than two years and over 1,500 for more than five years.

It said the gap between private sector rent levels and benefits in the borough means that to secure permanent homes for homeless households, it is forced to look outside the borough for homes people can afford to live in.

Families remained determined and protested outside the office for more than an hour. Their chants demanded an end to bullying and harassment and threats to force families to distant places like Dover.

Families spoke publicly about the impact of Lambeth’s “cruel new bullying tactics” on their lives.

HASL said that, as the homeless crisis continued to spiral, with yet more record-breaking statistics of homeless children, Lambeth council is “escalating bullying tactics against families in temporary accommodation”.

It said HASL members living in temporary accommodation have been subjected to “intimidating home visits” by housing officers leading them to believe they would be evicted; sent emails telling them they would be sent to Dover; and forced into the private rented sector under threat of destitution.

HASL said its freedom of information research shows that, in three months, the council conducted 180 of these home visits, with council officials even travelling to temporary accommodation Surrey on four occasions.

The letter they planned to present says there are many serious problems with how the homeless system currently works for families in Lambeth, and beyond.

“But Lambeth council’s recent policies further harass and harm homeless families who are already facing the crisis and trauma of homelessness,” it says.

“We demand that the council confirms within 21 days that they have stopped home visits in temporary accommodation, stopped threatening to move homeless people to Dover, and that they pledge that no more mandatory offers of private housing are made.

“The council must immediately stop this campaign against homeless people and stop undermining homeless rights.

“Instead, we invite the council to use their resources to improve standards of temporary accommodation, and to campaign for the huge investment in council housing that we desperately need, which is the only solution to the homelessness crisis.”

HASL member Elizabeth Wyatt said: “This intensified campaign of harassment and bullying by Lambeth council against homeless people must stop immediately.

“It’s causing immense harm and distress to some of our borough’s must vulnerable residents and there is absolutely no justification whatsoever for the council’s actions.

“The council should never use policies that plunge people into further crisis.”

Wyatt said HASL members were shocked when they heard reports of housing officers making unannounced visits to our members in temporary accommodation.

“Our members were left believing that they would be imminently evicted,” she said.

“Then, suddenly, another member received an email saying her family would be sent to Dover, despite having work and school here in Lambeth.:

She said the council has also made a “disastrous decision” to use a policy called “private sector discharge”. This means homeless families are given mandatory offers of private housing under threat of destitution.

“This policy, which Lambeth council have never used before, creates a cycle of homelessness and undermines vital homeless rights,” said Wyatt.

“Instead of launching a campaign against their own residents, we demand that Lambeth council target a campaign to their own Labour government for the huge investment in council housing that we desperately need, which is the only solution to the homelessness crisis.”

A Lambeth council spokesperson said: “Lambeth is at the forefront of the national housing crisis, with over 4,500 families in temporary accommodation and this has increased by over 50% in just two years.

“Temporary accommodation is meant to be for short periods, but the reality is that 2,900 homeless households have now been in temporary accommodation for more than TWO years and over 1,500 for more than FIVE years.

“The uncertainty and lack of a stable home is hugely damaging for residents, and very expensive for the Council.

“The cost of housing homeless families in temporary accommodation has risen to more than £100m a year.

“The gap between private sector rent levels and benefits in Lambeth means that to secure permanent homes for homeless households, we are forced to look outside the borough for homes that residents can afford to live in.

“In the face of this unprecedented demand, we are committed to providing the most suitable accommodation available to everyone who comes to us needing a roof above their heads.

“But the acute shortage of affordable accommodation – in Lambeth, London and the South East – and the rising number of people needing a home, mean it is not always possible to find suitable, permanent accommodation within our borough.

“Our staff provide advice and support, including on the housing options available, in the most considerate and professional way.

“The long-term answer to the crisis is to deliver the genuinely affordable homes that Lambeth needs, and building these houses for local families is one of our core priorities as a council.”

Two HASL members at the protest described recent home visits to their temporary accommodation by council housing officers.

Sara said: “We received a note from the council through our door about a missed appointment. We then called the phone number on the note. The phone call from Lambeth left us feeling bullied and hopeless.

“They told us our temporary accommodation will end, but gave us no real options. For days we felt broken, imagining being homeless with our little child. Families should not be treated like this.

“Private renting is not a realistic option for us. The cheapest rents in London are £1,200–£1,300 a month for a small one-bedroom flat, while my husband earns about £1,200. After paying bills, food and other costs, there is nothing left.

“Even with Universal Credit support, it would not cover the rent and we would face constant fear of arrears and eviction

“We need safe, stable housing for our family, not to be pushed into unaffordable private rentals that will only cause more insecurity and stress.”

Maria said: “They came to my house and gave me a paper from the council saying ‘we missed you’. My mom then got an email saying the housing officer will come back in a week.

“We did not know what this was about and we were confused. We had a suitability review at that time, so it made sense that they were coming to visit to see the situation. When the officer came, they did not look at the house at all.

“The officer said the waiting time for social housing will be 20 years. The officer then said we need to move in 56 days, and this needs to be into private housing, and we have to find our own place.

“She said if we did not find private housing in 56 days then we will be evicted from our temporary accommodation, we will be moved out of London and lose our bidding account.

“She saw us panicking at this, and then she said they could maybe extend it to three to six months for us to move.

“She said it is better to move to private housing – ‘as then you can decide where to live’ – as she said that I will be 40 when we finally get social housing anyway.

“Me and my mom felt like we had no stability and that we would soon have no place to stay. We did not know what would happen to us.

“My mom got very depressed about this, and she was stressed as she did not know what to do. We did not know this was possible and it was a shock. We had been in temporary accommodation for a year, and so we thought we would stay in temporary accommodation until we got permanent housing.

“At the time we were doing a review to be moved back into Lambeth from our temporary accommodation in Croydon, so we were very confused why the council would threaten to move us even further away.

“We were counting down the 56 days, waiting to see what would happen to us. My mom was worried we would be moved out on the 56th day and into private housing, and the rent would be too high for us to afford.

“We were very confused this whole time and panicking, as we knew if we were moved into private housing then Lambeth would just leave us there and we would not be helped anymore.

“We then got an offer of permanent social housing! We were confused as we did not know what it was about. I thought it could be the private sector, because of Lambeth’s threats during the visit.

“When I found out it was housing association and in Lambeth, I felt relieved. I realised this was because of suitability review to get moved closer into housing that was also accessible for my mom’s mobility problems. We had a lot of relief, as now we knew we would not need to move ever again.

“After all this, I felt like Lambeth were spending money and resources just stress us out, the council’s pressure to move us to private housing was pointless as they gave us social housing. They could instead use their resources to actually support people.”

HASL celebrated its 12th anniversary this year marking over a decade of housing solidarity across South London by those at the worst end of the housing crisis.

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