Homelessness is something that happens to other people: People with problems, people caught up in addiction, people suffering from mental illness. When the mantra ‘We’re all in this together’ is wheeled out, the ‘WE’ we hear is not inclusive. It fails to include those whose next meal depends on charity or whose next warm bed relies on being able to complete the right forms, engage with the right people and meet the criteria set by a council with limited resources.
Last year, a petition objecting to how the council was treating the homeless around the travel interchange was signed by over 4000 people. They objected to the council’s decision to play bagpipe music at night in order to curb those seeking shelter from sleeping there. In December, I raised a question about this inhumane practice at the council meeting. It was the least I could do. I was not, however, making any criticism of the rough sleeping team who do vital work at ground level to engage with those needing help.
Wanting to find out more, I emailed the team and arranged to spend some time with them. It’s not a nine-to-five job being part of the rough sleeping team and so one dark, cold morning at 6 am, I met with the team who took me on a tour of Bournemouth you won’t find in a guidebook. Most of the homeless people I met that morning were known to the team and seeing them huddled in shop doorways, on benches, beneath bridges and in car parks, often with little more than the clothes they were wearing, really brought it home to me how desperate their lives were. As I said, there are many reasons for people being homeless, but the figures are continuing to rise, not just here in Bournemouth, but across the country. And, while our current government continues to implement its austerity programme, supported by Conservative-led councils, this will only get worse.
This year, the changes already made to the housing bill may negatively affect both those already in social housing and those seeking it. Last week Bournemouth’s MPs voted to force through cuts to disability benefits. Carrying out an impact assessment into the proposed cuts was also rejected. Our caring MPs say the cuts will ‘incentivise’ newly disabled claimants to work. The way I see it is further cuts to the most vulnerable in society will lead to more and more homelessness on our streets. And the further people fall, the more help they will need in order to regain a place within our society.
Instead of more cuts and more austerity, our government and councils should be doing everything in their power to ensure everyone has somewhere warm, safe and secure to call home. The latest government slogan ‘help generation rent become generation buy’ completely ignores those that can’t even afford to rent. The council has now earmarked an additional £200,000 for a programme dealing with the issue; I will do my utmost to ensure it goes towards support and not enforcement. Homelessness is not always something that happens to other people.
Cllr Simon Bull
South East Dorset Green Party
