Star date: 30th November 2016

ONE IN 765 SALFORD PEOPLE HAVE NO HOME AS HOUSING CRISIS GROWS

To mark its 50th anniversary housing charity, Shelter, has gone back to research which its formation was based on, and has produced a shocking homelessness hotspot table which puts Salford second worst place in the whole North West, with one in 765 people homeless in the city.

"Fifty years on a modern day housing crisis is tightening its grip on our country" says Shelter Manchester Hub manager, John Ryan "This is the tragic result of a nation struggling under the weight of sky-high rents, a lack of affordable homes, and cuts to welfare support."

Full details here...

Backing the introduction of the Homeless Reduction Bill, Salford City Council's Housing Lead Member, Paul Longshaw, gave some shocking figures...

"Last year, 1,600 people presented themselves to the Council without a home" he said "And in the first six months of this year we placed over 250 families in temporary accommodation because there was no other option. 

"The problem is getting worse as the Government has caused a reduction in front line services to help people and ended all future funding for affordable social rented housing" he added "We have seen a 74 per cent increase in the number of people who need housing support in the past three years, with fewer staff to help. Things must change."

Today, housing charity Shelter has produced a homelessness hotspot table which puts Salford as the second worst place in the whole North West, way above the likes of Liverpool, Blackpool and Carlisle, and only second to Manchester.

The table provides `lower end estimates' of people in temporary accommodation and sleeping rough, showing 325 homeless, or one in 765. Only Manchester comes out worse with a massive two thousand homeless people, or one in 266.

The research, inspired by Shelter's original shocking Green Book homeless report on its founding fifty years ago, shows how little things have changed.

"Shelter's founding shone a light on hidden homelessness in the sixties slums" says Shelter Manchester Hub manager, John Ryan "But while those troubled times have faded into memory, fifty years on a modern day housing crisis is tightening its grip on our country.

"Thousands of people in the North West will face the trauma of waking up homeless this Christmas" he adds "Decades in the making, this is the tragic result of a nation struggling under the weight of sky-high rents, a lack of affordable homes, and cuts to welfare support.

"We all face the consequences when so many grow up without a place to call home" he explains "It breaks up communities and wreaks havoc on family life.  For the sake of future generations we must pull together to end this crisis, and refuse to rest until every child has a place to call home."

Commenting on the findings, Angela Barratt, from Salford and Manchester Street Support - a voluntary body that works with street homeless and those struggling to make ends meet - believes that the figures are even higher and laments the lack of progress.

"They could help solve the crisis by locating a plot of land to build homes on, instead of property developers building unaffordable properties in our city, pushing us all out and destroying people's lives" she adds "The Government and councils could also create a pot of money to multi buy commercial properties and convert them into places for the homeless. Imagine how many people could be housed in the empty Buile Hill Mansion for example."

"All the charities and councils seem to be just ticking boxes and not actually getting anything done" she says "And all the money is put into services that are clearly not working."

Shelter's co-founder Des Wilson said today: "It would be pleasing if Shelter were able to take time to celebrate its 50th year, but, as this report shows, it is too aware of what still has to be done.

"I hope the country will respond to its urgent rallying call with the same combination of anger and compassion with which it supported our work all those years ago" he added.

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Pension Fund, which holds £billions of assets of public sector workers in Greater Manchester and upon which all the Greater Manchester councils have representatives on its management board, is still proposing to evict thirty young homeless people from the former Pizza Express building in Manchester, during the coldest week of the year (see previous Salford Star article – click here)

To support Shelter's urgent Christmas appeal and help homeless families please visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70555 to donate £3.

Shelter will be holding a campaign stall at Shuddehill Bus Station, Manchester on December 1st to ask people to sign up to end child homelessness.