As Manchester City Council hounds homeless people through the courts and forced evictions, and Salford Council gives the green light to thousands of unaffordable rented properties, Generation Rent, a national campaign for renters' rights, is putting some sanity back into the arguments with a Manchester Housing Action Public Event at Islington Mill on October 18th.
The aim is to bring together local people, groups and charities to find solutions to the housing crisis. And in Salford that crisis looming more every day. Last week the Salford Star reported how 15,000 working people in the city will be over £1,000 worse off per year due to Tory Government changes to tax credits (see here) and how changes to social housing policy will, in the words of the Assistant Mayor for Housing "drive more people into the already overpriced private rented sector and it's going to further compound the issues of housing affordability and child poverty in the city." (see here)
Meanwhile, Salford Council has admitted that people on the 14,000 strong waiting list "have little chance of ever being re-housed" (see here).
The Generation Rent event at Islington Mill is primed to discuss and try and address some of these issues and others...
"Are you facing a housing problem? Are you trying to organise in your community to resist displacement or to deal with a dodgy landlord? Are you facing a problem with rent arrears? Do you want to meet other people and organise together for better housing in the city?" asks Generation Rent "Come to our free public event to create a network to contest the housing crisis. Only we, together, can improve living conditions in our city and support each other in our different struggles."
There will be guest speakers from Focus E15, a group of homeless mums who resisted displacement from London, and the Radical Housing Network, which has networked housing struggles across the capital. There's also workshops in which people can share experiences and housing problems, and free food and refreshments.
Manchester Housing Action Public Event
Sunday October 18th 1pm-6pm
Islington Mill
1 James Street, M3 5HW
The event is free but people are being asked to register in advance click here for details
For further information see also the Generation Rent website click here
See also the Generation Rent Facebook page click here - and the event Facebook page click here
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