SIX months ago Manchester developed an approach to tackle the city’s increasing issue of homelessness – we sent Quays Reporter, Rachael Hesno, to find out how Manchester has progressed with its goal to help the city’s most vulnerable in the lead up to winter?
The Manchester’s Homelessness Charter launched on May 9, as a partnership between experts and voluntary organisations, with support from the city council, they placed emphasis on working alongside those who have experienced homelessness.
Since the launch of the charter, they have received 130 pledges ranging from major donations to changing how services are run, from universities, businesses and individuals.
£8,042 in grants were given to 52 people from the ‘Big Change’ fund, who work alongside the charter, asking for people to give ‘differently’ with practical donations so rough sleepers can be helped to stay off the streets for good.
Taken on a rough headcount, carried out once a year as a requirement from all local authorities, it was gaged that on just one night in Manchester in 2015 there were 70 rough sleepers.
According to Street Support, who work on a not for profit basis to unite charities and voluntary groups, the rough sleeper count is only a ‘snapshot’ of the complex issues in the city on one night of the year.
Jez Green, Facilitator to the Manchester Homeless Charter, states about a quarter of the people sleeping rough in Manchester were European nationals who have become unemployed as a consequence of central government reforms: “Welfare reform has impacted on EEA migrants, people from the European Economic Area, whereas previously they would have been able to claim out of work benefits, they no longer are.
“A period goes by and if they’re seen to be not exercising their treaty rights, by which they mean working or studying or being self-sufficient, they can be deported, but they are also destitute, they have no recourse to any funds. It is not the majority of the problem, but it is a significant minority.
If you walk down the street and you look at the amount of people sleeping in doorways, begging, the problem hasn’t shrunk and it isn’t going to go away anytime soon.
He added: “The key criteria, in terms of working differently for us, is involving people with direct experience of homelessness, at every level, in everything we’re doing. It is a challenging way to work but I think it’s probably the only meaningful way to do so. We’ve totted up how many people, who lived the experience of homelessness, have been involved in our action group, and other groups, and it’s at least 90, in the last six months. For me, that’s a significant statistic.”
There has been criticism that there is a lack of affordable housing provided for people on low incomes alongside major cuts to the local budget from central government.
Self-employed 56-year-old Kathy Crotty, Moston, ultimately believes it is the local authority responsibility: “There are 95 out of 96 Labour councillors in Manchester and the fact that their housing strategy is to work with property developers and build homes for people who can afford to buy them is an absolute disgrace. They have done nothing about poor people in the city and when people think of homeless they think of people on the streets, but I know of so many young people who are moving from insecure accommodation to insecure accommodation, they are living with friends, in between family members, there isn’t affordable rent, and I think the whole housing strategy of the council is totally wrong and this a consequence of their priorities of building properties who can afford to buy them.”
Reductions to local authority budgets has put pressure on services for vulnerable people in Manchester, with the city council admitting they are still facing some of the same ‘challenges’ from decades ago, including the poor health of residents in Manchester.
Councillor John Hacking stated cuts to local government are already impacting on the way the council is able to deal with the issue of homelessness: “Not only has Manchester had massive cuts, they have been unfair as well. If we’d have had the average cut across the country we would have had over £70 million a year, more than we have.”
He added: “The Charter is less than 6 months old but is already having an impact on the way different partners work together. Everyone can always do more. We need to bear in mind the unprecedented cuts to Manchester City Council budgets in the last 6 years.”
The City Council budget for 2016/17 is £528.5m but due to central government cuts there is a savings requirement of around £60m from 2017/18 to 2019/20.
By Rachael Hesno
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