The Pavement magazine news service

Announcement

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

We now have a Pavement Facebook page, so drop by and say hello or check out the cartoons and comic strip.

Announcement

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Don't miss Open Cinema's free film shows. 'The people's choice' at Providence Row (Satellite Centre, 41 Spelman St), Wednesdays at 4pm; 'Epic Journeys' at The Connection at St Martins (12 Adelaide St), Thursdays at 5pm; 'Incredible Stories' at SHP Kings Cross (245 Gray's Inn Rd), Thursdays at 6pm; and 'The Wide World of Action' at St Patrick's (St Charles Borromeo church, 8 Ogle St), Sundays at 7pm.

Announcement

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Veterans Aid has produced a cracking good video of formerly homeless ex-servicemen reading 'The Last of the Light Brigade', by Rudyard Kipling. It's well worth catching.

Announcement

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:00:00 +0100

If you run or volunteer at a London winter shelter, there is now a Facebook page to help inter-shelter networking and information exchange.

Announcement

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:00:00 +0100

You can now watch the short film about The Pavement - why we started, how we distribute, what readers think. It was made by independent film-makers Nick Aldridge and Matt Scholes to mark our fifth birthday.

Credit unions

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Paying rent is stressful for both tenants and landlords; the tenant is under pressure to meet regular payments, while the landlord is worried that their tenant won't pay on time. The previous government's decision to pay housing benefit directly to tenants was criticised for making the situation worse, leading to landlords refusing to accept those on housing benefit.

However, help is being provided by a growing number of credit unions across the UK. In Scotland, for example, Scotwest credit union and homeless charity South Ayrshire Escape from Homelessness (SeAscape) have joined forces to support tenants and help them avoid falling into rent arrears.

SeAscape offers rent deposit guarantees for people living in South Ayrshire. Under the new scheme, everyone who the charity helps into a property automatically joins Glasgow-based credit union Scotwest. Staff at SeAscape create a credit union account for the tenant into which their Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is paid, then Scotwest passes this onto their landlord. The excess - up to £15 - goes to the tenant to support their income.

Scotwest charge a handling fee of £10 every four weeks, per tenant, however this is met by the landlords. Billy, a member of staff at SeAscape, told The Pavement: "The majority of landlords are [happy to pay this] because they're guaranteed that they're getting the money every four weeks."

George Rose, landlord liaison officer at SeAscape, explained the benefits of the scheme. "Our tenants are relieved that Seascape and Scotwest have provided them with a solution to manage their rent payments," he says. "It was particularly difficult for our more vulnerable tenants to deal with their rent before we set up this scheme. Our landlords are also now much more confident that their tenants will not fall into rent arrears in future."

For Rod Ashley, chief executive of Scotwest, the scheme is also helping the credit union to reach out to more people. "By becoming members, the tenants also have the opportunity to use our other services, which will help to encourage them to look carefully at their finances and regularly save small amounts if possible. They will also be able to seek help and advice that perhaps they would not have been able to get access to previously."

Last October, Grant Shapps - then shadow housing minister, now housing minister - said if the Conservatives came into power, tenants would be able to choose to have their housing allowance paid direct to landlords instead of themselves. However, Daniel Barnes from the Department for Work and Pensions press department told The Pavement this has not yet been implemented and there are currently no plans to change the policy.

A victim of cuts?

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

CHAS Central London (CHAS CL) has gone into administration. The charity, which provided free and independent advice on housing and debt, has long supported homeless and badly housed people in London.

The credit crunch has forced many charities to shut down, however, according to one former member of staff, this was not the main reason for CHAS CL's closure.

Clive Nnamdi-Johnson, previously a debt and housing adviser at CHAS CL, told The Pavement: "From my point of view... it all came down to very poor management - financial and otherwise." According to Nnamdi-Johnson, staff at CHAS CL went into work on 28 May only to be met by two insolvency practitioners, who told them that the centre was closing and they had one hour to pack up and leave. "We found out that the trustees had been in contact with them and had requested that they close CHAS CL down," he added, "We didn't have any prior knowledge of this".

Nnamdi-Johnson is now director of Community Advice Service (CAS), a company he set up with a former CHAS CL colleague, to carry on the service CHAS CL previously provided. However, said Nnamdi-Johnson, the contracts CHAS CL had with service and housing providers effectively ended when it went into receivership, so CAS had to start afresh.

"Because we're familiar with the clients," he explained, "we're in the best position to ensure continuity of service. Some of them [the service and housing providers] have agreed to come with us, and we're still in the process of convincing the rest to come onboard.

"Unfortunately, it's not going to be an easy task because a lot of them are understandably aggrieved by what happened and the way they were left in limbo."

CHAS was initially founded in 1959, its name an acronym for the 'Catholic Housing Aid Society', and was one of the founders of Shelter and the Family Housing Association. CHAS CL became an independent charity in April 2003, and today there are CHAS centres across England. Each branch is a member of the Housing Justice Alliance of Advice Agencies.

Alison Gelder, director of Housing Justice, was on sabbatical leave when CHAS CL went into administration. She told us: "My speculation, because I haven't spoken to them [CHAS CL], would be that it's linked with the way housing advice is being funded on a fixed fee basis, per case. And you don't get the money until the case is finished."

"[Homeless] cases are more complex," Gelder explained, "they'll go on for longer and you can easily get into difficulties... The first thing you need to do is get people's paperwork in order, and with homeless people, this isn't the most easy thing in the world".

When asked whether, as Gelder suggested, a flawed funding process was to blame for the closure of CHAS CL, Nnamdi-Johnson said: "That's not necessarily the case, because what happened was CHAS [CL], in its last year of existence, was saddled with salary burden, more than we could manage... this was discussed on a number of occasions with the chief executive but nothing was done".

The Pavement was unable to get in contact with the chief executive of CHAS CL, Barry Stoyle; however, we spoke to Stuart Freeman who was director of advice services at CHAS CL from April 2003 to May 2009. Far from refuting all of Nnamdi-Johnson's comments, Freeman expressed his similar dismay at the way CHAS CL came to an end: "I was telephoned by Clive on the 28 May asking what the staff should do. I do not know why the staff were not informed. This, in my view, was an appalling way to treat staff, even though they had disputes with the management." In terms of the lack of notice and information provided to housing and service providers, he added: "Again I find this appalling, particularly as I was instrumental in gaining contracts with the funders".

When asked what he believes were the reasons behind the closure, Freeman said: "It was partly due to poor decisions having been made by the trustees, lack of new funding and staff continually at odds with the management and raising grievances which deflected from dealing with important issues."

Like Nnamdi-Johnson, Freeman believes that "the employment of a CEO at the salary figure paid, and fees paid to an employment agency contributed to the demise of CHAS CL." However," he added, "CHAS CL lost a number of contracts with funders prior to its demise because of complaints being made against the advisers over the level of service and general attitude".

Whatever the reasons behind CHAS CL's demise, the matter is still unresolved, with an administrator currently looking into the charity's finances. Amid all the confusion, the website continues to tell visitors "what we can do for you", though its grateful clients are long gone, forced to look elsewhere for support.

Goodbye, Rochester Row

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

The Salvation Army's review of its Rochester Row centre in Victoria finished last month, and manager Collette Gamble told The Pavement: "The process has finished but we don't yet know whether or not the centre will close. For now, at least, it's business as usual."

However, we've since learnt that the Salvation Army is closing the service this month. The centre - a long-time stockist of our London edition - had served homeless people for more than 100 years. It provided advice, food, clothing, washing facilities, advocacy, social events and pastoral care to homeless people living on the streets of Westminster. During the winter, it also served as a night shelter, housing 25 people on the coldest nights.

We're sorry to see it close, and wish the staff all the best.

Princess Beatrice to close

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

One of London's larger homeless hostels is due to close in 2011, at a time when the country is still in recession and the new housing minister has suggested the number of rough sleepers may be three times that counted.

Princess Beatrice House (PBH), a hostel run by the charity Look Ahead, is due to close next year, losing London 118 bed spaces.

Hugh Donahoe, a spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, told The Pavement: "The Princess Beatrice House hostel, funded by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and managed by Look Ahead Housing and Care, has been a well regarded supported housing project helping hundreds of people rebuild their lives.

"However, times are changing. The hostel is large, and demand for large hostels is reducing. PBH was developed as a hostel for the 20th century, not the 21st century.

"Now is the time to look to the future and develop Supporting People-funded projects that meet the needs of the local community. The council has recently commissioned a new complex-needs, supported-housing scheme that will provide better accommodation suited to the needs of our more vulnerable customers.

"This new service will open before the closure of the main hostel at Princess Beatrice House in April 2011."

As to what will happen to the site and its current residents, Donohue added: "Look Ahead is also looking at the future redevelopment of the site, and the council is keen for the site to be retained for affordable housing. We will, of course, ensure that everyone who is currently living at Princess Beatrice House will be given assistance in finding new accommodation. As the hostel won't close till 2011, it provides us with plenty of time for residents to be relocated."

The Pavement will watch to see what happens to the site in 2011.

Methadone time limit to be introduced

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

At the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) board meeting in early July, plans were tabled to apply strict limitations to the length of time addicts can use methadone, which the NTA believes will get more addicts clean.

In its foreword to their plan for 2011, the NTA stated: "No one should be 'parked' indefinitely on methadone or similar opiate substitutes without the opportunity to get off drugs.

"New clinical guidance has introduced strict time limits to end the practice of open-ended substitute prescribing in prisons. This principle will be extended into community settings."

Around 300,000 people in England and Wales are addicted to heroin, crack cocaine or both. Approximately two-thirds are in contact with treatment agencies, but most rely on methadone or other synthetic opiates, at a cost to the taxpayer of 300m a year. The NTA and the government would rather see individuals encouraged to abstain from all drugs, whether prescribed or illegal, and go "cold turkey".

"Too often, the opportunities presented by engagement with treatment are squandered by a lack of ambition and a willingness to routinely write off the potential for dependent drug-users to assume full roles as citizens," the NTA document continued.

But strict time limits on methadone treatment would require a big expansion of residential care for addicts, according to a report in the Guardian.

The suggestion has also been furiously criticised by some board members, who feel methadone should be considered a medicine, not a drug. On the Methadone Alliance web-forum, one NTA board member said: "The idea that people are somehow 'parked' on methadone is a nonsense.

"People don't willingly subject themselves to the kind of personal intrusion and scrutiny that drug treatment subjects you to unless you're getting some significant benefits from it."

Moreover, there are concerns that the NTA is attempting to curry favour with the new coalition government, given that the work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has raised to notion of scrapping the organisation and replacing it with a leaner, faster - and no doubt cheaper - recovery addiction board.

• For further reading, see: www.m-alliance.org.uk/forum/ index.php/topic,2108.0.html;
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/26/methadone-drug-treatment;
www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/ newbpintro280610.pdf

Confusion over rough sleeper counts

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has released figures showing a decrease in the number of rough sleepers in England.

According to the report, released in mid-July, 440 people "bedded down" on the streets last year, compared with 464 the previous year. The report came as housing minister Grant Shapps promised to redesign the 'flawed' methods of counting rough sleepers.

Only 70 of England's 256 local authorities carried out a head count, as only those who were thought to have a significant problem were obliged to do so. This is thought to have masked the real figures of homelessness in England.

However, this year, for the first time, local authorities that did not carry out a head count were asked to provide estimates, which amounted to 807. This brings the total figure to 1,247.

The method review of counting rough sleepers is due to be published in October. But the charity Broadway has released homeless figures on behalf of government that show an increase in people seen sleeping on the streets of London. The Street to Home Bulletin 2009/2010 reports a six per cent increase in street sleepers in the capital, counting 3,673, up from 3,472 last year.

The figure has increased because of Central and Eastern European (CEE) country migrants, who make up 26 per cent of the count. With this group excluded from the figures, the count has actually decreased, from 2,927 in 2008/2009 to 2,828 this year.

In June, The Pavement (London and Scotland) highlighted the issues facing CEE country migrants who are being forcibly removed by the UK Border Agency if they are not working or in full-time education.

Despite the rise in CEE migrant rough sleepers and shortly after these figures were announced, the government decided to axe all homelessness prevention and rough sleeping advisors from the CLG who were working alongside local councils. The eight advisers will go by the end of September.

Homeless blamed for Democracy Village eviction

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Bailiffs evicted a group of protesters and rough sleepers from a camp in Parliament Square in July, marking a legal victory for Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who had gone to the high court to have the camp removed.

The makeshift settlement, known as Democracy Village, was set up in May mainly to protest against UK involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was home to a diverse group of people including communists, anarchists, peace protesters and rough sleepers.

In his judgement, judge Griffith Williams wrote: "I am satisfied the Greater London Authority and the mayor are being prevented from exercising their necessary powers of control management and care of Parliament Square Gardens."

He also cited the growing number of homeless people being attracted to the area as a reason for the camp's removal. An article in the Guardian claimed activists had said they had "become social workers to their homeless comrades, which has left them less time for direct action". One protester, Maria Gallastegui, told the paper: "The camp has got bigger because people who need a place to stay and be fed have arrived while the activists have got tired and left. We have a major alcoholic problem on the site. Some of them are quite dangerous. But some people have terrible lives all their lives."

In its 11 weeks, the camp had changed from 100 per cent activist to 30 per cent activist and 70 per cent homeless, she added. But Green Party Greater London Assembly member Jenny Jones said it was "a bad day for democracy in London".

"The lack of police presence showed that the protesters were not causing a problem," she said. "Yet the mayor was dogmatic in pursuing an expensive legal process."

It cost 88,000 to bring the case to the high court, a portion of which the protesters are supposed to pay.

Among those evicted was veteran peace activist Brian Haw, who has camped outside the Houses of Parliament since 2001. The eviction order is particularly disappointing for Haw, as he has already successfully resisted attempts by both the previous government and Westminster Council to have him evicted. Ironically, the same day Johnson moved to evict the protesters, the new coalition government announced plans to "restore rights to non-violent protest" as part of its legislative programme.

Dalston soup kitchen to close?

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Rhythms of Life International, the charity that runs a year-round soup kitchen in Dalston, east London, faces closure after the rent on the premises it leases from a private landlord was doubled.

The charity's premises include a shop and offices on Crossway, near the recent multi-million pound redevelopment of the East London line; however, as a result of the rent hike, it may be forced to find a new home before the end of the summer.

Andrew Faris, Rhythms of Life founder, spoke to The Pavement about his fears regarding the service's potential closure. "The landlord wants to develop the premises," he said, "and turn it into a million pound property. They've told us that we have to pay double the rent or they're going to throw us out, but why should we pay astronomical rent?"

"We've begged Hackney Council to help us, but they say they are unable to. It's so frustrating: I have 45 people waiting for food, which is always a difficult operation to coordinate, and we're threatened with closure. We serve food every day of the year - I've never taken a day off. These people are my friends and I need to feed them."

Mr Faris said the numbers of people visiting Rhythms of Life had skyrocketed over the last few months, and that the service was now a vital part of homeless support in the area. Without help to find a new base, however, he is concerned about the charity's future.

"We're hoping someone will have some space or even a bit of ground we can use," he said, "otherwise I'm not sure what we're going to do."

A spokesman from Hackney Council told local reporters that: "The council is aware of the needs of Rhythms of Life and has met with them to resolve this matter, and will be doing so again shortly. There are only a handful of council properties that meet their requirements, though, and unfortunately there are none available at present."

• We'll be following this story, and have an update next month.

Darlington murder

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Two 15-year-old boys have been charged with the murder of George Akers, who was found beaten to death in a churchyard in the north-east of England.

The body of Mr Akers, 59, was found in the grounds of St Cuthbert's Church, Darlington, on 12 June. A local police appeal for information enabled officers to make the arrests within a few weeks.

The two boys, also both from Darlington, were arrested and later charged with his murder, Durham Police said. They were found guilty of murder at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court on 27 June but are yet to be sentenced. The identity of criminals under the age of 16 is protected by law.

Mr Akers was a local man who had been sleeping rough for some time. Police said he was a familiar figure to many people in Darlington, often stopping to talk to people and offering out sweets and cigarettes.

"Those who knew him spoke well of him. He had never been in trouble with the police and, sadly, seems to have been one of those people who just slipped through the net of regular society," said DCI Paul Goundry, the deputy senior investigating officer.

In their appeal for information, the police said Mr Akers was born and bred in Hurworth, near Durham.

A post-mortem examination showed he had sustained multiple internal injuries.

The Pavement reported briefly upon this death in our last issue, and has been contacted by readers moved by the cruelty and pointlessness of his death.

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0100

The Simon Community in London is looking for a second venue to run its popular street café, after its original location on the Strand closed earlier this year.

Its current café in St Giles-in-the-Field, near Denmark Street, sees up to 100 people on a busy weekend and has become so popular that the charity is now looking to expand again.

The Simon Community urged readers to contact them with suggestions or offers for a suitable venue, which it hopes to open as soon as possible.

The street café at St Giles currently runs for two hours on a Saturday and a Sunday, offering food and drinks or simply a place to relax for a couple of hours without the worry of being moved on. Dave Clark, a trustee of the charity, said that any new café would run on different days to maximise the service.

Contact info@simoncommunity.org.uk if you have any venue suggestions.

The Pavement magazine news service

Announcement

Announcement

Announcement

Announcement

Announcement

Credit unions

A victim of cuts?

Goodbye, Rochester Row

Princess Beatrice to close

Methadone time limit to be introduced

Confusion over rough sleeper counts

Homeless blamed for Democracy Village eviction

Dalston soup kitchen to close?

Darlington murder

Simon Community to re-open second street cafÃ©