Wednesday 14 July 2010

1400 to be made homeless in Medway and Thanet

Taking 10% of housing benefit because the bankers have run off with all the money may seem like a good idea in the head a Lib Dem, Tory or Dail Mail reader, but the impact of that is going to be devastating for the country's poorest people.

As the shortfall (up to £35 will be lost from the benefit each week) will need to be made up from other benefits and income, this could leave a single, childless person without a job with just £30 to feed and clothe themselves and pay for heating, lighting etc.

The National Housing Federation have warned that 800 people in Medway and 600 people in Thanet are likely to be made homeless. I shudder to think what the figure will be across the whole of Kent - 3000 plus perhaps?

It gets worse of course. These people are likely to be deemed as being homeless through their own fault and not eligible for emergency housing. 

And worse still... these people will end up migrating to very poor areas, fueling poverty there even further and vastly reducing their ability to secure a job.

That's what you get from the Lib Dem Tories - dumping on the poor.

Progressive? My arse.

3 comments:

TonyPrince said...

I believe that The European Convention of Human Rights and FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS (the so important end to the conventions title that seems to be ''forgotten'') may bring support to people effected by unjust changes to their benefit. Now the true cost of doggedly pursueing a failing economic system , as well as then foolishly electing a CONdem government to boot, is coming to bear. Are we ready for this 'winter of discontent!!!!

Unknown said...

This is happening already - I've seen this in my job. One chap has £300 a month to find from his JSA to top up his rent or move. I'm no apologist for those who choose benefits as a way of life (and there are a lot who do) but every unemployed person is different - there are serious issues of lack of education and skills to the extent that some people are virtually unemployable. Equally, someone who's working hard to get a job, maybe been made redundant, shouldn't have to uproot their family at the whim of the government. This situation can happen to almost anyone at the moment - I've seen people who've worked for 30+ years losing their job and being completely at a loss. Jeopardising their housing is adding insult to injury.

Unknown said...
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