Homeless in Brighton

[ofco8]

One of the problems relating to Brighton and Hove, is that there is a lack of land due to its location. Added to that nearly all the land/good sized property that is coming onto the market is being bought up by companies to build student accommodation instead of the land being used for social housing.

 

[Tarpon]

Perhaps in some kind of communist utopia, home ownership wouldn't be necessary - but realistically and in the current world, I believe that every working man should be able to own his own home.

If I was the leader of the country, I would ban the ownership of more than 3 properties by any person or organisation. Peoples homes should NOT be an investment for the rich. Buy-to-let is also a problem that needs addressing. 1 in 5 homes now owned by landlords, that will be 1 in 3 by 2030 if trends continue.

Property is a key component of wealth in this capitalist economy - it is the most significant disparity between rich and poor. It needs to be as fair as possible.

Or woman Reg.

 

[Tarpon]

If it were possible to design the economy from scratch, I'm sure it would make sense to limit home ownership to 1, or abandon the concept altogether. But of course this isn't possible, so we need to focus on making things as fair as we can.

If Joe Bloggs is working hard and has a bit of extra money to invest in a second property, or buy a holiday home in Cornwall, it's difficult to find a problem with that. The problem is when the rich invest in properties purely to increase their wealth by doing very little/nothing at all, artificially driving up property prices. Robbie Fowler has become one of the 1,000 richest Briton's by doing this, buying and letting more than 80 premium estate properties - and he's just one of many - this needs to be prohibited to allow properties to return to being affordable for regular people. It's even more concerning when you hear of these property investors coming from the likes of China or Saudi Arabia, not even living here or contributing to our economy.

Or Jane Reg.

 

[Tubby-McFat-Fuc]

If it were possible to design the economy from scratch, I'm sure it would make sense to limit home ownership to 1, or abandon the concept altogether. But of course this isn't possible, so we need to focus on making things as fair as we can.

If Joe Bloggs is working hard and has a bit of extra money to invest in a second property, or buy a holiday home in Cornwall, it's difficult to find a problem with that. The problem is when the rich invest in properties purely to increase their wealth by doing very little/nothing at all, artificially driving up property prices. Robbie Fowler has become one of the 1,000 richest Briton's by doing this, buying and letting more than 80 premium estate properties - and he's just one of many - this needs to be prohibited to allow properties to return to being affordable for regular people. It's even more concerning when you hear of these property investors coming from the likes of China or Saudi Arabia, not even living here or contributing to our economy.

I agree its wrong that people can own so many properties whilst other struggle to get on the ladder.

Typical bloody Tories looking after the rich and bollocks to the poor, when they deregulated the banks and allowed their bank buddies to lend more money to people than they could ever afford to pay back, doubling the house prices and then doubling them again in a few short years, to the point where your average person in their 20s where priced out of the market. But never mind the banks made millions! So here we are in 2015 and young people have to pay high rents, due to the high price of housing, all because the bloody Tories are looking out for the rich 1% and ****ing the rest of us........... dam the Tories having the power to do this in the late 90s. *******s!! (Yes, I am being ironic, that one of the major factors in the poor standard of living and the fact most normal people cannot afford to get on the housing ladder was created by the loony left!)

 

[LamieRobertson]

You lot must be young there has always been quite a high profile of homelessness in Brighton, I would suspect that Brighton would be one of the better environments to be homeless, climate, tolerant and I suspect a quite progressive number of charities and initiatives to help them be clothed, sheltered and fed.

Its really not the type of issue to start bouncing around political point scoring as there must be a set of circumstances that might befall any of us that would at least make us absolutely desperate.

This is a complex problem driven mainly by mental health and drug dependency issues, with an element actually choosing that this how they might like to live again driven by mental health and drug dependency issues.

If any of you think they are unwashed, begging and swigging out of a 'whitelightning' bottle at 9am because their benefits have been trimmed are just being unfairly flippant towards them and their struggles.

Totally agree with the bit highlighted ...so many posts like that ..shameful

 

[Tubby-McFat-Fuc]

If it were possible to design the economy from scratch, I'm sure it would make sense to limit home ownership to 1, or abandon the concept altogether. But of course this isn't possible, so we need to focus on making things as fair as we can.

If Joe Bloggs is working hard and has a bit of extra money to invest in a second property, or buy a holiday home in Cornwall, it's difficult to find a problem with that. The problem is when the rich invest in properties purely to increase their wealth by doing very little/nothing at all, artificially driving up property prices. Robbie Fowler has become one of the 1,000 richest Briton's by doing this, buying and letting more than 80 premium estate properties - and he's just one of many - this needs to be prohibited to allow properties to return to being affordable for regular people. It's even more concerning when you hear of these property investors coming from the likes of China or Saudi Arabia, not even living here or contributing to our economy.

If it was possible to start the economy from scratch, I am positive not letting the ****ing Labour party anywhere near it would be by far the best idea.

What allowed the rich to buy up properties and get richer, and price the average working man out of the market, was a Labour Party policy of deregulating the banks, allowing the people they are meant to loathe so much, strike it rich, whilst screwing over the poor. But hey for the point of Tory bashing and feeling sorry for ourselves, we'll forget that fact, that teh housing market is artificiality high for the past 15 years, and probably will be for most of our lifetimes, due to the bright sparks at the Labour party and there short sighted greed.

 

[brightonmark1234]

i am going to be homeless soon

 

[LamieRobertson]

I can't imagine being in that situation and, hopefully, I'll never find out what it's like. I do often wonder what could be done (or isn't being done currently) to help alleviate the issue for those involved. There must be a reason (hopefully not just political) that it seems to just be ignored.

Sadly, I can't imagine this thread will last long before the usual 'it's their own fault'/'just get a job' rubbish gets spouted, or it becomes a new place for political drums to be thumped.

Sadly not long

 

[LamieRobertson]

Are there any volunteering opportunities for someone with a full time 9 - 5 job. This is something I want to look into after I have finished a part time course I am on until the end of Summer. I know you can volunteer for shifts at night shelters operating from November through March- maybe that would be the best thing to look towards doing.

I'd be interested to know how you get on and what opportunities you find

 

[GingerBeerMan]

What do you imagine needs doing?

Well surely these people aren't living rough by choice. Temporary housing needs to be provided, or failing that, a campsite with facilities they can use which has monitoring to keep them safe.

Who needs to do it?

The council, the government, charities. People who receive money to deal with problems exactly like this. We work and are taxed on money we earn. We then spend and are taxed on things we buy. We save and we're taxed on our savings. We die and are taxed, buy houses and are taxed. Surely the government can find money to give to councils who are struggling to deal with homelessness, which I'd imagine are councils more in the south than the north.

Before you posted this, I guess you saw some homeless people, Did you stop to see if you could help them? Or did you just walk on by while thinking to yourself that "something needs doing!"

Who made you believe that it was anyone's responsibility but your own?

Try not just walking past next time, something does need doing, and it starts with you.

Well I work around Brighton. I walk past them every day and interact with them too. Despite your own personal beliefs, I do find them intimidating and I do find them an eyesore. Maybe I'm not using 'eyesore' in the correct manor, but just taking today as an example (coincidently, after I posted this thread) I saw a group of homeless people leave cider cans and vodka glass bottles on the grass at the Old Steine. They were 10 meters from a bin and couldn't even be bothered to clean up after themselves. Fair enough, lots of groups of people are little bugs. Ten minutes later another homeless chap who was sleeping on a bench decides to wake up, take his cock out (while sitting on the bench) and have a piss while sitting down. Most the piss went on the floor, some on him. I'd hardly call this 'not a problem' especially as it was right next to one of the busiest streets in Brighton (also less than 200 meters from a public toilet).

And I do talk to them. Not willingly, but I'm a nice person and I don't ignore people who talk to me purely because they're homeless. I've had some very interesting conversations with homeless people, they seem to have good life experiences. However I often find the conversations intimidating or insulting. Getting called a peadophile and things. It's in a jovial manner but they seem to think it's a normal part of life to jokingly call someone who works with kids a paedophile.

Finally, why would it be my responsibility? If I was homeless I'd love it if someone helped me out with money or a place to stay, but at the same time I wouldn't expect it. I would know people lead their own life and have things on their plate which they need to deal with before attending to people who are homeless. Not all the problems in this city are 'my responsibility' purely because I notice them. That's why I pay ample amounts of tax and council tax. To fund departments and people who are a lot more knowledgeable and specialised in these areas to deal with it than me.

 

[LamieRobertson]

i am going to be homeless soon

Seconding Mustafas question...howcome?

 

[brightonmark1234]

Seconding Mustafas question...howcome?

hi mate me and mum are going to be homeless because we have come into rent arrears and the landlord is re possessing the flat where where we live and we have eviction notice which is the 8th of this month and i have been to houseing and i feel like they are messing me and my mum around

 

[somerset]

hi mate me and mum are going to be homeless because we have come into rent arrears and the landlord is re possessing the flat where where we live and we have eviction notice which is the 8th of this month and i have been to houseing and i feel like they are messing me and my mum around

You entered into a contract, the landlord let you live in his house, in return you give him money,....... he probably relies on that money to pay bills, no rent = reduced income..... you don't sit down at a restaurant, order and eat food, then walk out not paying the bill, do you?..... Its a simple reality of life, payment is required.

 

[LamieRobertson]

hi mate me and mum are going to be homeless because we have come into rent arrears and the landlord is re possessing the flat where where we live and we have eviction notice which is the 8th of this month and i have been to houseing and i feel like they are messing me and my mum around

I'm sorry to hear that Mark....have you tried CAB?
Also if you look at page one of this thread there is a poster who is in the 'business'..maybe
he can offer you some advice.

 

[BigGully]

You need to be referred to a food bank with a voucher. That's generally someone who has a delay in getting benefits, or not receiving statutory sick pay from their employer.

That is absolutely not true, the parameters of qualification will change depending on those delivering any food bank, seems reasonable if say a person with alzeimers/any vulnerable person does not fulfil your said criteria but is still hungry and turn up looking for food to eat.

Too many try to use this as an indicator to current poverty, its a flawed assessment.

 

[ThePompousPaladin]

Can I live in a large GDP?

GDP is a measure of how much money changes hands in an economy, it does not tell you how much was borrowed. If house prices go up, buyers need to borrow more to buy one, GDP goes up. How does that help the homeless?

The homeless crisis is due to an ideological shift brought about by the current administration. The money is in the economy, as shown by the GDP, it's just been shifted upwards.

You can bleat all you like about labour mishandling the economy, but we have more homelessness and more people reliant on food banks, while this has been going on the rich have gotten richer. Quite disgusting for a civilised society.

Perhaps if the current administration hadn't brought about a double dip in the recession by these ideological cuts - that were criticised by the world bank as being too harsh - which downgraded our economy. We would have an even stronger economy, weakening your apparent delusion that we can't afford to help those who have fallen beneath the bread line and need help to regain their human dignity and contribute to our society.

It's quite disgusting that if this continues we'll soon have a crime ridden underclass like they do in the USA.

And no i'm not a labour supporter (i'm a 'floater') although i'll certainly be voting for them this time around, anything but the tories right now.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

hi mate me and mum are going to be homeless because we have come into rent arrears and the landlord is re possessing the flat where where we live and we have eviction notice which is the 8th of this month and i have been to houseing and i feel like they are messing me and my mum around

Mark - as a landlord ( sorry, but I have nothing spare at the moment ), you need to go back to the council. They have the ability to clear arrears for you. Ask them to pay the landlord direct - they will argue but if you can get your landlord to ask as well they often backdown. With the arrears the council can charge you a nominal amount each month to help pay it back but it's important that they pay the landlord any arrears outstanding.

 

[crookie]

There are 2 simple explanations for the housing crisis. A - we build far too few homes, blame planning laws, nimbyism, not investing receipts of council house sales. B mass immigration driving prices up and supply down. Thousands of council properties are now occupied by immigrants, doesn't help with the desperate shortage of social housing, for these homeless we are talking about

 

[Westdene Seagull]

You entered into a contract, the landlord let you live in his house, in return you give him money,....... he probably relies on that money to pay bills, no rent = reduced income..... you don't sit down at a restaurant, order and eat food, then walk out not paying the bill, do you?..... Its a simple reality of life, payment is required.

I normally agree with your opinions but on this one I have to disagree. I fell into mortgage arrears last year due to being out of work - it was hard and thankfully the bank were understanding. That said it got very scarey. Until you actually run the risk of being homeless ( and in my case it was six pay cheques away from being kicked out ) I personally don't think it's possible to know what it is like.

I find it disgusting that 'we' can spend say £8m on revamping Valley Gardens or £36m on some pathetic viewing doughnut yet we have people sleeping on the streets. It should be a human right to have a roof over your head. Last year taught me a thing or two and I now regularly buy food and hot drinks for those poor souls on London Road that have to sleep rough. Could I respectfully suggest you show a little more compassion ?

 

[brightonmark1234]

Mark - as a landlord ( sorry, but I have nothing spare at the moment ), you need to go back to the council. They have the ability to clear arrears for you. Ask them to pay the landlord direct - they will argue but if you can get your landlord to ask as well they often backdown. With the arrears the council can charge you a nominal amount each month to help pay it back but it's important that they pay the landlord any arrears outstanding.

i am getting housing benefit but that is going to the landlord