The council can bring costly emergency accommodation services ‘in-house’ and reduce rough sleeping, say Greens.

The Green Group of Councillors have revealed budget proposals that fund solutions to the homelessness crisis gripping the city.

Greens are calling on the council to use funding found by their budget proposals to purchase emergency accommodation for people at risk of rough sleeping, an issue currently costing the council up to £4.1m each year in payments to private landlords.

Green amendments in this year’s budget take action to prevent homelessness, provide adequate emergency accommodation, increase Council resources for housing and support for vulnerable people. With costs of such accommodation continuing to rise, Greens want to see public money used to provide services to those at risk of rough sleeping rather than given to private companies.

Proposals also include extra funding to boost the council’s delivery of Housing First, a scheme proven to reduce rough sleeping amongst people who are repeatedly homeless.  With the cost of managing rough sleeping estimated to amount to up to £26,000 per year, studies show that support provided to people through ‘Housing First’ can be up to five times more effective than other approaches.

Greens have challenged the Labour Council’s budget plans for failing to make the most use of resources it has available to expand the supply of housing, as rough sleeping continues to rise and more than 17,000 people are on the waiting lists for council homes.
 

Councillor David Gibson, Green housing spokesperson, commented:

“Too many people in our city are battling rising housing costs, poor quality homes and the risk of homelessness. As Conservative cuts and punitive welfare benefit changes show no sign of abating, housing is an issue the Council quite literally cannot afford to ignore. Currently millions of pounds are spent on paying private landlords to provide emergency accommodation. Previously all parties backed our call to bring this service in-house, a no brainer, as any rental income could be used to provide more support for homeless households at a time of crisis.

 
“On top of this, Greens have identified a budget to support ‘Housing First,’ an approach already proven to end the cycle of rough sleeping for people who find themselves repeatedly homeless. Under the scheme other costs to the police and health services are avoided, making it cost effective too. We are also putting resources into reducing cuts to council estate budgets and into providing Wi-Fi for elderly tenants at risk of digital exclusion.
“If supported, these proposals will have a genuine impact on the housing crisis gripping our city and save money for the future. With rough sleeping having more than doubled under the Labour Council’s watch in the last two years, Greens want to see serious action taken on housing. Our amendments provide a budget to make this a reality.”

Greens will be the only party to put forward several amendments to the Council’s budget this year. Councillors vote on the city’s budget at a meeting tomorrow, Thursday 22^nd February.

ENDS

[1] Recent reports from the council’s housing statistical bulletin (quarter 3) show there were 1,666 households in temporary accommodation as of 31st December last year, with 3% placed in costly bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation.

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On 27th December Lloyd Russell-Moyle resigned his council seat representing East Brighton. With the election date set for 8th February, the four main party candidates are on the campaign trail.

I’m very proud to have been selected as the Green Party candidate. I’m doubly proud that the Greens have been the only party to field a candidate who lives in the ward.

I’ve lived in Brighton for more than 12 years. In that time I’ve fallen in love with our city. I’ve also been increasingly dismayed by the very visible damage wrought by national austerity policies from a cruel and complacent Tory government.

In 2016, rough sleeping in Brighton doubled. In 2017 it increased by nearly another quarter. This gives Brighton the grim accolade of the largest homeless population outside London. But this crisis is an iceberg – we know there are far more ‘hidden homeless’ sleeping on sofas or in their cars, who aren’t counted among the rough sleepers.

These numbers are greatly upsetting, and should be treated by the Labour-run council as an ongoing emergency. Again, the Greens are leading the way, spearheading an initiative to open council buildings as night shelters.

But to properly resolve our housing crisis, we need more genuinely affordable homes. Pressure from Green councillors has led to new flats in Hollingdean set at affordable rents, linked to a percentage of income rather than market rates. I strongly support this and want to see similar rents applied to more new homes.

The pain caused of austerity politics is felt really sharply in East Brighton, which encompasses some of the most neglected areas of the city. Since 2011 the ward has been represented by six Labour councillors, and now a Labour MP, and still we see cuts to vital services and record numbers referred to food banks. All this while Labour claim to have been focusing on ‘getting the basics right’. This displays a spectacular lack of ambition for our city, with even this low bar missed by a mile. On the doorsteps, residents tell me about their dissatisfaction, and how Labour have taken their votes for granted.

I’m excited to represent East Brighton. Only the Green party have the political courage to properly stand up to Tory cuts, and hold Labour to account for standing by and watching it happen.

But the Green vision doesn’t stop at opposition to austerity. Our ambitions for Brighton see the city leading the way as a modern and sustainable place to live and work.

We applaud the more than 50 companies locally who’ve taken the Plastic Free Pledge to abandon the ecological disaster of single-use plastics, and call on the council to do the same.

Air pollution is hugely damaging to our children’s health, and costs the national economy £16bn a year. We imagine a cleaner, healthier Brighton served by an entirely zero-emissions public transport network.

A Green vote in the by-election on the 8th of February is a vote for your local community. A vote for a cleaner, greener, fairer and more affordable East Brighton. It’s a vote for a more ambitious future, because Brighton deserves better than the basics.

The post A more ambitious future for East Brighton: Guest blog by Green candidate Ed Baker appeared first on Brighton & Hove Green Party.