Nationally there has been an increase in youth homelessness and I was glad to join the group of around 40 people who were
sleeping outside for the night to raise money for the YMCA. They do great work, including providing accommodation
for homeless young people and I'm sure all the money will be put to good use. You can still donate to the YMCA through my JustGiving page.
Organisers did a good job to make the night as pleasant as
possible with plenty of boxes available, games, music around the fire, hot
drinks and food - a world away from what someone experiences sleeping out on
the streets.
There were many young people taking part in the sleep out and
good on them for the number of them taking the time to do it. In Redditch we are lucky that we do not have
a particular problem with people sleeping rough on our streets but that doesn't
mean we do not have a homeless problem.
Homeless people are having to sleep on friends sofas - sofa surfing - and
living out of cars and there are a number of reasons for this.
Youth unemployment With
nearly 1 million young people unemployed, many of which have become long-term unemployed
how can they afford a roof over their head? Labour want to guarantee 18-24 year olds,
unemployed for longer than a year, a compulsory paid 6 month job. Cutting housing benefit for under 25's Many are working but on low wages. Labour say incentivising employers who are not paying the living wage to do so would be a better way to help working people afford the cost of living. The government suggest young people simply go back to mum and dad - a gross lack of understanding of why young people may have moved out or become homeless. More often than not its family breakdown and returning home may be impossible.
Shortage of affordable housing In one week this month there were 324 bids made for just 5 affordable properties in Redditch and that is not an unusual figure. Too many people cannot afford private rent or cannot afford to buy their own property. I support the need for more housing and more affordable homes in particular. Previous Labour governments did not do enough on this issue and if elected next year I will work to deliver the Labour Party promise of 200,000 homes a year for the life of the next parliament. Despite house building being lower than at any point during peacetime Britain the Conservative led government are building way fewer homes than they claim read more
I want a government that helps everyone to have the best life possible and therefore affordable, quality housing in Redditch is one of my key priorities.
Rebecca, Harry, Rhys, Josh & Boon
helping to highlight the problem of homelessness
helping to highlight the problem of homelessness
