Brent launches its campaign to encourage homeless families to move out of the borough: 'little prospect that temporary accommodation will lead to social housing'

 

Brent - Housing Crisis

 

On the 1st July Wembley Matters ran a story LINK  revealing that Brent Council were to run a campaign to urge people on the Council housing waiting list to 'up sticks and move somewhere else where private rents are lower'. 

That campaign was launched today with a video and website. At one level it can be seen as admitting that Brent housing policy has failed, along with government housing policy. Not enough council or social rent homes are being built to match the demand.

At another level it may be claimed that this is a form of social cleansing: poorer people with local connections are being forced to move out of London to find somewhere decent to live, but will also have to find jobs and school places. Brent Council has offered to help them with the move but will only make a ' one time' offer in the private sector to end homelessness.

A worry for some, perhaps underlined by the recent 'race' riots, is that families from ethnic minority backgrounds, will not feel welcome, or worse, in the towns that they move.

If the offer is taken up by the hundreds of families on the housing waiting list it will have implications for school rolls and therefore school finances. A school places review is already in progress with forms of entry reduced in some schools.

The 'child yield' of new developments (the number of children expected to move in or be born into the new developments) is expected to be low.

Another long term repercussion will be on the number of potential workers available to work in the borough, including those in the NHS and school, due to the unavailability of low cost housing.

Moving people out of Brent is not new. Back in 2017 research found that Brent was one of the worst councils for forcing people out of London. LINK

This is the Brent Council press release on the scheme:

Homeless people trapped in temporary accommodation for months on end are being urged to ‘find a place you can afford’ by Brent Council.

 

Brent has experienced a 23 percent increase in the number of homelessness applications – up from 6,000 to more than 7,300 – over the past three years. Each week, an average of 140 households are becoming homeless in Brent. Of all homeless households, around half are trapped in very basic and costly ‘temporary’ accommodation.

 

Government data shows that London accounts for 57% of England’s total number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation. Around 175,000 Londoners – equivalent to one in 50 residents of the capital – are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation arranged by their local borough. This figure includes one in 23 children, meaning on average there is at least one homeless child in every London classroom. The homeless emergency is being driven by a perfect storm of rising rents, which have soared by nearly 34% in Brent over the past year, a backlog of people being evicted since the pandemic, reduced supply of private rented housing and cost of living pressures.

 

“The number of homeless families we have in so called ‘temporary’ accommodation has now reached critical levels,” says Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council. “Sadly the reality is children are growing up in temporary accommodation, coming home from school to do their homework on the floor of a shared bathroom of a hostel and eating dinner perched on the side of their bed. This is a human tragedy but it’s not a situation of Brent’s making.

 

“Despite building more new homes than almost any other borough in the capital over the past decade, Brent is one of the places worst affected by London’s homelessness emergency. We just can’t build quickly enough to meet the tsunami of demand.”

 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of residents in temporary accommodation will eventually end up in the private rented sector outside of London due to the sky-high rents in London and lack of affordable housing in the capital. However, some homeless people believe that staying in temporary accommodation increases their chances of securing a council home.

 

“Some people think that becoming homeless increases their chance of a council home, it does not,” continues Cllr Butt. “Right now, there are more than 34,000 families or individuals on our social housing waiting list. Some have been waiting since the last century and they are still waiting. An average of just 650 council homes become available each year, with 40% of them being 1 bed properties, so this queue is moving very slowly and waiting times are getting longer. It is important that the council is honest with people and that homeless households don’t have unrealistic expectations.”

 

Brent overspent it’s budget by over £13m last year and is forecast to overspend by more than £10m this year mainly due to the cost of temporary accommodation such as hostels and bed and breakfasts. Meanwhile London’s councils are spending more than £90million a month on temporary accommodation.

 

Cllr Butt concludes: “As well as the terrible human cost, this homelessness emergency is completely unaffordable for taxpayers. This is why we are launching our ‘Find a place you can afford’ campaign. If you find yourself homelessness, for most people your housing options will be in the private rented sector. Rather than being stuck in temporary accommodation for months on end and still end up in the private rented sector somewhere outside of London, we are advising homeless families to take control of their housing situation and find a place they can afford.

 

“We will be able to help families secure a home financially, ensuring that the rental property is safe and checking that it is affordable in the long-term. We are here to help.”#

Brent launched its Find a place you can afford campaign with a video (above), booklet and webpage with more housing advice.

This is a transcript of the video:

 Did you know Brent is one of the worst affected places in the UK by the housing crisis? One part of the problem is we've got private landlords selling up and leaving the rental market because of rising mortgage costs.

There's been a 41% decline in private rental listings since 2017, combined with a 50% decline in 4 bed properties.

At the same time, there has been a rapid rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness.

In the last three years, we've had a 23% increase in the number of applications from homeless households. And today, it's more than 7,300. That's 140 households becoming homeless, every single week.

This has resulted in over 2,000 households living in temporary accommodation, more than 900 of whom are in emergency B&B accommodation.

This can mean families living in a single room, in cramped accommodation, sharing kitchens and bathrooms with other families for months on end. And because the housing emergency leaves many families competing for the same pool of homes, it often means that we're forced to use accommodation that's outside the capital.

Cramped conditions in temporary accommodation can create, and worsen, health problems and affect the health and well-being of children in particular.

That's how we know that living in temporary accommodation isn't a good long term solution.

Sadly, there's also no guarantee that you'll receive permanent housing in Brent. There are currently 34,000 households on our social housing waiting list. That's nearly 1 in 10 of all Brent residents.

Some families have been on the list since the last century, and only an average of 650 social homes become available each year with 40% of them being one 1 properties.

Even though Brent has been leading the way in building new homes with the second highest number of new builds completed out of all the London boroughs over the past ten years, put simply, supply cannot cope with this surge in demand.

The average wait time for a 2 bed home is more than a decade. For 4 bed properties, the wait is over twenty years.

If you're homeless, your best option is to find a place you can afford in the private rental sector as quickly as possible. Regrettably, most private rental properties in London are becoming unaffordable.

Rather than wait for years in temporary accommodation, we can work with you to find a more cost effective property outside of London where rents remain more affordable. We can help you to secure a rental property in a place that's affordable to you.

If needed, we can financially help you to secure a rental home.

We can talk to your landlord for you and we can support you to move into your new neighborhood.

We know that relocating to a new area may seem daunting. There are school and work moves to think about as well as changes to your commute, but we'll help you to find a place you can afford to end your homelessness.

We'll support you and your family with the option to change location and help to make your move into your new home as easy as possible. We can only make you a one time offer of a home in the private rental sector to end your homelessness.

Sadly, there is a high probability that it will be outside of London due to the lack of affordable housing. With only a small supply of council homes, most routes lead to the private rental sector. So, take control of your housing situation today and work with us to find a home you can afford. 

Brent Council advises its homeless residents to up sticks and move somewhere else where private rents are lower

 Cllr Rita Begum (Kilburn ward) asked a question LINK of Brent Council leader, Muhammed Butt, for the July 8th Brent Full Council Meeting on the plight of the homeless in the borough.

In his response Butt outlines the increasing cost of placements of the homeless in temporary private rented accommodation as well as the rise in the number of people and families presenting as homeless at the Civic Centre.

He cites the limited action that the council has been able to take and goes on to introduce a new campaign that the council will undertake called 'Find a Place You Can Afford':

 

In addition, the council is set to launch a new communications campaign which aims to raise awareness of the deepening homelessness emergency in Brent and the practical realities and life changing consequences this has for homeless  households. 

 

The Find a place you can afford campaign will seek to break the perceived link between homelessness and social housing. For the overwhelming majority of people, becoming homeless does not mean they have a better chance of securing a council home.

 

For most homeless households the most likely sustainable solution to their homelessness will be to find a place they can afford in the private rented sector in a more affordable part of the UK. The council’s communications will seek to encourage the growing number of homeless households to realise more quickly that, for the vast majority, their future housing options are all in the private rented sector in an area they can afford.

 

Amid all the rising tower blocks of high spec flats  in Wembley, Alperton and elsewhere in the borough, the council is admitting that it cannot help those waiting for accommodation on the housing list. Their advice could be seen as ruthlessly honest in refusing to give homeless families any hope of staying near extended family, social netweeks and local schools in Brent.

 

It is rather similar to Norman Tebbit's advice to the workless to 'get on your bike' to find work elsewhere.

Others may see it as another step on the gentrification road.

Cabinet answers public's questions on Quintain development, fly-tipping and social housing priorities

Questions from the public to Cabinet members is now part of the FullCouncil agenda. Answers are written rather than read out and it is unusual for the member of the public to be present at the meeting to follow up the answer to their question.

These are the questions and answers on the Agenda of the September 18th meeting.

Questions from Members of the Public Full Council – 18 September 2017

1. Question from Mr Wadhwani to Councillor Tatler, Lead Member for Regeneration, Growth, Employment and Skills:

My question is specifically around Wembley Park and the regeneration currently on where lots of old buildings are coming down to create new buildings and flats.

I would like to know how the Council is preparing to serve all the thousands of residents that will be living in these flats by 2020 and the pressure on local services that this will put, i.e. Transport, healthcare, schooling, police, welfare etc.

What are the strategies in place or planned so along with Wembley Stadium, Arena, London Designer Outlet (LDO) and Brent Civic Centre, the authorities are able to cope with the pressure expected on them?

Response:

The Council takes a plan-led approach to the regeneration of the borough, in order to prevent development schemes coming forward in an ad hoc, unplanned fashion. Wembley has a comprehensive planning framework, including the dedicated Wembley Area Action Plan (adopted 2015), which sets out how development of the area will progress. The ongoing regeneration provides and plans for infrastructure and facilities to support current and future residents across the Wembley area, including:

•   7 hectare public park 


•   New 3 form entry primary school, including a 2 form entry nursery school, 
plus 2 additional forms of nursery provision 


•   Primary health care facility (1500m minimum) 


•   Contributions towards secondary education in the wider area 


•   6-lane 25m swimming pool available at local authority facility rates 


•   Significant investment in and improvement to the main rail and underground 
stations to improve capacity and the environment 


•   Community facility fund of £1.4m plus to spend on community projects 


• Physical transport improvements e.g. the Triangle, Wembley High Road and elsewhere, together with significant developer contributions to Transport for London (TfL) for public transport, including buses

Developers have additionally contributed a significant cash sum of Community Infrastructure Levy, part of which will be spent on neighbourhood projects, and the remainder on strategic infrastructure needs to support growth in the immediate Wembley area and wider Brent Borough.

The Local Plan and in particular the Wembley Area Action Plan sets out the regeneration and development strategy for the Wembley area. The Local Plan is now to be refreshed and to examine how the whole Borough will develop over the next 15-20 years. Everyone is invited to get involved in this exercise and various public sessions are being held across the Borough throughout September for people to come along and contribute.

2. Question from Ms Dowell to Councillor Southwood, Lead Member for Environment:

I am concerned about the increase of systematic fly tipping in and around Selwyn Avenue, Bruce and Alric Avenue.

Although this is removed by the contractors it defeats the object. I am told by other residents that they see vans dumping their rubbish.

We have a high volume of rental properties which has also caused a problem.

I would like to know how much does it cost to send the contractors out to collect and why doesn't the council look at prevention?

I was told by the environment team last year that would look into it.
I am fed up with the dumping environment as I pay council tax and expect more.

Response:

The removal of illegally dumped rubbish is covered by the cleansing service specification within the Council’s Public Realm Contract. The cost of this service is included in the overall circa £17m annual cost for the Contract; this is a fixed cost and not a variable charge dependent on the number of incidents the contractor responds to.

The Council takes illegal rubbish dumping very seriously and through a combination of enforcement, education and community engagement, we continue to work hard to make an impact on this problem.

Colleagues from Veolia (Brent’s Public Realm contractor) inspect illegally dumped waste for direct evidence and refer their findings onto the enviro-crime enforcement team. This evidence, together with evidence obtained through other direct referrals to the council and investigations by the enviro-crime enforcement team, has resulted in hundreds of fines being issued and a large number of successful prosecutions. In 2016/17, there were 629 cases which led to these such sanctions being imposed, and following a change in penalty level in 2016, Brent issued the second highest number of fixed penalty notices in the country for illegal rubbish dumping.

The Council uses a range of tactics to assist in combating illegal rubbish dumping, including deployment of surveillance utilising our new in-house environment patrol team to carry out high visibility patrols and conducting out of hours in areas known to be environmental crime and antisocial behaviour hotspots in the borough.

These operations include CCTV officers in the Brent Control Room, who monitor and support the patrols on the ground. We do not advertise when, where or how we conduct this surveillance, to ensure it is as effective as possible.

Of course, preventing illegal rubbish dumping also requires assistance and cooperation from local residents, as they can help us by reporting and identifying people who they see illegally dumping waste. We encourage residents to report any incidents of illegal rubbish dumping in as much detail as possible online via the council’s website. All reports are logged, and as mentioned above, waste is searched for evidence before being cleared to enable us to take enforcement action wherever possible. Data on all reports received is collated to enable the council to build a full picture of the problem ‘hot spots’ across the borough, so we can properly prioritise the deployment of our officers.

In terms of the specific areas highlighted in the question above, the enviro-crime enforcement team have conducted a site visit to inspect the problem and developed an appropriate action plan for the locations to include visits by our environmental patrol team, surveillance of the area and our contractor, Veolia, carrying out door knocking in the area to provide information on how waste should be disposed of and how instances of illegally dumped waste can be reported.

3. Question from Mr Adow & Mrs Macolin to Councillor Farah, Lead Member for Housing and Welfare Reform:

We have been on the social housing waiting list over 20yrs for a 4 bed property. Even though we been living in a 3 bed flat for the last 7yrs we are not allowed to bid for a 3 bed house and we have seen people joining the list and without waiting a year being found permanent housing.

We can understand if that family has very specific needs like illness or disability, but all the others we cannot understand why they can't be placed in temporary accommodation at least 5yrs. What is wrong with a first joined first housed system as it is now a local system many feel is open for abuse? Please see our bidding for the last 5 years to understand why we have pointed this out to you.

All we are asking is for a place we can call home. Our children question this all the time and we apologise in advance if we have expressed our feelings wrongly.

Response:

First of all, there is no need to apologise for asking a reasonable question about the long wait for a home. It is not always easy to understand the way the housing system works but we hope this brief explanation will help.

To be able to bid, applicants must fall into one of three priority bands on the system – A, B or C, with Band A representing the highest priority, including the kinds of medical priority mentioned in the question. Households to whom a full homelessness duty has been accepted, as in this case, are placed in Band C. Households within each band are then given priority based on the date they first applied (the “priority date). To this extent, the system is “first come, first served” and those waiting longest in each band have the greatest priority. In most circumstances, the household in the highest band with the earliest priority date making a bid will be accepted first. In practice, the highest priority households will not always bid and the opportunity to do so will fall to the next in line. There may also be cases where a property does not become available through Locata because the council makes a direct offer, usually to meet an urgent need. However, it should not be the case that applicants are advised they cannot bid, unless there is a particular restriction on a property, for example because it is only available to a household with a wheelchair user.

There is a severe shortage or larger affordable homes. In the five years since 2012, 122 four bedroom homes have been let, 71 of them to households in Band C. The current shortest waiting time for 4 bedroom homes is 11 years and the longest 24 years, although it should be stressed that the upper figure is distorted by the number of households who do not bid for a range of reasons.

Officers would be happy to meet with Mrs Malcolin and Mr Addow to discuss their situation and advise them how they can make best use of Locata.