Housing Justice UNLEASH email bulletin December 2006

Dear friends and colleagues,
I hope this finds you well.

As we are in Advent this bulletin reflects the season by offering some spiritual food for thought in the form of Ken Leech's Christmas letter and a letter from Alison Gelder our Chief Executive, published in Tuesday's Guardian. There is also the newly published list of winter shelters attached, thanks to Jane Bancroft of Resource Information Services. If you have any problems downloading or printing this let me know and I'll post you a copy.

Mailing info
This email bulletin goes out free about once a month to people in the UNLEASH network. The aim is to provide a short informative read with news, resources and items of interest to people involved in action on housing and homelessness in London.
Please feel free to forward this to people you know or work with who may be interested.
If someone forwarded this to you and you would like to subscribe, or if you want to unsubscribe at any time please let me know.
NB Your email will not used for any other purpose or be forwarded to third parties.
mailto:a.murray@ housingjustice.org.uk

Scroll down for
Ken Leech Christmas letter
Alison Gelder letter in the Guardian this week
New website resource from Support Action Net
"You can do it" event this Saturday
Rally against the BNP in Barking and Dagenham
New Housing Justice website

Ken Leech Christmas letter
I attach Ken's letter, which is inspirational, informative and challenging as always. Ken was chair of UNLEASH for my first 2 years in this role, and in his retirement is still (thankfully) a campaigner and radical theologian.
His new book Doing Theology in Altab Ali Park has just been published by Darton, Longman and Todd, and a short extract was published in last Saturday's Times. You can read online extracts if you follow this link, but don't delay as Times articles stay online for only 2 weeks!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3933-2470054,00.html

Alison Gelder letter in the Guardian this week
If you saw the BBC documentary Evicted last week you will know how powerfully it portrayed the continuing struggles of homeless families today. Housing Justice Chief Executive Alison Gelder wrote this letter to the Guardian reflecting on the problems experienced by the families in the film:

Sadly the conditions referred to in your review of Evicted (G2, November 30) are all too common. The Housing Justice housing advice centres regularly report cases of families being made homeless by one part of a local authority only to be placed in emergency temporary accommodation, under the terms of the homelessness legislation, by another. If they are found to be "intentionally" homeless they are denied. help and have nowhere to go.

If the government is serious about preventing homelessness it must tackle the administration of housing benefit in local authorities and end the system of hoops through which homeless families must jump to be rehoused. The Scottish parliament has ended the obligation on local authorities to test intentionality - why can't Westminster?

However the problems with administration, intentionality and priority tests and buck-passing in local authorities are only a symptom of the wider problem - the lack of affordable housing. Longer-term, the only solution to the problems of homelessness is for the government to build more affordable family homes for rent.
Alison Gelder
Chief Executive
Housing Justice

Follow this link for more letters on the same subject
http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,1963870,00.html

Volunteers Training
UNLEASH runs a basic training day for volunteers working with people who are homeless. The training is provided free to organisations or churches which are members of Housing Justice, and covers:
Overview of homelessness, statutory responsibilities of local authority, role of the church and voluntary sector
Mental health awareness
Drugs and alcohol
Basic conflict management
This training does not set out to make people into experts, but it will raise awareness and provide simple guidelines to help you in your work
New dates: 13th and 27th January - both Saturdays
Venues: 13th - South London, and 27th - All Saints Church, Islington
Times: 10.00am-4.00pm
For more info or to book please complete and email the attached booking form>>

Petition to the EU Commission
Małgorzata Malak of the Barka Foundation-led European Migrants’ Integration Network writes:
Dear Friends and Partners,
The Barka team has prepared an appeal to the European Commission concerning labour migration issues. The letter has been sent to the Vice - President of the European Commission, Franco Frattini, who is also responsible for the Commissioners' Group on Migration.
Please log in to give your support http://www.barka.org.pl/index_eng.htm
We are now in the process of arranging a meeting with a representative of Mr. Frattini. We believe that your support will be of great help when we meet him. We would like to draw the attention of the working group in question to the issues of labour migration of the citizens of the European Union and not only the immigration of non-citizens of the EU.
We appreciate your support.

Finally, a Christmas greeting, with best wishes from us all at Housing Justice to you, your families, friends and colleagues for Christmas and the New Year.

New website resource from Support Action Net
A useful and interesting new web resource from Lemos and Crane offering a more "user-centred" paradigm and with a section of practical advice and resources to work with New European migrant workers.
www.supportactionnet.org.uk

"You can do it" event this Saturday
For tenants and residents who want to improve their estates
Saturday 9th December, 10.30am – 2.30pm
The Teviot Centre, Wyvis St. E14 6QD
There will be representatives from New Mill Consultants (Poplar HARCA), South Acton Residents Action Group, Walterton & Elgin Community Homes, Little Venice, Two Towers, National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations, Leathermarket JMB, PETRA TMO, and Housing Justice
To book your free place contact Guy Cruls on 020 7723 7273 x.229
Or mailto:g.cruls@ housingjustice.org.uk

Rally against the BNP in Barking and Dagenham this Saturday
Saturday 9 December
Assemble 1pm on the large lawn (by the round-about) in front of the Civic Centre, Dagenham, RM10 7BN nearest tube - Dagenham East - there will be a shuttle bus from here to the assembly point.
Please see the link for the map below for precise location and look out for Unite Against Fascism banner and placards on the day.

For the first time in many years the BNP is calling a public rally in London attempting to stir up racial hatred in Barking and Dagenham. In opposition to this, a peaceful rally against the BNP has been called by Unite Against Fascism, together with South East Region TUC, GMB London Region, UNISON London Region, TGWU South East and East Anglia Region, Communication Workers Union, University and College Union, Barking and Dagenham Alliance Against Racism and Fascism, National Assembly Against Racism and Love Music Hate Racism. All these organisations above have been working to ensure a large mobilisation against the BNP, and will be ensuring the smooth and peaceful running of our protest.

The rally will be addressed by a number of speakers from the supporting organisations, showing that the vast majority of people in the borough and across the country oppose the BNP.

Directions by public transport:
From Dagenham East station (District Line) a shuttle bus will be provided or take the 103 Bus from Bus Stop A towards North Romford / Chase Cross. Get off when you see the Civil Centre on Rainham Road South. Estimated time of travel 15 minutes

New Housing Justice website
The new website is now live, although we are still sorting out some of the content.
See www.housingjustice.org.uk

If you have any comments on any of these items, or have something for inclusion in the January edition please drop me a line.

Best wishes,
Alastair

Alastair Murray
Coordinator
Housing Justice UNLEASH

Attachments
Ken' Leech's letter
RIS - winter shelter information 2006/2007

Mailing info
This email bulletin goes out free about once a month to people in the Housing Justice UNLEASH network. The aim is to provide a short informative read with news, resources and items of interest to people involved in action on housing and homelessness in London.

Please feel free to forward this to people you know or work with who may be interested.

If someone forwarded this to you and you would like to subscribe, or if you want to unsubscribe at any time please let me know.
NB Your email will not used for any other purpose or be forwarded to third parties.

Contact a.murray@ housingjustice.org.uk