Housing Justice News Release 1 December 2004
For immediate release
Icing on the cake for Housing Justice’s first birthday party
Housing Justice, the national Christian voice against bad housing and homelessness, has celebrated its first AGM at Friends’ House in north west London. The merger between CHAS (Catholic Housing Aid Society) and CNHC (Churches National Housing Coalition) was launched at St Martin-in-the-fields by the Rt Rev Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor in November 2003. A year later the first AGM of Housing Justice took place on Tuesday 30 November.
The theme of the day was the ongoing struggle for housing justice. Ex-director of Shelter, Chris Holmes, spoke about the churches’ significant role, past, present and future, in supporting those in housing need and campaigning for a fairer system.
Housing Justice Chair, the Rt Revd David Walker, Bishop of Dudley, emphasised the need for an organisation like Housing Justice: “ Housing Justice’s members and supporters achieve remarkable results in tackling housing need at local level across the country. Many of them are the small organisations that are the most vulnerable to changes in funding streams and regimes. Yet history shows that tomorrow’s best practices emerge disproportionately from such roots. It is crucial to the whole Housing Sector that both capital grant and Supporting People revenue continue to be available to sustain the viability and vitality of faith-based projects.”
Bishop David went on to say: “The last twelve months have seen a frenetic pace of change in the Housing world. That’s nothing new. Nor is the fact that it is the most marginalised who are the worst affected. This is not a good time to be a refugee or asylum seeker in Britain . My meetings with members of the traveller community also convince me that we need nothing less than the re-instatement of the duty on local authorities to provide sites. Only this will arrest a disgraceful and degenerating situation.”
On a more positive note he added: “One of the more hopeful signs of the last year has been the promotion of the iN Business theme by the NHF. The faith sector is by its very nature rooted in neighbourhoods, which it seeks to serve. Our Housing projects are one expression of that commitment. They gain strength from their links to both our natural communities and our wider engagements with social provision and sustainability.”
Housing Justice performs a dual role in supporting local action housing projects and campaigning for housing change. The assembled supporters heard how Housing Justice has bolstered its policy department in the last year and seen its campaigning rewarded by clauses in the Housing Act (2004) in four particular areas: houses in multiple occupancy, overcrowding, empty homes and rent deposit guarantees. Also noted was the successful campaign currently running in conjunction with Shelter, tying in with Homelessness Sunday (30 th January 05). Entitled Homelessness Hurts, this year’s theme is the impact of homelessness on children and young people, recently launched with a poetry competition in schools across the country.
The AGM also provided the launch of the HJ Alliance, a team within Housing Justice bringing together and supporting housing advice centres and church-based housing and homelessness projects. Cherry Furber, Alliance Support Manager, spoke of developing a range of holistic services responding to the needs of the local community as well as developing infrastructure support and networking opportunities for the multitude of small housing and homelessness projects across the country:
“When we work alongside homeless and badly housed people, we are responding to the challenge to put our faith into action.” Said Mrs Furber.
At the end of the day, supporters were offered a slice of the Housing Justice cake.
ends
About Housing Justice
Housing Justice is the national voice of Christian action to prevent homelessness and bad housing. It was formed in April 2003 through the merger of two long-standing housing charities, the Catholic Housing Aid Society (CHAS) and the Churches National Housing Coalition (CNHC) bringing together more than 60 years of experience of working for change in the field of housing.
Housing Justice provides frontline services to people in housing need and campaigns to improve housing policy. Housing Justice funds a network of 10 housing advice agencies and numerous community projects, and develops models of good practice for frontline services that local groups can adopt. In total Housing Justice is actively involved in 35 communities across England and Wales.
Housing Justice Regenerate, funded by the Home Office’s Civil Renewal Unit, supports resident-led regeneration in 15 guide neighbourhoods across the UK. Regenerate brings together residents who have transformed their estates with those who want to embark on the regeneration process to share thinking and offer support.
Housing Justice works with and for homeless and badly housed people of all denominations, and with those who have no religious beliefs. All our services are offered to the whole community and, wherever possible, we work in partnership with others who share our values, regardless of religious beliefs.
For further information on Housing Justice see www.housingjustice.org.uk
Contact
Luke Evans 020 7723 7273
email media@housingjustice.org.uk