Conservative MPs – of whom 68 are landlords, as your editorial points out – have voted to delay not only section 21 eviction reform but also legislation to make rental property fit for human habitation (The Guardian view on rising homelessness: a crisis made in government, 23 October). However, there is another particularly nasty calculated cause of homelessness.
Asylum seekers who are granted leave to remain (refugees) are now given just seven days to vacate their hotel or other accommodation, find an alternative, get a national insurance card, find a job and register for universal credit – which can take five weeks to come through. Since they have been forbidden to work while seeking asylum, most have no UK references or deposits, while landlords, not unreasonably, request both. Many become street homeless, calculated to evoke animosity.
Furthermore, cash-starved councils, however willing, cannot provide accommodation they don’t have. But increasing numbers of the electorate, including supposedly colossally wealthy empty-nesters, many of whom are asset-rich but income-constrained, are indeed doing what they can to alleviate this deliberate governmental cruelty. We offer empty rooms, warm hearts and hospitality to refugees and others while they get back on their feet. We started with the Uganda Asian crisis, have had many homeless guests since and have found it richly rewarding. We also tax our unearned assets ourselves by leaving appropriate sums in our wills to organisations such as Shelter and Crisis that are involved with housing homeless people.
We care about social justice, and if the government thinks such malicious policies appeal to voters in our home-owning demographic, they have – not for the first time – very badly miscalculated.
Anne Johns
Derby
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