Raise The Roof For Housing Conference

Friends Meeting House, Liverpool
On March 7th 2015

Report and photographs by Tracey Dunn
Film by Leanne Amanda

Left Unity hosted an excellent and very well organised national conference for 'those directly affected, all housing campaign groups and committed housing activists'. It was a very packed room with groups and individuals from all over the UK.

There were many speakers who had ten minutes each to tell us about their campaigns. Speakers included the film maker Ken Loach, whose almost fifty-year-old film 'Cathy Comes Home' about a woman's struggle with homelessness and the welfare system has never been more relevant.

Other speakers were Stephen Hall from Manchester Trades Coucil talking about building new homes and making sure they are sustainable."Solar powered homes could create 185,000 new jobs", he said.

Juliet Edgar is a bedroom tax campaigner and member of Reclaim who have helped many thousands stay in their homes. Juliet said "Families should feel secure in their homes forever" and "Direct Action is needed..we must fight back together". Juliet asked "How many homes are empty due to the Bedroom Tax? We need to occupy them and not demolish them."

Jasmin Stone is a young woman from the Focus E15 campaign who lived in a hostel in East London with other mother's under 25 and their children who refused to be socially cleansed and leave London. They occupied four flats on the Carpenter's Estate for two weeks where they cooked hot meals, had a free shop, a youth club and ran plumbing courses to keep their community together. "40 homes have now been opened on the estate" Jasmin reminded us, and also that the council "work for us".

Fred, from Barnet Struggles in London, spoke of everything being privatised and outsourced. "500 homes have been demolished on the West Hendon Estate and no one can afford the new homes being built there".

Chris Blake from Lambeth Housing Activists was able to promote the campaign group by having stalls at local festivals or outside a local library. Their campaign also got a lot of publicity by fashion designer and climate campaigner Vivienne Westwood helping out.

Someone also covered estate agent boards with 'I love social housing' posters which made the local news.

Glyn Roberts from Defend Coucil Housing in Tower Hamlets talked about how inferior housing caused mental health problems in children, and howow 25 billion pounds of housing benefit goes straight into the pockets of landlords who now own council homes.

Matt Hollinshead from Bristol is involved with Acorn 'Association of Community organisations for Reform Now'. They campaign vigorously in local communities to fight for 12 month contracts, scrapping agency fees and a three year basic tenancy. They are also keen on direct action and once had a very successful Halloween demo visiting 'vampire' estate agents.

Vicky Cooper from the Open University talked of councils cutting homeless support, especially for those with mental health problems. Vicky gave out statistics concerning homelessness and eviction including that since 2010 rough sleepers in the UK have increased by 55%. There has been a loss of 2,000 hostel spaces. 42,000 tenants have had their homes repossessed, and that works out at about 115 evictions a day.

Ken Loach spoke of how "this meeting is exactly the kind of meeting we need, exchanging experiences and learning from each other. It never penetrates the main political discourse. The pain and insecurity of homelessness will not be a part of their debate. We must make certain this is in their face."

He added, "We need consistent and concerted campaigning. Local authorities are redeveloping properties as investments not homes. There is a war on the poor on a par with sanctions and grinding people into dire poverty. We need to raise our ambition..what houses do we want?".

Bolton against the Bedroom Tax spokeswoman Linda told us of their campaign strategies which included public meetings and leafletting. They also halted council meetings twice to make a point. Bolton trade unions had also helped them with things like travel costs and printing.

Dave Walsh president of Liverpool Trades Council, talked about how blacklisting in the construction industry for shop stewards and the like goes back decades. "This is a major obstacle as building workers need to be employed".

Tony Mulhearn of TUSC Trade Union and Socialist Coalition said that "housing hadn't been high on the list and this conference will help put it there". He said he was interested in making this happen. "Housing must be planted in the eye of the public".

Joe Halewood, the Bedroom Tax specialist, said Liverpool has 9,325 Bedroom Tax cases that the council must come out and inspect. The welfare reforms are not saving money but costing the government £4.5 million. Joe also called for more direct action.

Workshop feedback included focusing on the solution and not the problem, it's a human right to have a home, we need rent controls, like in Germany, and to bring all housing under public control.

It was finally decided that there is a need to make a handbook for housing campaigners, there need to be more meetings around the country, and also that there needs to be a focus period before the general election for coordinated housing actions. Housing for human need is something that people need to talk about.

Thanks to Felicity Downing and Left Unity for an inspiring and hopeful day.

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Sorry Comments Closed

Comment left by johno on 1st April, 2015 at 11:12
wea running a housing course starting 27th march at ship n mitre 7-9pm.