Monthly Archives: February 2019

Newham Council offers single mother slum housing or the street

February 20, 2019#housingcrisis, families, Focus E15 Campaign, homelessness, housing crisis, housing struggles, mothers, private landlords, social cleansing, womenaction, homeless, housing, single mothersFocus E15 Campaign

Marsha, a brave single mother who has been living in temporary accommodation in Brimstone House for over a year with her 6 year old daughter, was yesterday contacted by Housing Options and told that she would be offered housing in Woolwich. She was informed in a threatening manner that this would be the last time she would be offered housing, and that she had to view and accept the property today.

Marsha managed to get some pictures when viewing the property. These speak for themselves.

The Agent who was showing the property agreed he would never house his family in this flat.

This is private accommodation offered by Newham Council. What a disgrace from a Council that prides itself on tackling slum private landlords.

Marsha has not only suffered Council threats in relation to her housing, but has been verbally threatened by social services in relation to her child being rehoused without her.

Journalist Kate Belgrave has documented Marsha’s full story in more detail. Please read about this here:

Do Councils actually try to drive homeless mothers to breakdown so they can remove their kids?

Do councils actually try to drive homeless mothers to breakdown so they can remove their kids?

Focus E15 stands as one with Marsha and her daughter. We demand that Newham Council retracts this housing offer and rehouses Marsha in suitable, clean, long term, council accommodation in Newham .

We demand an end to vulnerable families being threatened and bullied into accepting accommodation that no Councillor would spend the night in.

We demand people are housed with dignity in one of the richest Countries in the world!

Early bird tickets for spring ceilidh fundraiser now online

February 18, 2019housing crisisfundraiserFocus E15 Campaign

Yeeha! Take your partners by the hand and come and dance the afternoon away at this fundraising spring ceilidh. On Sunday 19 May at 4.30pm at Redon, The Railway Arches, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9HA. With live music from the SOAS Ceilidh Band plus our very own eclectic DJs. Expect lots of laughter, good vibes and snacks to keep going! All money raised will be going to the fighting fund of Focus E15 Campaign. This grassroots housing campaign started in 2013 by young single mothers and continues to demand the right for secure housing for all. Join us and don’t forget your dancing shoes! All ages welcome.

Working class artists say no to property developers

February 16, 2019art, Focus E15 Campaign, housing crisis, housing struggles, Newham councilFocus E15 Campaign

At a recent Focus E15 campaign public meeting held on the half ‘decanted’ Carptenter’s Estate in Stratford the audience were treated to a live puppet show – with handmade puppets made by the artist Andrew Cooper. Andrew writes that:

Focus E15 have consistently worked to form grass roots resistance including in areas of culture where people can develop the power to speak out and act against the massive attacks on people’s right to decent housing in Newham. The group is founded by people that have first hand experience of this brutality. Because of the seriousness of the situation all ways of communicating are experimented with, with a view to increasing the voice of the people and power. The script was added to and developed by members of Focus E15 campaign. Although the characters may seem fantastical all the elements of the story refer to actual recent events happening to people. The events are real but the characters entirely fictitious.

This performance makes use of puppets that have been developed mostly from furniture and domestic timber, they speak back for the proper use of housing.

Ongoing housing injustice in Newham – house Rachel NOW!

February 11, 2019evictions, families, homelessness, housing crisis, mothers, Newham council, personal story, private landlords, single mothers, social cleansing, womenFocus E15 Campaign

Three years ago, a homeless mother and her twin children, were placed by Newham Council in a privately rented house in East Ham. In August 2018, the owner sold the house and Racheal and her twins were told they would have to move out. Anxiously, they sought advice from East Ham housing office. What were they to do now?

Advice was not forthcoming despite the fact that the twins attend a local school in Stratford and Racheal is working in Newham. Racheal says has heard about people being shipped out of the borough for rehousing. She is scared that this will happen to her. The stress of losing everything, her home, her job, the children’s schools and all her friends and connections has been making her ill.

In September last year Racheal received the official notice to quit and she has subsequently been sent a court eviction notice for Monday 18 February 2019.

Racheal went with this information to Bridge House homelessness unit to seek advice, but without an appointment they wouldn’t even let her in the building to ask any questions to assess her options. She has no case worker. The only thing that Rachel was told is that she needs to pack up her stuff, put it all into storage (at her own expense) and on Monday 18 February she should present herself to Bridge House homelessness unit, as she and her children will indeed be homeless.

Leaving housing decision like this to the very last minute causes a huge amount of stress. It was the council that housed this family in the private rented sector and if this home is no longer available, it would seem logical that the council must rehouse this family as soon as possible and before 18 February. But, under the Localism Act, the council discharges its duty when placing people in the private rented sector. This means they won’t help when such a placement goes wrong. A new homelessness application must be submitted.

However under the Homelessness Prevention Act the council should intervene. It is the humane thing to do! We must also stress that every local option for housing must be investigated before the family face social cleansing and potential destitution outside of London.

Racheal has found support for her case and she has not given up!She has an appointment at Bridge house for Friday 15 February.

We demand that Newham Council, Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and cabinet member for housing John Gray, act swiftly to remedy this situation and house Racheal and her children in Newham with their support networks, family and community, school and job.

Picture from a banner by Andrew Cooper